There’s no end to the imagination of creative people. To wit, coming to Broadway is the award winning stage adaption of Lolita Chakrabarti’s best-selling novel LIFE OF PI (directed by Max Webster) which will premiere at Broadway’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) with three Olivier Award-winning performers making their Broadway debuts.
Recreating their critically acclaimed performances for Broadway will be “Best Actor” winner Hiran Abeysekera in the role of “Pi” and “Best Supporting Actor” winners Fred Davis and Scarlet Wilderink join the “Richard Parker” puppeteering team.
LIFE OF PI preview performances has begun. The musical opens Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Based on one of the best-loved works of fiction – winner of the Man Booker Prize, selling over fifteen million copies worldwide – LIFE OF PI is a breath-taking new theatrical adaptation of an epic journey of endurance and hope.
After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, a sixteen-year-old boy name Pi is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
“LIFE OF PI is a feast for the eyes, The scenic design and especially the puppet design are flat-out extraordinary. Unforgettable.” – Boston Globe
“LIFE OF PI is such a terrific show, it is absolutely made for the Theatre. There is an incredible beauty to the production, particularly in the puppetry used for the animals. The puppets are so finely rendered and breathtaking, and the puppeteers are masterful. Here is where the magic of the Theatre really works.” – GBH
★★★★★ “An extraordinary journey. Unmissable.” – The Guardian
“A wondrous spectacle. Fantastic fables can be challenging to realize onstage, but Max Webster’s expert direction, the stunning work of puppeteers, Finn Caldwell, Nick Barnes, and Scarlet Wilderink and scenic designer Tim Hatley make Pi’s adventure a wondrous spectacle. The
unbelievable tale forces jaded viewers to suspend belief and immerse themselves in imagination.” – WBUR
“When you see LIFE OF PI – and you should – you will likely feel your heart rate quicken at the sight of a puppet tiger. It’s hard not to focus on the specific spell the tiger casts. It’s the boldest, brightest creation, but around it, dozens of inventions large and small shine.” – The Boston Herald