'Life of Pi' leaps onto the stage at the Ahmanson in DTLA with stunning puppetry

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES -- A stage production of "Life of Pi" is now playing in downtown Los Angeles, bringing the tale's iconic animals to life with impressive puppetry.

The star of the show is a 35-pound tiger puppet that takes three people to operate. The puppeteers choreograph its every movement, including its breathing and roaring.

"I love a challenge, so having to do such dexterous and complicated choreography with this 35-pound tiger on my back with two other people, the challenge in and of itself is really fun to continue conquering," said puppeteer Anna Vomacka.

The show is based on Yann Martel's best-selling novel about a 16-year-old boy stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger.

Bringing those animals to life is the work of masterful puppetry.

"We work so hard to be invisible the whole show. The best compliment in puppetry is 'I didn't even see you. I didn't even know you were there,'" said Vomacka.

Sharing the stage with the puppets and puppeteers is actor Taha Mandviwala. He plays the title role of Pi.

"I think there's just an inherent magic about the puppets themselves. When you look at the puppet, you're paying less attention to the people operating it, and you genuinely give yourself to this animal," said Mandviwala. "The nature of this show is such an engine that once it's going, there is no stopping."

Life of Pi is at the Ahmanson Theatre in downtown L.A. through June 1. Afterward, it travels to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for two weeks.