Check out photos from the Life of Pi West End premiere below. Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s book began performances at London's Wyndham's Theatre November 15. The production, which opens December 2, was originally scheduled to hold a June 2020 London bow but was postponed due to the pandemic.
Hiran Abeysekera, who originated the title role in the play’s world premiere at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre in 2019, again stars, alongside Mina Anwar as Ma, Nicholas Khan as Father, Payal Mistry as Rani, Tom Espiner as Father Martin and Commmander Grant-Jones, Raj Ghatak as Mamaji and Pandit-Ji, Syreeta Kumar as Mrs. Biology Kumar and Zaida Khan, David K.S. Tse as Mr. Okamoto, Kirsten Foster as Lulu Chen, and Habib Nasib Nader as Cook and Voice of Tiger.
Original cast members Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Larkin, and Scarlet Wilderink in Life of Pi
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These actors are joined by Fred Davis (Tiger Head), Daisy Franks (Tiger Heart), Romina Hytten (Tiger Heart), Tom Larkin (Tiger Head), Scarlet Wilderink (Tiger Heart), and Tom Stacy (Tiger Hind). Nuwan Hugh Perera is the Pi alternate, and understudies are Alex Chang and Deeivya Meir.
Life of Pi begins after a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There are five survivors stranded on a single lifeboat—a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a 16-year-old boy, and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.
Max Webster directs. The animals are brought to life by puppet and movement director Finn Caldwell. The production also features set and costume design by Tim Hatley, puppets design by Nick Barnes and Caldwell, video design by Andrzej Goulding, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, sound design by Carolyn Downing, music by composer Andrew T. Mackay, dramaturgy by Jack Bradley, casting by Polly Jerrold, associate direction by Hannah Banister, associate set design by Ross Edwards, costume supervision by Sabrina Cuniberto, and props supervision by Ryan O’Connor.
The 2012 film adaptation of Life of Pi won Academy Awards for its direction, cinematography, score, and visual effects.
