''Life of Pi'' is a play based on the best-selling novel of the same name by

Yann Martel Yann Martel, (born June 25, 1963) is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize–winning novel '' Life of Pi'', an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spe ...

adapted for the stage by

Lolita Chakrabarti Lolita Chakrabarti (born 1969) is a British actress and writer. Early life and education Lolita Chakrabarti was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, to Bengali Hindu parents from India in 1969. She grew up in Birmingham, where her father wo ...

. The play premiered in June 2019 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield before transferring to the

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's West End in November 2021. The play won five

Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

(including Best New Play), five

UK Theatre Awards The UK Theatre Awards, established in 1991 and known before 2011 as the TMA Awards, are presented annually by UK Theatre (formerly the Theatrical Management Association) in recognition of creative excellence and outstanding work in regional thea ...

(including Best New Play) and Best New Play at the

WhatsOnStage Awards The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional p ...

Production history

Sheffield (2019)

The play was commissioned by produce
Simon Friend
and after a series of workshops over two years, made its world premiere at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre, or simply The Crucible, is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1971. Its name refers to crucible steel, which was developed in Sheffield in 1740 and drove the industrialisation of the city. ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

running from 28 June until 20 July 2019. The play is directed by Max Webster.

London (2021-2023)

Following the success of the Sheffield run, the play opened in

's West End at the

, produced by Simon Friend, beginning previews on 15 November 2021, with an official opening on 2 December. The play was originally due to open in June 2020 however was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Following extensions to the run due to popular demand, the play closed on 15 January 2023. The production was filmed live by

National Theatre Live National Theatre Live is an initiative operated by the Royal National Theatre in London. It broadcasts live, by satellite, performances of their productions (and those of other theatres) to cinemas and arts centres around the world. About I gre ...

and will be broadcast to cinemas from 30 March 2023.

A.R.T. and Broadway (2023)

The play made its North American premiere at the A.R.T in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

running from December 4, 2022 to January 29, 2023 before opening on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

at the

Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, formerly the Plymouth Theatre, is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 236 West 45th Street (Manhattan), 45th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, ...

on March 30, 2023 (with previews from March 9). The cast from the A.R.T. run reprised their roles with Hiran Abeysekera reprising his Olivier Award-winning role as Pi (with Adi Dixit who played Pi in the A.R.T. run joining as the Alternate Pi) with Fred Davis and Scarlet Wilderink reprising their Olivier Award-winning role of Richard Parker (joining the A.R.T. puppeteering team). The Broadway production closed on July 23, 2023. Abeysekera departed the production on July 9, 2023 with Uma Paranjpe playing the title role for the remaining performances.

UK & Ireland Tour (2023-2024)

The play began a UK and Ireland tour, returning to

at the Lyceum Theatre on 29 August 2023 and is scheduled to tour until July 2024. Divesh Subaskaran is playing the title role of Pi, in his professional debut, and Romina Hytten reprising her Olivier Award winning role of Richard Parker.

North American Tour (2024-2025)

A North American tour began on December 7, 2024 at the Hippdrome Theatre in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, and is set to close on October 26, 2025, at the

Broward Center for the Performing Arts The Broward Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the "Broward Center," is a multi-venue performing arts complex located in the Sailboat Bend neighborhood of downtown Fort Lauderdale, along the north bank of the New River. Opened in ...

in Fort Lauderdale,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Cast and characters

Reception

The play received rave reviews from critics and audiences in both the Sheffield and London productions.

Awards and nominations

Sheffield production

London production

Broadway Production

External links

Official website

References

{{OlivierAward Play 2001–2025 2019 plays Plays based on novels British plays Laurence Olivier Award–winning plays West End plays Broadway plays Tony Award–winning plays Plays set in India