Life of Pi roars into the Lowry so book tickets now

It has already conquered London’s West End and Broadway - and now the spellbinding Life of Pi is proving to be a roaring success with theatre lovers right here in the North West.

The multi Olivier Award-winning production is showing at The Lowry, Salford until January 7, 2024, giving audiences a spectacular alternative to the traditional panto, and a real Christmas cracker - tickets are available to book now.

The show, featuring ‘Richard Parker’ - a life-size puppeteered Bengali Tiger - is based on Yann Martel’s Booker Prize winning novel that has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.

Life of Pi’s theatrical adaptation breathes new life into an epic tale of endurance and hope. A cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, leaving 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. Time is against them, nature is harsh; who will survive?

Stellar cast

Divesh Subaskaran makes his professional debut in the central role of Pi. He is joined by Antony Antunes, who performs as Tiger Hind/Cook/Father Martin, Adwitha Arumugam as Pi Alternate, Bhawna Bhawsar as Lulu Chen/Mrs Biology Kumar, Ralph Birtwell as Mamaji/Admiral Balbir Singh, Kriss Dosanjh as Father.

Divesh said: “It is a real privilege to be able to work alongside highly skilled puppeteers. There was - and still is - a lot of practice and rehearsal involved in maintaining a level of danger when it comes to Pi's relationships with the animals on stage.

"The actors playing Richard Parker do an amazing job in giving the skeleton of the puppet life and dynamism - they are the musculature and heart of the character. They stay in character all the time and it really shows all the work they put into inhabiting such a deadly creature.

“I have seen the film numerous times - the play tackles the story in a different way and you could argue the play is more exciting as the audience get to witness the unfolding of the story’s big questions live. I am extremely grateful to be a part of this project and it is really exciting to be able to travel the country on a job like this.”

Rave reviews

Life of Pi first opened to critical acclaim at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2019.

International commitments for the show include its North American Premiere at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University where it ran from December 2022 to January 2023, followed by its Broadway premiere at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater where it opened in March 2023.

A European tour will follow the tour of the UK and Ireland and there are plans underway for a tour of Australia and Asia.

Award-winning show

Life of Pi is now on at the Lowry (Image: Johan Persson)

Life of Pi won five Olivier Awards in April 2022, including Best New Play and Best Actor for Hiran Abeysekera (the original Pi). In a historic first for the Olivier Awards, the seven performers who puppeteer the Tiger ‘Richard Parker’ 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).

It also scooped the Tony Awards in the following categories: Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design.