Life of Pi (play)

Life of Pi
Production artwork
Written by	Lolita Chakrabarti (play) Yann Martel (novel)
Date premiered	28 June 2019 (2019-06-28)
Place premiered	Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Original language	English

Life of Pi is a play based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Yann Martel adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabarti.

The play premiered in June 2019 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield before transferring to the Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End in November 2021. The play won five Laurence Olivier Awards (including Best New Play), five UK Theatre Awards (including Best New Play) and Best New Play at the WhatsOnStage Awards.

Production history

An audience ovation following a performance at the A.R.T.

Sheffield (2019)

The play was commissioned by producer Simon Friend, and after a series of workshops over two years, made its world premiere at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield 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 London's West End at the Wyndham's Theatre, 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. 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 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 running from December 4, 2022 to January 29, 2023 before opening on Broadway at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on March 30, 2023 (with previews from March 9). ^[1] 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. ^[2]

UK & Ireland Tour (2023-2024)

The play began a UK and Ireland tour, returning to Sheffield 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, Maryland, and is set to close on October 26, 2025, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ^{[3] [4]}

Cast and characters

Character	Sheffield [5]	London [6]	Cambridge [7]	Broadway [8]	UK & Ireland Tour [9]
	2019	2021	2022	2023
Pi	Hiran Abeysekera		Adi Dixit	Hiran Abeysekera	Divesh Subaskaran
Ma	Mina Anwar		Mahira Kakkar		Goldy Notay
Richard Parker the Tiger	Kate Colebrook Fred Davis Owain Gwynn	Fred Davis Tom Larkin Daisy Franks Scarlet Wilderink Romina Hytten Tom Stacy	Nikki Calonga Rowan Magee Celia Mei Rubin	Fred Davis Scarlet Wilderink Nikki Calonge Rowan Ian Seamus Magee Jonathan David Martin Betsy Rosen Celia Mei Rubin Andrew Wilson	Sebastian Goffin Akash Heer Peter Twose Romina Hytten Katie Kennedy-Rose Kate Roswell Antony Antunes Aizah Khan
Pi's Father	Kammy Darweish	Nicholas Khan	Rajesh Bose		Ralph Birtwell
Rani	Tara Divina	Payal Mistry	Sonya Venugopal		Keshini Misha
Father Martin / Commander Grant-Jones	Tom Espiner		Avery Glymph		Antony Antunes Peter Twose
Mamaji / Pandit-Ji	Raj Ghatak		Sathya Sridharan		Chand Martinez
Mrs Biology Kumar / Zaida Khan	Syreeta Kumar		Salma Qarnain		Sharita Oomeer
Mr Okamoto	David K. S. Tse		Daisuke Tsuji		Lilian Tsang
The Cook / The voice of the Tiger	Habib Nasib Nader		Brian Thomas Abraham		Antony Antunes Peter Twose
Lulu Chen	Gabby Wong	Kirsten Foster	Kirstin Louie		Bhwana Bhwasar
Pi (alternate)	-	Nuwan Hugh Perera	Uma Paranjpe	Adi Dixit, Uma Paranjpe	Adwitha Arumugam

Reception

The play received rave reviews from critics and audiences in both the Sheffield and London productions. ^[10]

Awards and nominations

Sheffield production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2019	UK Theatre Awards [11]	Best New Play		Won
		Best Director	Max Webster	Won
		Best Design	Nick Barnes, Finn Caldwell, Carolyn Downing, Andrzej Goulding, Tim Hatley and Tim Lutkin	Won
		Best Performance in a Play	Hiran Abeysekera	Won
2020	WhatsOnStage Awards [12]	Best New Play		Won
		Best Regional Production		Nominated

London production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2022	Laurence Olivier Awards [13]	Best New Play		Won
		Best Director	Max Webster	Nominated
		Best Actor	Hiran Abeysekera	Won
		Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy and Scarlet Wilderink	Won
		Best Sound Design	Carolyn Downing	Nominated
		Best Lighting Design	Andrzej Goulding and Tim Lutkin	Won
		Best Set Design	Tim Hatley (set), Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell (puppetry)	Won
		Best Theatre Choreographer	Finn Caldwell	Nominated
		Best Original Score or New Orchestrations	Andrew T. Mackay	Nominated

Broadway Production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2023	Tony Awards [14]	Best Direction of a Play	Max Webster	Nominated
		Best Scenic Design of a Play	Tim Hatley and Andrzej Goulding	Won
		Best Costume Design of a Play	Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes, and Finn Caldwell	Nominated
		Best Lighting Design of a Play	Tim Lutkin	Won
		Best Sound Design of a Play	Carolyn Downing	Won
	Drama Desk Awards [15]	Outstanding Direction of a Play	Max Webster	Won
		Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play	Hiran Abeysekera	Nominated
		Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play	Tim Hatley	Won
		Outstanding Video or Projection Design	Andrzej Goulding	Won
		Outstanding Puppetry	Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell	Won
	Drama League Awards [16]	Outstanding Production of a Play		Nominated
		Distinguished Performance	Hiran Abeysekera	Nominated
	Theatre World Awards [17]	Outstanding Debut Performance		Won
	Outer Critics Circle Awards [18]	Outstanding New Broadway Play		Nominated
		Outstanding Director of a Play	Max Webster	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play	Hiran Abeysekera	Nominated
		Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical)	Tim Lutkin	Won
		Outstanding Video or Projection Design (Play or Musical)	Andrzej Goulding	Won

External links

• Official website

References

1. White, Abbey (2022-10-24). "'Life of Pi' Play to Open on Broadway in March". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
2. Rosky, Nicole. "LIFE OF PI Announces Broadway Closing Date". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
3. "Upcoming Tour Dates". Life of Pi | Official Tour Website.
4. "Life of Pi - Broadway Play - Tour", IBDb. Retrieved June 6, 2025
5. "CAST ANNOUNCED FOR LIFE OF PI". Sheffield Theatres. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
6. "London stage show 'Life of Pi' reveals full West End cast | WestEndTheatre.com". www.westendtheatre.com. 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
7. "Life of Pi – Now Playing".
8. "Life of Pi Announces Full Broadway Cast". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
9. "Life of Pi - Cast & Creatives / UK & Ireland Tour 2023 & 24". lifeofpionstage.com. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
10. "'It's a hit' - five-star reviews for Life of Pi on stage in Sheffield". BBC News. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
11. "UK Theatre Awards 2019: the winners in full". The Stage. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
12. "20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards winners include Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Come From Away and Six | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. March 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
13. "Olivier Awards 2022: the winners in full". The Stage. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
14. "2023 Tony Awards Nominees". www.tonyawards.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
15. "Drama Desk Award Nominations 2023: Shucked Leads the Pack with 12 Nods". www.tdf.org. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
16. "2023 Awards - The Drama League". dramaleague.org. 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
17. Miller, Deb (2023-05-01). "Winners of the 2023 Theatre World Awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway debut performances". DC Theater Arts. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
18. Rosky, Nicole. "SOME LIKE IT HOT, LEOPOLDSTADT & More Win 2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.