Fort Worth audiences in store for ‘beautiful lesson’ from ‘Life of Pi’

Just as his character Pi in “The Life of Pi,” Taha Mandviwala learned that unexpected things can bring about changes in life.

Not that he, like his character, came face-to-face with a tiger on a lifeboat, mind you. But he did come to discover his true calling in life on the way to what he had previously thought was his calling.

“My sights were set on pre-med. It seemed like a natural trajectory,” Mandviwala said via telephone in Kansas City, where he is starring in the production that will be in Fort Worth Sept. 23-28 at Bass Hall.

The show is part of Performing Arts Fort Worth’s Broadway at the Bass Series.

Mandviwala’s father and brother are both in the medical profession. He was about to apply to medical school himself at the University of Kentucky when he realized that’s not the path for him.

“My freshman year I took an introduction to theater class, as a sophomore I was in my first play, as a junior I switched my major (to theater) and as a senior I decided to fully commit myself to becoming an actor,” he said. “Then I started going from one theater to the next, just loving it all.

Journey to wellness coach

While he didn’t enter the medical profession, the 31-year-old Mandviwala did become a health and wellness coach, focusing on helping others achieve holistic health and resilience. He grew up playing soccer for 13 years and now participates in parkour, an urban activity developed from military obstacle course training, emphasizing movement through the surrounding environment by running, jumping, climbing, and vaulting to overcome obstacles.

“With this project I get to marry those two things. The role is so physical and the tour demands taking care of yourself,” he said.

Mandviwala praised the fitness regimen that he said exists throughout the cast and crew of the show.

“There’s a culture of health and fitness in our company, especially the puppeteers who play Richard Parker (the tiger),” he said, noting some of the methods are yoga, gymnastics and even tumbling.

“Everybody has their own way of taking care of their bodies.”

Tiger operated by puppeteers

The tiger is operated by puppeteers in a style known as Bunraku, a traditional Japanese form that dates to the 17th century in Osaka. There are multiple people operating a single puppet, with focus on three parts, the head, the heart and the hind portion, Mandviwala said.

And, unlike some other puppetry art forms, these puppeteers are in plain sight.

“We don’t try to hide the puppets. We’re really trying to showcase the art form and how we use it to tell a story,” Mandviwala said. “But the magic is in the way they bring this animal to life.”

In fact, in an unprecedented move, the puppeteers for the Bengal tiger in the West End London show won an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2022.

“That is so cool,” Mandviwala said. “But also so deserving, because that’s where the audiences’ eyes go.”

Mandviwala describes “The Life of Pi” — the story of a young man and a tiger stranded together in a lifeboat following a shipwreck — as a tale of belief. Using puppetry, he said, is perfect as it demands suspending belief in itself.

There’s also a message of overcoming struggles and how to survive in a hostile world. After all, it doesn’t get much more hostile than being in close quarters with a tiger while lost at sea for several months.

“I think it’s a beautiful lesson that you can survive hardships and struggles if you apply yourself,” he said. “This is the most Herculean thing I’ve ever done, and I do it six days a week.”

Mandviwala said he sees a lot of himself in Pi.

Mandviwala was born in the U.S. after his parents migrated here from Pakistan in 1992. He spent most of his growing up years in London, Kentucky, which he still calls home.

“They also lived in London, England, and we ended up in London, Kentucky,” he said with a chuckle, noting the former has a population of around 9 million and the latter has less than 8,000.

“He’s (Pi) also a very spiritual character with an ocean of curiosity underneath him,” he continued. “It’s a lot like me growing up.”

Mandviwala has family in North Texas, but this will be his first time to visit Fort Worth. He and the show were in Dallas at the Winspear Opera House in August.

He’s looking forward to his inaugural visit to Fort Worth, and especially Bass Hall.

“I’ve never been west of Dallas, but I am excited about venturing that way. I understand has quite its own cool theater vibe,” he said. And I’ve heard so much about Bass Hall, I can’t wait.

“Dallas was special with people I know coming to see me. Fort Worth will be special also.”