Life Of Pi Tickets

Life of Pi will embark on a year long UK & Ireland tour in 2023. Lolita Chakrabarti’s dazzling Olivier Award winning stage adaption of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel Life of Pi, begins its first ever tour of the UK and Ireland at the Sheffield’s Lyceum theatre in August 2023, where it will run from 29 August to 16 September 2023. The tour will then continue to Milton Keynes Theatre, Norwich Theatre Royal, Southend Cliffs Pavillion, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, Chichester Festival Theatre, The Lowry, Salford, Bristol Hippodrome, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Theatre Royal Brighton, Birmingham Hippodrome, Grand Opera House, Belfast, Bord Gais Theatre, Dublin, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Curve Leicester,  Hull New Theatre, Coventry Belgrade, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Liverpool Empire, Severn Theatre Shrewsbury, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, Glasgow Theatre Royal, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Leeds Grand Theatre and finally Derngate Theatre in Northampton in July 2024. Lolita Chakrabarti said:  ‘It is incredible to begin this tour at Sheffield Theatres, where Life of Pi began its journey, and to start the tour across the country from this great city.  It has been an extraordinary year in the West End and the success of the play has been both a privilege and a delight - from all the amazing awards to the standing ovations we get every night. It is testament to Yann Martel’s beautiful and moving story. I am so grateful for his trust and generosity in sharing it with me and allowing our amazing creative team to tell his story our way.’ Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation has been phenomenally successful in London. Transferring into the West End from Sheffield Theatres in June 2020, the show won 5 Olivier Awards including Best New Play and has extended numerous times; it will have played almost 500 performances when it completes its run at the Wyndham's Theatre. Life of Pi is coming to an end in the West End, running at the Wyndham's Theatre in London until 15 January 2023. The critically acclaimed production also begins previews this week at American Repertory Theatre, and opens on Broadway next March Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre in London

The award-winning West End play Life of Pi is heading to Broadway. Producers of the show have confirmed that Life of Pi will start performances on 9 March 2023 and open on 30 March 2023 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in New York. Casting is yet to be announced. Ahead of Broadway, Life of Pi will make its North American premiere at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Life of Pi is coming to an end in the West End, running at the Wyndham's Theatre in London until 15 January 2023. Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s award-winning book has been phenomenally successful in London. Transferring into the West End from Sheffield Theatres in June 2020, the show won 5 Olivier Awards including Best New Play and has extended numerous times; it will have played almost 500 performances when it completes its run at the Wyndham's Theatre.  The Broadway production will be directed by the London show's director Max Webster. In a press statement LolitaChakrabarti said that the show is “a story of survival which all of us can fundamentally relate to after the effects of the pandemic,” and that “to be able to tell this story the way I imagined it, to create the world using my references and viewpoint, has been an extraordinary gift.” Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre in London

Hit West End play Life of Pi has released new production images as the show heads into its final months at the Wyndham's Theatre in London. Lolita Chakrabarti’s acclaimed stage adaption of Yann Martel’s award-winning book stars Nuwan Hugh Perera as Pi alongside a life-size Royal Bengal Tiger puppet. Chirag Benedict Lobo is the new alternate Pi in the show. The show is running until 15 January 2023 at the Wyndham’s Theatre in London. Other new cast members include  Davina Moon as Ma, Ameet Chana as Father, Tanvi Virmani as Rani, Saikat Ahamad as Mamaji/Pandit-Ji,  Sakuntala Ramanee as Mrs Biology Kumar/Zaida Khan, Kevin Shen as Mr Okamoto, Phyllis Ho as Lulu Chen, Kazeem Tosin Amore as Cook/Voice of Richard Parker, Owain Gwynn, Rebecca Killick and Elan James as puppeteers and understudies Lilian Tsang and Mohit Mathur.  Original West End cast members remaining in the show are Tom Espiner(Father Martin/Commander Grant-Jones) and Olivier Award-winning puppeteers:  Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin and Tom Stacy. Future plans for the show include a North American premiere in December 2022 through to January 2023 at the American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as an anticipated transfer to Broadway, and separate productions in Asia, Australia and Mexico. The production is directed by Max Webster, Set and Costume Designer is Tim Hatley, the Puppet Designers are Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, the Puppet and Movement Director is Finn Caldwell, the Video Designer is Andrzej Goulding, the Lighting Designer is Tim Lutkin, the Sound Designer is Carolyn Downing, the Composer is Andrew T Mackay, Dramaturgy is by Jack Bradley, the Casting Director is Polly Jerrold, the Associate Director is Leigh Toney, the Associate Puppetry and Movement Director is Scarlet Wilderink, the Associate Set Designer is Ross Edwards, the Associate Puppet Designer is Caroline Bowman,  the Costume Supervisor is Sabrina Cuniberto and the Props Supervisor is Ryan O’Conner. Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre in London Photos of Life of Pi Photos by Ellie Kurttz and Danny Khan [ngg src="galleries" ids="886" display="pro_tile"]

The curtain is to come down on Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End. It was announced today that 100,000 new tickets have been released for the final booking period; the final performance will be on 15 January 2023 Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s award-winning book has been phenomenally successful in the West End. The show won 5 Olivier Awards including Best New Play and has extended numerous times; it will have played almost 500 performances when it completes its run in London. Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre here. Producer Simon Friend said: ‘Our magical production of Life of Pi goes from strength to strength.  We are delighted to release 100,000 more tickets for our final booking period in the West End, and look forward to welcoming new cast members in September.  We are also thrilled to premiere the production in North America later this year.  The response to this show continues to be overwhelming and we look forward to welcoming audiences to witness Pi’s journey of a lifetime in the West End and beyond.’ Future plans for the show include a North American premiere in December 2022 through to January 2023 at the American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as an anticipated transfer to Broadway, and separate productions in Asia, Australia and Mexico.  Nuwan Hugh Perera, who is currently the alternate Pi, will take over the title role on 7 September 2022 with Chirag Benedict Lobo joining the cast as the new alternate Pi.  Other new cast members joining in September are:  Davina Moon as Ma, Ameet Chana as Father, Tanvi Virmani as Rani, Saikat Ahamad as Mamaji/Pandit-Ji,  Sakuntala Ramanee as Mrs Biology Kumar/Zaida Khan, Kevin Shen as Mr Okamoto, Phyllis Ho as Lulu Chen, Kazeem Tosin Amore as Cook/Voice of Richard Parker, Owain Gwynn as Puppeteer and understudies Lilian Tsang and Mohit Mathur.   Original West End cast members remaining in the show from 7 September are: Tom Espiner (Father Martin/Commander Grant-Jones) and puppeteers:  Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Chris Milford and Tom Stacy. 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. Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre.

Life of Pi, Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s award-winning book, has extended its run at the Wyndham's Theatre to 30 October 2022. The smash hit show will now play a further 8-weeks in London's West End. Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre here. Producer Simon Friend said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that our unique Life of Pi team of actors and creatives have been recognised with a magnificent five Olivier Awards, and that we are able to take more people on our journey by extending the show to October 2022.’ The acclaimed show picked up 5 Olivier Awards in April including Best New Play, Best Actor for Hiran Abeysekera for his performance as Pi, and – in an historic first for the Olivier Awards - the seven performers who play ‘Richard Parker’, the puppet tiger - Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy and Scarlet Wilderink – were collectively awarded Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The production also picked up awards for set (Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell), and lighting design (Tim Lutkin and Andrzej Goulding). The play stars Hiran Abeysekera as Pi, alongside Mina Anwar as Ma, Nicholas Khan as Father, Payal Mistry as Rani, Tom Espiner as Father Martin and Commander 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, Habib Nasib Nader as Cook and Voice of Tiger. Other cast includes Fred Davis (Tiger Head), Daisy Franks (Tiger Heart), Romina Hytten (Tiger Heart), Tom Larkin (Tiger Head), Tom Stacy (Tiger Hind) and Scarlet Wilderink (Tiger Heart), Nuwan Hugh Perera is Pi alternate, and understudies are Alex Chang and Deeivya Meir. 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, there are five survivors stranded on a single lifeboat – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a sixteen year-old boy and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive? Lolita Chakrabarti's (Red Velvet) adaptation is directed by Old Vic associate director Max Webster. Life of Pi is produced by Simon Friend in association with Playing Field and Tulchin/Bartner. Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre.

Theatrical royalty, husband and wife Adrian Lester and Lolita Chakrabarti, picked up they honours from The Princess Royal, on behalf of the Queen, at an investiture at Windsor Castle yesterday, 30 March 2022. The acting and writing couple were included in the Queen's New Year honours list, and were awarded a CBE for Adrian Lester, and OBE for Lolita Chakrabarti. Adrian Lester is a multi award winning actor, writer and director, who has received an Ian Charleson Award, Olivier Award, Evening Standard Theatre Award and British Independent Film Award. His stage credits include Cheek by Jowl's As You Like It, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Company, Hamlet, Henry V, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Red Velvet, Othello, Hymn, and The Lehman Trilogy. TV credits include Hustle, Girlfriends, The Ghost Squad, Bonekickers and Merlin, and on film he has appeared in Primary Colors, Love's Labour's Lost, and The Day After Tomorrow. Lolita Chakrabarti is an acclaimed writer and actress, with particular recognition for her stage adaptations. Her award-winning stage adaptation of Life of Pi is currently running at the Wyndham's Theatre in London. Other adaptations include Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. Her writing credits include Hymn, Red Velvet, and Message in a Bottle. Her awards include an Evening Standard Theatre Award and Critics' Circle Award. As an actress, Lolita's stage credits include Fanny and Alexander, Hamlet, The Great Game: Afghanistan, Last Seen, Free Outgoing and John Gabriel Borkman. TV work includes Vigil, Showtrial, The Wheel of Time, Criminal: UK, Riviera, Delicious, Defending the Guilty, All Is True, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, The Casual Vacancy, My Mad Fat Diary, Jekyll and Hyde, Intruders, Bodies, Vera, Outnumbered, Hustle, Born to Kill, Forgiven, Extras, William and Mary, Fortysomething, Holby City, Silent Witness, and The Bill. Other stars recognised in the Queen's New Year honours list include Vanessa Redgrave, who is about to star in My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum; Joanna Lumley; Sadler’s Wells artistic director Alistair Spalding; theatre designer Lez Brotherston; and National Theatre CEO Lisa Burger, who was recently also honoured with a Special Recognition Award from the Olivier Awards.

As theatre producers circle the West End trying to find available theatre space for the countless productions wanting to come into London, the Wyndham's has just taken itself off the market! Life of Pi has announced that it is extending its run at the Wyndham's Theatre until 4 September 2022. The play recently got nine Olivier award nominations - more than any other West End play - including Best Actor for Hiran Abeysekera; Best Supporting Actor for the seven performers who play ‘Richard Parker’, the puppet tiger – Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy and Scarlet Wilderink; Best Director for Max Webster; Best Set Design for Tim Hatley, Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell; Best Lighting for Tim Lutkin and Andrzej Goulding; Best Sound Design for Carolyn Downing; Best Original Score for Andrew T Mackay; and Best Choreographer for Finn Caldwell. Lolita Chakrabarti’s dazzling stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s award-winning book stars Hiran Abeysekera in the central role of Pi, alongside Mina Anwar as Ma, Nicholas Khan as Father, Payal Mistry as Rani, Tom Espiner as Father Martin and Commander 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, Habib Nasib Nader as Cook and Voice of Tiger. Producer Simon Friend said in a statement today that: ‘‘We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we will once again be extending public booking for Life of Pi, and that audiences continue to flock to this unique show. We are also delighted to have been nominated for nine prestigious Olivier Awards, including the first in history to recognise puppeteers - and when you see them in action you’ll see why!’ Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre in London

The acclaimed play extends to 29 May 2022 Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre in London, Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s award-winning book, has extended its run to 29 May 2022. Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre here. The play stars Hiran Abeysekera as Pi, alongside Mina Anwar as Ma, Nicholas Khan as Father, Payal Mistry as Rani, Tom Espiner as Father Martin and Commander 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, Habib Nasib Nader as Cook and Voice of Tiger. Other cast includes Fred Davis (Tiger Head), Daisy Franks (Tiger Heart), Romina Hytten (Tiger Heart), Tom Larkin (Tiger Head), Tom Stacy (Tiger Hind) and Scarlet Wilderink (Tiger Heart), Nuwan Hugh Perera is Pi alternate, and understudies are Alex Chang and Deeivya Meir. The show is directed by Max Webster, Set and Costume designer is Tim Hatley, the Puppet and Movement Director is Finn Caldwell, the Puppet Designers are Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, the Video Designer is Andrzej Goulding, the Lighting Designer is Tim Lutkin, the Sound Designer is Carolyn Downing, the Composer is Andrew T Mackay, Dramaturgy is by Jack Bradley, the Casting Director is Polly Jerrold, the Associate Director is Hannah Banister, the Associate Set Designer is Ross Edwards, the Costume Supervisor is Sabrina Cuniberto and the Props Supervisor is Ryan O’Connor. 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, there are five survivors stranded on a single lifeboat – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a sixteen year-old boy and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive? Award winning writer Yann Martel’s works include The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios (1993), Self (1996), We Ate the Children Last (2004), Beatrice and Virgil (2010) – a New York Times Bestseller and a Financial Times Best Book, 101 Letters to a Prime Minister (2012) – a collection of letters to the prime minister of Canada; and The High Mountains of Portugal (2016). Lolita Chakrabarti OBE is an award-winning playwright and actress. Her writing credits include: Red Velvet which opened at the Tricycle Theatre in London in 2012, returning in 2014 before transferring to New York and the West End; Red Velvet was nominated for nine major awards including two Olivier Awards. Lolita won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright, The Critics Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright and the AWA Award for Arts and Culture; She adapted Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities for MIF in 2019 a collaboration with 59Productions and Rambert; her play Hymn was live streamed in February 2021 from the Almeida, before opening to audiences later in July; she was dramaturg on Message in a Bottle for ZooNation and Sadler’s Wells; she curated The Greatest Wealth for Old Vic, a series of monologues marking the 70th birthday of the NHS. Acting credits include: Vigil, The Casual Vacancy (BBC), Riviera, Delicious (Sky), Born to Kill, My Mad Fat Diary (Ch4), Criminal (Netflix), Fanny and Alexander (The Old Vic), Hamlet (RADA). She can soon be seen in Showtrial for the BBC and Wheel of Time for Amazon Prime. Max Webster was the inaugural Baylis Director at the Old Vic and is now an Associate Director at the theatre where his work includes Fanny and Alexander, Cover My Tracks and Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. Selected other stage work includes the forthcoming The Merry Widow (ENO), The Jungle Book (Northampton/Fiery Angel UK tour), The Winter’s Tale (Lyceum, Edinburgh), and King Lear (Royal and Derngate, Northampton/UK tour). The show's animals are brought to life by Puppet & Movement Director Finn Caldwell, who began his career in the original company of the National Theatre’s international phenomenon War Horse. He is the Artistic Director of his own company Gyre & Gimble, for whom work includes: co-director/puppet designer of The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Hartlepool Monkey (UK tour) and The Elephantom (National Theatre & West End). His other work includes: director of puppetry/movement for Angels in America (National Theatre & Broadway), The Light Princess (National Theatre), War Horse (West End & Internationally) and Groundhog Day (Old Vic & Broadway). Life of Pi is produced by Simon Friend in association with Playing Field and Tulchin/Bartner. Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre.

Full casting has been revealed for the West End premiere of Life of Pi which begins performances at the Wyndham's Theatre in London on 15 November 2021. Hiran Abeysekera makes a welcome return to the show in the central role of Pi, 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, Habib Nasib Nader as Cook and Voice of Tiger. They 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 Pi alternate, and understudies are Alex Chang and Deeivya Meir. “I am delighted to announce the cast for this show – most of whom were in the original production in Sheffield, alongside some brilliant new cast members who have joined us on our journey.  After an incredibly difficult year for so many people I hope this truly captivating production about how we deal with life’s toughest challenges will particularly resonate with audiences.” said producer Simon Friend. Life of Pi tickets in London are one of the most sought after of new shows opening the West End. The production was originally scheduled to open at the Wyndham's Theatre London in June 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. Hiran Abeysekera in the original Sheffield Theatre production of Life of Pi. At the time Cameron Mackintosh, 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." 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. Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker prize-winning novel premiered to critical acclaim at Sheffield Theatre in 2019. Following a much delayed production, rehearsals began this week for the highly anticipated West End premiere of Life of Pi. A story of hope and endurance, Life of Pi tells the story of a boy who is stranded on a single lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. Life of Pi tickets London are booking until 21 February 2022 at the Wyndham's Theatre, London.

Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester (Red Velvet, Hustle) and Danny Sapani (Killing Eve, Les Blancs) will star in the world premiere production of Lolita Chakrabarti’s new play Hymn. Directed by Blanche McIntyre (The Writer), Chakrabarti’s soulful new production asks what it takes to be a good father, brother or son. Lester and Sapani will play Gil and Benny, two men who meet at a funeral and subsequently change one another's lives. The two-hander will be live-streamed to the Almeida Theatre website with performances running from Wednesday 17 February until Saturday 20 February 2021. The show had been programmed to run at Almeida Theatre, however this was cancelled due to the pandemic. Almeida artistic director Rupert Goold said: "After being forced to cancel the run of Hymn, we're so pleased to have still found a way to offer the show to audiences and are hugely grateful to the whole company for making it possible. We hope that with the actors performing the play live each night, people watching at home will sense some of that joyful energy that comes from being part of a unique shared experience." The production has set and costume design by Miriam Buether, lighting by Prema Mehta, sound by Gregory Clarke, musical direction by DJ Walde and movement by Robia Milliner. Lolita Chakrabarti is best known for her play Red Velvet, that opened at the Tricycle Theatre (now Kiln), before playing in the West End and internationally. Recently her adaptation of the novel Life of Pi ran to great acclaim at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield and it transfers to the Wyndham's Theatre later this year. Available for five performances, Hymn will go on sale later this week with tickets ranging from £10-£40. Hymn streams from 17-20 February 2021.

The highly anticipated West End transfer of Life of Pi will now open at the Wyndham's Theatre in London from 26 September 2021. Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker prize-winning novel premiered to critical acclaim at Sheffield Theatre in 2019 with the West End transfer originally scheduled to run at Wyndham's Theatre from June 2020. At the time Cameron Mackintosh, 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." [ngg src="galleries" ids="669" display="pro_horizontal_filmstrip"] Life of Pi tells the story of a 16-year old boy who is stranded on a single lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. A story of hope and endurance, the epic story was previously made into a film by Ang Lee and has sold over 15 million books worldwide. The creative team on the production includes puppet design by Tim Hatley, Finn Caldwell and Nick Barnes, lighting by Tim Lutkin, composition by Andrew Mackay, sound by Carolyn Downing, video by Andrzej Goulding and original casting by Polly Jerrold. Previously announced cast members include Hiran Abeysekera (Find Me In Paris, Peter Pan) in the lead role alongside Mina Anwar, Sagar Arya, Alex Chang, Fred Davis, Tom Espiner, Kirsten Foster, Daisy Franks, Raj Ghatak, Nuwan Hugh Perera, Romina Hytten, Sarah Kameela Impey, Tom Larkin, David K.S. Tse, Syreeta Kumar, Deeivya Meir, Habib Nasib Nader and Scarlet Wilderink. Full casting is yet to be announced. Life of Pi is booking from 26 September 2021 until 9 January 2022 at the Wyndham's Theatre, London.

Sheffield Theatre's production of Life of Pi will transfer to the Wyndham's Theatre in June 2020. Lolita Chakrabarti’s dazzling adaptation of Yann Martel’s extraordinary, Booker prize-winning novel, opened to a string of five-star reviews in Sheffield earlier this year. Directed by Max Webster, the inventive and mesmerising staging of the piece will be replicated at the Wyndham's Theatre with the stage extending into the stalls. 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. 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!” Producer 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.” Based on the 15-million selling novel Life of Pi , the story follows a 16-year old boy who is stranded on a single lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. A story of hope and endurance, the epic story was previously made into a film by Ang Lee. Casting to be announced in due course. Life of Pi is booking from 22 June 2020 until 4 October 2020 at the Wyndham's Theatre, London. Life of Pi tickets are now available. UPDATE: Due to the coronavirus the West End production of Life of Pi has been rescheduled to run from 26 September 2021 - 9 June 2021.

Hiran Abeysekera Q&A with Hiran Abeysekera who plays Peter Pan in the forthcoming production at Regents Park Open Air Theatre. Meet Hiran Abeysekera, 29 years old from Sri Lanka. Hiran takes to the skies as Peter Pan at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from 15 May 2015 – 14 June 2015. When did you first discover your love of theatre?It was sort of a detention programme. I remember the first play I did, I was in class and I had done something naughty so the teacher got me on the desk so that all the other teachers passing our classroom could see me standing and that was like, ‘this is the naughty boy, watch out for him’. There was a new teacher who came and she was looking for people to use in her play - she wanted to bring theatre to this all-boys school. So she came into the class and asked my teacher ‘who has got a lot of energy?’  And she was like ‘oh you want somebody to dance?’, ‘he dances all the time, get that boy there!’ Then I was a rat in Pied Piper, that was my first role. Then she did Emperor’s New Clothes where I was a little girl. And then we got into Shakespeare - I played Lady Macbeth because I look like a girl when I’m dressed up. From there I joined a children’s theatre company in Sri Lanka called Lanka Children’s and Youth Theatre Foundation/Play House-Kotte. In 2007, a director called William Scott Richards came to Sri Lanka and, with the British Council, he was going to do Romeo and Juliet as a tri-lingual version of the play - so Sinhala, Tamil and English. It was a time when the war was still going on, so it was very apt for then. I was cast in it, and I ended up playing Romeo. It was William who asked me if I would like to go to drama school, and I said yes. Hiran Abeysekera in rehearsal William and the British Council paid for the plane ticket. Play House-Kotte along with friends and family collected some pocket money for the trip, and I came to England for the first time. William and Chris, his partner, took me to Bristol. Bristol Old Vic was the first audition I had, and I got in! That was a great start, and then things just fell into place after that. I auditioned for LAMDA , Guildhall and RADA, but the big question was money, whether I can afford to go to drama school because I don’t come from a very wealthy background. I got into all four of them. Guildhall and RADA offered me a scholarship, although RADA offered me a bigger one. I didn’t know anything about drama school, so none of this was a big thing! I was just having the time of my life! William said I should go to RADA, so I ended up going there. What are you most looking forward to about Peter Pan?I’m looking forward to the flying, to getting comfortable with it so I don’t have to think about it or worry about it. Looking forward to seeing the whole thing put together, because it’s an amazing team. It’s a huge cast, with a lot of energy, enthusiasm and phenomenal skill. I’m looking forward to the whole journey and to getting to the final product. Every day we’re getting closer and closer, building steps up towards it.The flying rig looks pretty epic. How are you finding flying in the open air?When you’re flying high up there, it’s the most amazing feeling, it’s so good. But you are constantly reminded that you’re not a bird, you’re just a human cos it hurts! It’s so technical, the whole show, even 5 minutes of flying is over two hours of rehearsal getting all of the safety things out of the way. It’s so precise, my life is totally in the hands of the counter weight, and they’re all solid – they’re brilliant guys! They have to know what the rhythm of the scene is, what the rhythm of my character is, I have to feel them as well. It’s not me flying, it’s them flying me and we have to understand each other’s bodies and rhythms to make it work. It’s quite minutely specific. But it’s really thrilling. You feel like a superhero for a bit, a little jump can take you 30 feet up in the air! We’ve been really lucky up until now, we’ve had amazing weather. Hiran Abeysekera in rehearsal Tell us something about the world that Timothy Sheader and Liam Steel are creating for this production.We are setting it during WW1. Wendy and Tinker Bell are nurses in a hospital, and the Lost Boys are soldiers. It starts with Wendy reading them the story of Peter Pan, and then Peter Pan comes through that as a Never Land in Wendy’s Head where soldiers can get away from their reality and escape. So when Peter Pan says ‘I always want to be a little boy and to have fun’, he can’t put it into words, but what he means is that he doesn’t want to go to war. Growing up means going to war, dying or losing limbs. There is a scene where Wendy gets all of the lost boys to go with her, and the boys come in wearing military rucksacks – but they don’t know anything about war, they think they are going on a big adventure. That’s how it was sold back in the day; go to foreign lands, defend your country...but the boys didn’t really understand the reality of what that meant. Peter sees what is going to happen but he doesn’t know how to explain it.What did you know of Peter Pan before you started this process and what have you discovered since starting rehearsals?I think like everyone I knew about Peter Pan, but not from the movie, and I don’t think I saw the animation. I know it through Disney merchandise. The story I remember, my mother used to tell me it when she was feeding me when I was a kid. She was studying for her BA degree in Greek and Roman Civilisations, so most of the stories were myths or Buddhist Jakarta stories, or stories like Peter Pan. So I remember my mother telling me the story of Peter Pan, but I never remember her ending it with them coming back to thereal world. I think in her story, Wendy and the Lost Boys all stayed in Never Land. When I read this, I thought, this doesn’t sound right – he’s got it wrong!I’ve now discovered the real story that JM Barrie wrote. I’ve also discovered the history of why he wrote this, and how he wrote this; about the Llewelyn Davies boys, and his connection with them. Just thinking about what JM Barrie was trying to say – I suppose it was his therapy, writing this book, because Peter Pan is messed up if you think about it. We all know him as a boy who doesn’t want to grow up, but in the stage directions it suggests that that’s his biggest pretence. He’s pretending that he doesn’t want to grow up. So does he understand? Or is he growing up, and the only way to stop it is to pretend that he’s not? It’s something I had never thought of before I started digging into it. Hiran Abeysekera & Kae Alexander in rehearsal So why should people come to see Peter Pan?It’s going to be magical and it’s going to be a spectacle I think. And it comes back to the flying, usually there are two wires going up, but we are on a bungee, so it’s quite circus-like. I think it’s going to be pretty cool...I think if I was a kid, and my parents said there’s this show, I would definitely enjoy it. As an adult, I would enjoy it more. As kids we tend to enjoy the novelty - most things are a novelty: if they haven’t seen flying, of heard of Peter Pan, or seen it on stage, it’s a novelty. Whereas, as an adult, we know the story. To re-live it as an adult reminds us of our childhood, and that’s something which it is important not to forget. Peter Pan plays Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from 15 May 2015 until 14 June 2015. LINKS Hiran Abeysekera - more news and shows BOOK Book tickets to Life of Pi at the Wyndham's Theatre Book tickets to Peter Pan