Multi-award-winning West End and Broadway hit Life of Pi comes to Northampton in April

Lolita Chakrabarti’s dazzling Olivier and Tony-winning stage adaptation of Life of Pi, starring an extraordinary life-size puppeteered Bengal Tiger, comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 April.

Based on one of the best-loved works of fiction, by Yann Martel, which won the Man Booker Prize and sold 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?

Having opened originally at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre in 2019, this spell-binding show enjoyed a West End run, picking up five Olivier Awards in 2022, and opened in Broadway in March 2023 scooping three Tony Awards. As well as the Olivier for Best New Play, in an historic first for the Olivier Awards, the seven performers who puppeteered the Tiger ‘Richard Parker’ were collectively awarded Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

For the UK tour, 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, Sebastian Goffin as Tiger Head, Akash Heer as Tiger Head, Romina Hytten as Tiger Heart and Hind, Katie Kennedy-Rose as Tiger Heart and Hind, Aizah Khan as Tiger Heart and Hind, Chand Martinez as Pandit-ji, Keshini Misha as Rani, Goldy Notay as Amma, Sharita Oomeer as Lulu Chen/Mrs Biology Kumar, Kate Rowsell as Tiger Heart and Hind, Lilian Tsang as Mrs Okamoto/Zaida Khan/Ships Captain, Peter Twose and Tiger Head/Voice of Richard Parker/Cook/Father Martin.

The production is directed by Max Webster (who previously directed The Jungle Book and King Lear for Royal & Derngate). Costume and set design is by Tim Hatley, and puppet design is by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, with Finn also directing puppets and movement for the show. Video Designer is Andrzej Goulding, Lighting Designer is Tim Lutkin, Sound Designer is Carolyn Downing, and the Composer is Andrew T Mackay.

Life of Pi takes to the Derngate stage from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 April, at 7.30pm, with matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets – priced from £15* – can be booked by calling Box Office on 01604 655719 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

Life of Pi is produced by Simon Friend in association with Playing Field and Tulchin/Bartner.

* A non-refundable £4 per-transaction fee applies for bookings of £20 and over. Does not apply to Groups, Members and Access Patrons.