In Life of Pi, sixteen-year-old Pi and his family set off to emigrate from India, but after their ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Pi is left stranded on a lifeboat with just four other survivors: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, and nature is harsh-who will survive? This highly imaginative theatrical adaptation brings one of the most beloved works of fiction to the stage to tell its epic story of endurance and hope. Written by Lolita Chakrabarti based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martell, Life of Pi is directed by Max Webster.
Though the production is top-to-bottom visually arresting, it doesn’t spend much time examining the symbiotic relationship between man and beast. For all its initial high-minded talk of political parties being incapable of coexisting and Pi’s notion that all religions are variations on the same belief, the play is essentially over by the time our hero tames Richard Parker and life-saving peace is achieved aboard the lifeboat. This takes some of the fantastical bite out of the show. No longer centered on the glorious cohabitation of natural balance, a dampened weight is given to a social worker’s later belief that Pi’s recounting is mere fiction. Whether the boy’s story checks out, and how much that cosmically matters, has always been at the core of Martel’s inquiry, but a production built on wonderment should be wary of letting the whimsical air out of its sails.
The result is something like children’s theater for adults. Actual kids may be upset by the horrors that beset Pi on the traumatic journey from his hometown of Pondicherry in the 1970s—accompanied at first by his zookeeper father (Rajesh Bose), his protective mother (Mahira Kakkar) and his brainy sister (Sonya Venugopal)—to a doomed cargo ship, a hellish lifeboat, a paradisal island and finally the western coast of Mexico. But grown-ups will marvel at Tim Hatley’s sets and costumes, Andrzej Goulding’s video and animation, Tim Lutkin’s lighting and Carolyn Downing’s sound design. The production is often beautiful, especially when seen from above. (Because the floor is featured prominently, this is the rare Broadway show that is better experienced from the mezzanine than the orchestra.) But if Life of Pi is transporting, where does it leave you?
General Rush
Price: $40
Where: Schoenfeld Theatre box office
When: The box office opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Determined at the discretion of the box office. Subject to daily availability.
Digital Lottery
Price: $45
Where: greyhouselottery.com
When: The lottery is open for entries between midnight and 3 p.m. the day before each performance. Winners are drawn at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and they have five hours to claim and purchase their tickets for the next day's performance.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Subject to availability.
2021 | West End |
Original West End Production West End |
2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2024 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Ensemble | Life of Pi |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Max Webster |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play | Hiran Abeysekera |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection and Video Design | Andrzej Goulding |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Puppetry | Nick Barnes |
2023 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design of a Play | Tim Hatley |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Hiran Abeysekera |
2023 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Play | Life of Pi |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Max Webster |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Hiran Abeysekera |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design (Play or Musical) | Tim Lutkin |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Life of Pi |
2023 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Video or Projection Design (Play or Musical) | Andrzej Goulding |
2023 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | Hiran Abeysekera |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Tim Hatley |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Max Webster |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Tim Lutkin |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Tim Hatley |
2023 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Play | Carolyn Downing |
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