‘Life of Pi’ coming to Des Moines

2/5/2025

It’s simple performing arts math. Pi r2 may determine the area of a circle, but “Pi,” the stellar award-winning theatrical experience, is bringing a prelude of anticipation when the “Life of Pi” national tour makes a week-long stop at Des Moines Performing Arts beginning Feb. 25. 

Based on Yann Martel’s international bestselling novel, “Life of Pi,” celebrated actress and writer Lolita Chakrabarti, Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, used Martel’s immersive story as the source material for her stage adaptation. Yes, the film version received much attention, garnering 11 nominations and four wins at the 2013 Academy Awards, but Chakrabarti shares how the book was her muse.

When asked about the melding of her two primary talents, acting and writing, to capture “Life of Pi” for the stage, Chakrabarti replied, “Acting and writing are absolutely — marriage is absolutely the right word for it — on the one hand, as an actor, you’re inside the action, and as a writer you’re looking at the whole thing, 360 all around it. So, I have the benefit of perhaps too many voices to tell me when the words work. So often, when I’m writing, when the script has gotten to a certain stage, when it’s better than just the first draft, I play all the parts. Just for myself. No one else will see it. I can feel the language in my mouth to see if the language works. The other benefit of being an actor is that, when I’m in the room in rehearsals with the actors, I really trust them. If they say that something is not quite right, although their solution may not be right, their instincts are, so I always listen to them.

“It was the book that I worked from rather than the film. The book came out in 2002, and I read it just as a reader, and I absolutely loved it. But it’s a strange book. It doesn’t naturally lend itself to theatre, so when I was asked to adapt it, people were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, how are you going to make that happen?’ I didn’t have the answer.”

Her entry point proved to be that the story made her feel something. She was in.

“It asked a lot of questions about life. It’s funny; it’s got lots of elements in it. And it’s international. All these questions about ‘Why are we here?’, ‘How do we survive struggle?’ philosophies about what do you do, what do you believe in when the going gets tough?

“I’ve seen the play hundreds of times in many countries, and it’s a visual feast.”

 

Comedy, children’s theatre, and a fascinating historical reinterpretation

Tallgrass Theatre Company’s current comedy delight, “Ripcord,” continues through Feb. 16. Tallgrass has a strong reputation for presenting smaller cast shows that delight while presenting appealing multi-faceted characters. “Ripcord,” with its strong cast, promises a live theatre immersion into a wonderful character study as two women, the cantankerous Abby and the new-arrival Marilyn, escalate when a bet between the two gets the competitive juices flowing. Strong content under the experienced directorial guidance of Artistic Director Thomas Perrine.

In addition to Tallgrass, the Ankeny Community Theatre presents “Harvey,” Mary Chase’s 1944 Pulitzer Prize classic stage hit. This memorable tale of the affable Elwood P. Dowd who claims to have an unseen, 6-foot, 3½-inch pooka that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. 

Greater Des Moines patrons seeking family fare are blessed to be anchored by the Des Moines Playhouse’s Kate Goldman Children’s Theatre shows (just wrapping “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical”). Two companies presenting this month are CAP (Class Act Productions) Theatre, producing “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” and Des Moines Young Artists’ Theatre’s production of “Mary Poppins Jr.”

In the historically-based story, “Men on Boats,” the Playhouse delivers a gender-challenging view of John Wesley Powell’s monumental traversing of the rugged Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Similar to the new concept for the revival of “1776,” the Playhouse again presents thought-provoking theatre sure to keep audiences talking long past the final curtain. ♦

John Busbee is a creative project developer, critic, playwright, author, producer and media professional. He has produced his weekly show, The Culture Buzz, on KFMG since 2007.