The Fantastic Tale of a Boy Adrift for 227 Days: Park Jung-min in 'Life of Pi' Live on Stage
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
A stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi opened at Seoul’s GS Art Center, starring Park Jung-min. The ‘Live on Stage’ production recreates Pi’s 227-day survival at sea after a shipwreck, using intricate puppets to portray animals including the Bengal tiger Richard Parker, giraffes, orangutans and hyenas. Puppeteers (performers who operate puppets) convey detailed movements—tiger roars, a turtle’s paddling—and combine with video, lighting and music to evoke stormy seas and shifting locations from an Indian zoo to the Pacific. Unlike the film, the play focuses more on Pi’s inner change, such as his shift from vegetarianism to hunting a sea turtle to survive. Park alternates between narrator, innocent boy and trauma-affected survivor, while the show closes by questioning whether Pi’s tale is truth or a crafted fantasy. The run continues through March 2 next year.
