I met the life of Pi tiger puppet and it was so realistic it made my heart pound.

“When a puppet comes out on stage, you are sort of subliminally making a contract with the audience - you’re saying do you believe this is real? And by not leaving the room, you all sort of commit to saying yes, OK.”

I am sat at The Lowry Theatre, at the launch of multi award production Life of Pi, listening to Finn Caldwell, Puppet and Movement Director and Designer talk passionately about the ways in which an audience can put their belief in a puppet being real - despite the obvious presence of the pupeteers.

It’s an interesting concept, and unbeknown to me, one I am about to put to the test.....

“By playing a part in that game you are taking part in the creation of that creature and therefore you are emotionally connected to it - that’s the idea, at least,” he continues.

“In terms of making the puppeteers disappear, by looking at the puppet, they are sending your focus away from them and to the puppet, so every time you see those puppeteers which are fully visible to you, you are sending your focus to them but they are bouncing that focus back on to the puppet.”

As I am letting these words sink in, there is a sudden hissing sound from behind me. I turn round and what looks like a huge Bengal tiger - the star of the show, Richard Parker, is pacing, slowly and powerfully into the room sniffing at the air and growling menacingly.

There is a fully grown man working its head and two other people underneath, who are plainly visible - but I find myself ignoring them completely - unaware even that the growling noises are coming from the man at his head.

As Richard Parker paces stealthily in my direction, he stands directly in front of me, opens up his huge jaw and lets out an almighty roar.

My heart quickens despite knowing full well the tiger is a puppet - Finn’s point being proved perfectly.

As Richard bounds on to the platform where Finn is sitting, before leaping into the table of viewers, there are lots of gasps and excitement - the feeling is thrilling and exhilarating, it’s like being a child again - and I am totally won over.

Playwrite, Lolita Chakrabarti describes the play as ‘magical’ and having met Richard Parker, I can imagine it must be.

“It’s magical - you watch it and it is magical,” she says.

“It’s got these top end creative elements of video projection puppetry, design, sound, music - and then you put that with a fabulous story.

“I think it doesn’t pull any punches which is why older children like it as well - because it is also difficult.

“I think no matter what age you are, two to 102 we know difficult, and struggle and survival, but I am a great believer in hope, no matter how far you fall, I think the thing that keeps you going is hope.

“And Pi is extraordinary - he is this young boy, who my gosh - he loses everything, he struggles, suffers, questions life - interrogates the death and loss of faith, environment, philosophy and everything.

“But he always hopes and in the end he is enlightened. He is not a religious figure at all - but struggle creates change - which can be glorious.”

Lolita , who changed one character to a female because she wanted more female characters, says the production also champions diversity. With immigration being a key topic.

“That to me is my world and it is very satisfying,” she says.

“That is why it is so important to have different story tellers because you take your experience and put it on stage.

It’s thrilling - it’s absolutely thrilling, she continues, “ I remember watching an East Asian family with their two young sons and I thought how nice, those two kids will say “I went to the theatre and I saw me.”

”I think what is important in work now is total inclusivity, to see everybody - so every kind and type of person and I think in this play we have really achieved it, there is a flavour of everything and when you come to see the play you feel it.”

For tickets and dates check here