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What is Life of Pi about?

Based on Yann Martel's Booker Prize-winning novel, Life of Pi tells the extraordinary story of Pi Patel, a young Indian boy who survives 227 days shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Using breathtaking puppetry by Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes, the production brings the ocean, the tiger, and Pi's entire journey to life on stage in a way that has astonished audiences around the world.

Why see Life of Pi?

The puppetry in this production is a theatrical revelation. Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger, is operated by multiple puppeteers who bring the animal to life with such conviction that audiences forget they are watching a puppet. The production also conjures an entire ocean, a storm, flying fish, and a whale through inventive stagecraft. Winner of five Olivier Awards including Best New Play, Life of Pi is a theatrical experience unlike anything else in the West End. It is suitable for the whole family and offers a story about faith, survival, and the power of storytelling itself.

Practical information for visitors

Life of Pi plays in the West End. Check current listings for venue and performance schedule. The show includes Sunday performances. It is suitable for all ages, though young children should be comfortable with some intense moments at sea. Running time is approximately two hours and fifteen minutes including an interval.

Similar shows you might enjoy

For more extraordinary puppetry and visual storytelling, consider War Horse for another Handspring/National Theatre collaboration, The Ocean at the End of the Lane for literary adaptation magic, or The Lion King for iconic theatrical animal design.