Behind the scenes on the Life of Pi stage show that's coming to Ireland
A scene from the production of Life Of Pi that's touring to the BGE Theatre in Dublin.
For actor Divesh Subaskaran, there is one local excursion he is keen to do during his upcoming time in Dublin as part of the Life of Pi tour – sample a pint of Guinness and see how it compares to those pulled in the Irish bars of his home.
Subaskaran, who was born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore, said he developed a grá for Guinness while training to be an actor. “I'm really looking forward to trying some Guinness,” he says ahead of the tour coming to Ireland. “For some reason people are saying that the Guinness in the Storehouse, there's a massive difference to what you would normally have in a regular pub so I'm really curious to try that and confirm that.
“Where I’m from in Singapore, I used to go to Irish bars and have Guinness. When I would do amateur theatre, I would join all the adults in the pub after and have Guinness or Kilkenny.”
Subaskaran plays Pi in the touring production, an adaptation of Yan Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel about a boy stranded at sea following a shipwreck, sharing a boat with four other survivors – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a tiger named Richard Parker. Much of his time is spent on stage with some impressive animal puppets.
During a press visit to the show in Manchester, journalists were brought backstage and we got up close with the puppets that dominate the show. The weight of the pieces is significant, and it takes three people to operate the tiger alone. Subaskaran says that heaviness and presence add another layer to the show for both the audience and the cast.
“I am amazed at what they're able to achieve because they have to work in such a synchronicity with one another,” he says of the puppeteers controlling the tiger. “They're so good at what they do. It makes it easy in terms of the storytelling point of view. If you're an audience member, you're like, ‘Oh, this is a very clear relationship of a boy in a boat and a tiger. This is what it would be like.’ They make it easy because they do their job so well, but because they do their job so well I am genuinely kind of on my toes because they really come at me. Their speed, precision and agility in that puppet, I'm still amazed at how they're able to move like that. It's almost like a game of tag that we're playing on stage and it's exciting.”
Subaskaran’s Pi is a well-considered character who, despite the trauma he experiences, still displays an innocent and uplifting persona. He says he found inspiration for his interpretation of Pi through a clip he found of Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson while scrolling on social media.
“I'm a great believer in what Charlie Chaplin said, that, ‘A life is a tragedy in closeup and a comedy in long-shot.’ If you sit back visually on a situation, it would automatically become funnier,” Atkinson told an interviewer in 2022. Subaskaran finds that insight useful for his portrayal of Pi.
“I think there is a certain level of optimism that one would have, having survived such extreme circumstances. Often characters who go through a lot of hardship and challenges and difficulty are able to find humour and are able to be humorous about the whole situation,” he tells me.
“I've not gone through that experience, but I can only try and understand the humanity of the character. What I've deciphered is when people go through really difficult times, they are able to find a sense of humour.”
Of course, the emotional fatigue is significant with a show that delves into such extreme circumstances, but Subaskaran says the physical toll should not be dismissed either, adding he finds support in the tight-knit cast and crew touring with him.
“Everybody in the cast is like family to me, especially because it's so physical and it requires a lot of energy and focus between cast members. I really feel like I'm a part of a team,” he says.
“It's a huge production and a highly physical show and I'm putting my body through that. Everybody on stage – the puppeteers and actors – is going through this, it almost feels like a sport that we play. I feel like I'm part of a sports team. Six months in I'm still learning how to do that, and how to unwind after shows. How do I unwind? Usually a glass of wine and a chat with my fellow actors.”
- Life of Pi runs at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, from February 27 to March 2
