Peter Grant reviews 'The Life of Pi' at Liverpool Empire

The 2001 Man Booker prize winning book by Yann Martel was turned into an acclaimed film in 2012 and now the multi-award-winning play is on a huge UK tour where it is leaving many audience members speechless with its special effects and glorious stage design.

Director Max Webster grabs your attention from the outset and never let's go.

A lot of its mass appeal is down to individual and collective performances.

Clever symbolism shines in every scene.

Divesh Subaskaran is outstanding as the likeable 17-year-old philosophical and witty Porcine 'Pi' Patel.

He enjoys a wonderful childhood in the family's zoo in India until fate deems they must pack up the animals and head to Canada.

The zoo itself is slickly staged bursting with colour and animal sounds.

Before he sets sail we see Pi playfully interact with family and many four-legged friends.

Here the audience is treated to the joy of perfect puppetry with no strings attached.

It is consistently brilliant throughout.

We follow Pi on his fateful journey which sees our hero stranded on a lifeboat with a quartet of survivors with a difference: a hyena; orang utan; zebra and a fierce and rather brutal tiger.

As he strives at sea for 227 days we are transported back and forth to a hospital in Mexico where Pi recalls his journey of survival.

Was he hallucinating?

Is he telling the truth?

At the end of the compelling drama a Government official has to decide if Pi is telling the truth as do the audience.

The stage design is one of the slickest I have seen on the vast Empire stage.

And as for the puppets - they are masterful.

You cannot take your eyes of the beautiful Bengal tiger called Richard Parker after the hunter who found him as a cub.

And it's a great achievement that this tale of hope, love and endurance is not lost along the way.

Puppets and actors in harmony.

VERDICT: Five stars - see it, hear it roar!

It is on until May 4

Tickets from Atgtickets.com