Life of Pi is an the epic tale of adventure. This Tony Award® and Olivier Award-winning hit is “an exhilarating evening of theater” (The Wall Street Journal) and “gives new life to Broadway” (The Today Show). After a shipwreck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi survives on a lifeboat with four companions— a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. A truly remarkable story unfolds of hope, faith, and perseverance that speaks to every generation. Told through incomparable puppetry and exquisite stagecraft, Life of Pi creates a visually breathtaking journey that will leave you filled with awe and joy.
Springing onto the lifeboat with chilling ferocity, Richard Parker offers a stunning showcase of the puppet design by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes. Parker is operated by three puppeteers at a time, with two executing his motions from the inside out. In every subtle tail twitch and gently groomed ear, he has at least three humans’ worth of expressiveness. This magnificent puppet offers a different version of Richard Parker than the one captured in Ang Lee’s excellent film adaptation of Life of Pi: this feline feels more distant from our hero, scarier, and funnier. For this story within a story, the uncanny mysteriousness works.
The Life of Pi production at the Hippodrome is a triumph. While the story stretches credulity, the craftsmanship is outstanding. Max Webster’s direction, clearly informed by his background in Shakespeare and opera, gives the play an impressive scope. The tight pacing and inventive use of set pieces—from the complexity of a sinking ship to the simplicity of rippling paper evoking the sea—are focused and effective. Audiences often underestimate the director’s vision, but Webster expertly draws out the intended emotional responses in every scene.
2021 | West End |
Original West End Production West End |
2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2024 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
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