The Olivier-award-winning puppets in the new stage version of Life of Pi – including a tiger so stunning it will stalk your dreams – were not always destined to exist. Puppetry may be becoming increasingly mainstream, but there’s still a bit of scepticism out there. “It took a bit of convincing,” says director Max Webster, who I catch en route to the National Theatre Studio. “I think there’s still the legacy of puppetry’s connection to family theatre, which is great – but I think in some people’s minds that can limit its scope or appeal.”
Webster’s response to the naysayers? He chuckles mischievously: “My answer was to text them pictures of people in tiger onesies.” After that, came a workshop in which co-designers Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell made a small-scale version of their prowling puppet: “As soon as that prototype tiger was in the room, we didn’t need to have any more difficult conversations.”
