A.R.T. announces cast of play adapted from best-selling novel by Yann Martel

If there’s one thing we know for sure about A.R.T., it’s that they do big things and they do them in a big way. 

With that kind of track record, it’s hard to imagine what they have in store for their upcoming Life of Pi spectacle.

“Written by Lolita Chakrabarti based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel and directed by Max Webster,” performances begin at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square on Sunday, Dec. 4, with an official opening on Thursday, Dec. The show runs through the end of January 2023. 

More from Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Director Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. below … 

Adi Dixit leads the cast of Life of Pi in the title role, and is joined by Brian Thomas Abraham as Cook/Voice of Richard Parker; Usman Ali Ishaq as Ensemble; Rajesh Bose as Father/Ghost Father; Mahnaz Damania as Ensemble; Avery Glymph as Father Martin/Admiral Jackson; Mahira Kakkar as Nurse/Amma/Orange Juice; Kirstin Louie as Lulu Chen; Uma Paranjpe as Ensemble; Salma Shaw as Mrs. Biology Kumar/Zaida Khan; David Shih as Ensemble; Sathya Sridharan as Mamaji/Pandit-ji; Daisuke Tsuji as Mr. Okamoto/Captain; and Sonya Venugopal as Rani/Ghost Rani. The Puppeteers are Nikki Calonge, Fred Davis, Rowan Magee, Jonathan David Martin, Betsy Rosen, Celia Mei Rubin, Scarlet Wilderink, and Andrew Wilson.

In Life of Pi, sixteen-year-old Pi and his family set off to emigrate from India, but after their ship sinks in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Pi is left stranded on a lifeboat with just four other survivors: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Royal Bengal tiger. Time is against them, and nature is harsh—who will survive? Called “extraordinary and unmissable” by The Guardian for its inventive puppetry, this highly imaginative theatrical adaptation brings one of the most beloved works of fiction to the stage to tell its epic story of endurance and hope. 

Life of Pi is currently playing at Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End where it won five Olivier Awards including Best New Play, Best Scenic Design, and Best Lighting Design. In an historic first for the Olivier Awards, the seven performers who play Royal Bengal tiger ‘Richard Parker’ were collectively awarded Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The London production, with its cutting-edge visual effects, has garnered great critical acclaim.