I had the joy of a night out with my Dad this week. I’d had a glimpse of how cool the puppetry in Life of Pi was (just a glimpse as I try to go into live theatre relatively spoiler-free) and so I imagined it might make for a cool outing with dad.

While I personally didn’t leap from my seat at the end of this show, there is a reason this show has had so much buzz: the puppetry and artistry of this theatrical spectacle are truly beautiful and captivating. The passionate dance-like moves of Pi (played by the talented Taha Mandviwala), the lighting and staging, and the puppet design are all absolutely gorgeous.

This show feels to me like an art-for-arts-sake, in a beautiful way. That said, while I was always engaged in the show (two hours flew by – which for me is both surprising and welcome), I left feeling a question of “but WHY did I need to witness this story?”

Some shows exist to educate us, some to inspire us, some to connect us or help us gain a better understanding of others, some to make us laugh. This show’s story didn’t give me much of that (I have a feeling there is a lot of content in the book that works best in written form). But this North American tour of Life of Pi certainly stands on its own as a spectacle and beautiful artistic endeavor. The art IS the “why.”

The tiger puppet, one of multiple animal puppets in the show, and the co-star next to Pi, is operated by three actors with strong dance backgrounds. Their communication and flow is remarkable – I wish I could see the puppetry of this show used within a different story.

While I was blown away by the visual beauty of the show, I wish I had felt more connection or impact of the journey. Perhaps if I had gone in to the show with the mindset of a theatrical event with the main focus be on visual art for arts sake, rather than a play, I would have been a happier audience member. So, while I still subscribe to my choice of going in to most live theatre as spoiler-free as possible, this is one of the exceptions where I think I would have benefitted from learning more about it before I took my seat in the gorgeous Paramount Theatre.

Art – performance through movement, visual craftsmanship, etc – can move us in ways that connect with our heart, on a level that is outside of language, outside of words.

The North American Tour of “Life of Pi” plays The Paramount in Seattle now through April 20, 2025. Tickets here.