One boy, four animals, one epic survival journey. The Oscar-winning film adaptation of Yann Martel's bestselling book wowed audiences worldwide, and now the mesmerizing stage adaptation is doing the same. Get Life of Pi tickets now.
The Pi of the title is a 16-year-old boy who is the sole survivor of a shipwreck. That is, the only human survivor — four animals on board also make it out alive. Pi and the animals — an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker — must fight against time and each other to stay alive at sea.
The Life of Pi play brings these animals and more to life with intricate puppetry. Actors operate these puppets, and the result was a visually stunning show that won over critics in London, where the show premiered. A four-star review on London Theatre reads, "This is a gorgeous staging by adaptor Lolita Chakrabarti and director Max Webster: vivid, witty, poignant and wondrous. It conjures up whole worlds, beginning with the zoo owned by Pi's parents. A giraffe pokes its head through one of the windows, a zebra shies away from its pen, and a goat playfully butts Pi."
In a historic first, the seven puppeteers who played Richard Parker in London jointly won the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Life of Pi won four additional awards out of nine nominations, including Best New Play.
The success of Life of Pi on stage is no surprise, considering its previous iterations. The Life of Pi book has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and won the Man Booker Prize, and the 2012 film won four Oscars out of 11 nominations, including Best Director for Ang Lee. The movie also received a Best Picture nomination.
Chakrabarti and Webster both make their Broadway debuts with Life of Pi in New York.
Tickets to Life of Pi on Broadway are available now.
