Why believing is a strength, not a weakness: A review of the Korean adaptation of 'Life of Pi'

Some licensed shows lose at least a sliver of their substance in translation, but the Korean-language premiere of “Life of Pi” proves that a story fueled by imagination can thrive anywhere — even in the vast Pacific rendered on a Seoul stage.

[Review]

Actor Park Jeong-min acts as Pi in the ongoing play, ″Life of Pi,″ staged at the GS Arts Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, set to run through March 2. [S&CO]

Some international shows lose at least a sliver of their substance in translation, but the Korean-language premiere of “Life of Pi” proves that a story fueled by imagination can thrive anywhere — even in the vast Pacific rendered on a Seoul stage.

The Korean staging of “Life of Pi,” running at the GS Arts Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, through March 2, follows its namesake, Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel, about a 16-year-old boy nicknamed Pi from India who becomes shipwrecked and must survive in the middle of the Pacific Ocean alongside a Bengal tiger. It is a story that blends spirituality with survival, asking audiences to choose to believe, as well as choose what to believe, in the face of the unbelievable.

The play first premiered in Sheffield, Britain, in 2019 before transferring to London’s West End and later Broadway, earning acclaim for its puppetry and stage and sound designs. The production is now touring across Europe and Asia, but its stop in Korea marks a milestone: the first time “Life of Pi” has been staged in a non-English language. This version features an entirely Korean cast, including a local team of puppeteers who reinterpret the award-winning staging.

Actor Park Kang-hyun acts as Pi in the ongoing play, ″Life of Pi,″ staged at the GS Arts Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, set to run through March 2. [S&CO]

Licensed musicals and plays are a major part of Korea’s theater landscape. At almost any point in the year, Seoul stages multiple plays or musicals adapted from hit Broadway or West End productions. Yet the transition isn’t always seamless. Even with identical sets and costumes, a faithful translation of the script does not always guarantee that its emotional tone will land with the same impact as the original. Some stories feel so rooted in a specific social context that transplanting them creates awkward, even jarring, dissonance.

“Life of Pi,” however, is a different case. Its strength lies in imagination rather than a specific culture or time. The narrative unfolds in a liminal space between reality and myth, with a teenage boy and a tiger adrift in a seemingly endless ocean. The puppetry creates a theatrical language that transcends geography. And lead actor Park Jeong-min’s sensitive and adorkable Pi anchors the show.

There is hardly a scene in which Pi is not on stage, meaning the flow of the entire 120-minute production rests on the lead actor's shoulders. Park meets the challenge with impressive stamina, and his strong presence, clear focus and playful humor keep the audience enraptured.

The 38-year-old actor has built an impressive career since his debut in the mystery drama “Bleak Night” in 2011. He went on to star in critically praised films, including the historical drama “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet” in 2016 and the action hit “Deliver Us from Evil” in 2020. “Life of Pi” marks his return to the stage after eight years, having last appeared as Romeo in the National Theater of Korea’s “Romeo and Juliet.” He alternates his current Pi role with actor Park Kang-hyun.

A life-sized tiger puppet is on stage during "Life of Pi″ staged at the GS Arts Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, through March 2. [S&CO]

Yet to the creative team behind the show, Pi is more than a headliner. He is considered the “third puppet,” working in relationship with Richard Parker, the life-size Bengal tiger operated by three puppeteers. From the soft flick of his ears and grounded weight of his tail, Richard Parker feels alive. His low rumbles and sudden bursts of movement create a presence that commands the stage — on par with his human co-star.

It helps that the production has been celebrated for visual innovation. The original staging won Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design at both the Olivier Awards and the Tony Awards and earned a Tony for Best Sound Design of a Play. In Korea, the same stagecraft continues to dazzle: The stage transforms into an ocean that rises and falls, and a small lifeboat becomes its own universe.

Still, “Life of Pi” is fundamentally about the audience’s experience. The technical and theatrical wizardry don't aim for the most realistic depictions, but are rather vehicles to set off the audience's imagination. Like Pi, the show asks viewers to suspend their disbelief and choose wonder even when reason tells you to resist or derides you as naive. Belief is what gives humans the strength to face the harshest realities. When you choose to believe in more than what you see, you become capable of surviving the unimaginable.

And if you find yourself in the audience of “Life of Pi,” allowing the impossible to feel real just for one night, then you have already encountered the power of that magic.

Actor Park Jeong-min acts as Pi in the ongoing play, ″Life of Pi,″ staged at the GS Arts Center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, set to run through March 2. [S&CO]

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]