After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, there are five survivors stranded on a lifeboat – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a Royal Bengal tiger, and a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?

Based on one of the most extraordinary and best-loved works of fiction – winner of the Man Booker Prize, selling over fifteen million copies worldwide – and featuring breath-taking puppetry and state-of-the-art visuals, Life of Pi is a universally acclaimed, smash-hit adaptation of an epic journey of endurance and hope.

Full casting has been announced for Life of Pi, the celebrated Sheffield Theatres production which will transfer to London this November. Life of Pi – Lolita Chakrabarti’s dazzling adaptation of Yann Martel’s extraordinary, award-winning book – was awarded a string of five-star reviews when it opened in Sheffield last year.

Hiran Abeysekera, whose performance in the lead role won him universal critical acclaim, will return as Pi.

The full company includes: Mina Anwar (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Apollo theatre and Sheffield Crucible), Sagar Arya (Casualty), Alex Chang (Golden Shield, Soho Theatre and Yellow Earth Theatre), Fred Davis (Ocean at the end of the Lane, National Theatre), Tom Espiner (Berberian Sound Studio, Donmar Warehouse), Kirsten Foster (Much Ado About Nothing, New English Shakespeare Company and Dubai Opera House), Daisy Franks (The Gruesome Twosome, The Place), Raj Ghatak (The Kite Runner, Best Actor Winner, UK Tour), Nuwan Hugh Perera (Side Show, Southwark Playhouse), Romina Hytten (The Lorax, The Old Vic and The Royal Alexander Theatre, Toronto), Sarah Kameela Impey (Much Ado About Nothing, Northern Broadsides), Tom Larkin (Bury the Dead, Finborough Theatre), David K.S. Tse (Chimerica, Almeida & Harold Pinter Theatre), Syreeta Kumar (Equus, English Touring Theatre), Deeivya Meir (Warlords & Tyrants, Rada Festival and Fireraisers), Habib Nasib Nader (Downtown Paradise, Welsh Fargo Theatre Company) and Scarlet Wilderink (Treasure Island, Stephen Joseph Theatre).

For the first time ever, the historic Wyndham’s Theatre will be transformed to fully accommodate the magnificent elements of the production that left audiences mesmerised and won unanimous critical acclaim.

Cameron Mackintosh, the owner of the Wyndham’s Theatre, said: “Rarely does a theatrical version of a film eclipse the original, but the brilliant staged adaption of Yann Martel’s “Life Of Pi” is one of those exceptions and I am thrilled that it is coming to the Wyndham’s Theatre after its sensational sell out premiere at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2019.

The production team’s approach to the material has been mirrored by their innovative reinvention of the Wyndham’s auditorium, rejigging levels and extending the stage over the stalls so that the floor and walls of the theatre become one complete surreal environment, that I think it will be even more intense than before. Audiences are in for a Pi-flying ride into their imagination!”

Simon Friend said: “We are very fortunate to have Cameron Mackintosh’s full support behind our reconfiguration of the Wyndham’s Theatre. This will give audiences the very best experience of our state-of-the-art design and video projection, as well as bringing the majestic Pacific Ocean in to the stalls.”

Rob Hastie, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Simon Friend to take Life of Pi onwards from Sheffield Theatres. I’m almost envious of the new audiences who will get to discover the beauty and brilliance of Yann’s novel, Lolita’s play and Max’s production for the first time. Life of Pi demonstrates the commitment we make at Sheffield Theatres to putting adventurous new work on our stages, and is the result of the skills and hard work of an enormous number of people, all putting their talents in the service of great storytelling.”

Recommended Age 8+

Life of Pi
Wyndham’s Theatre, London
32-36 Charing Cross Road London WC2H 0DA