Living Bengal Tiger Comes to Life: The Theatrical Charm of Life of Pi
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Life of Pi opens at Seoul’s GS Art Center on December 2, running through March 2. The Korean production features striking puppet artistry: three puppeteers operate a single Bengal tiger—controlling head, torso/forelegs, and hind legs/tail—to create lifelike breathing, ear and tail movement, and roaring. Based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel (Man Booker Prize winner) and the acclaimed 2012 film, the play premiered in Sheffield in 2019 and has since won Olivier and Tony awards. This Korean staging is the first local production mounted under a foreign-language license and emphasizes immersive storytelling through puppetry, lighting, video, music and inventive stagecraft. The cast includes Park Jung-min and Park Kang-hyun sharing the title role of Pi, supported by a 27-member ensemble including nine puppeteers. The creative team highlights the play’s themes of hope, perseverance and choice—leaving the interpretation of the ending up to each audience member. (puppeteer: actor who operates puppets)
