 |
| Levin Valayil in Jungle Book.Photo by Gary W. Sweetman |
By Darlene Donloe
“The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack!”
You haven’t seen a jungle quite like this one.
Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book has long been a fan favorite. It’s the story of adventure for both young and old audiences alike.
The story about Mowgli, a little boy raised in the jungle by wolves, is brought to life in Jungle Book, a family-friendly theatrical production currently playing at the Pasadena Playhouse through July 29.
The presentation starts off with Mowgli asking the audience if they’d like to go on a journey through the jungle. Of course, they say, “yes.”
From there, Mowgli begins to spin the tale of how he, now grown and living in New York City, went from living in the jungle to now working in the Big Apple.
It’s a harrowing story that ultimately ended with him living amongst wild animals that teach him about survival.
Everyone knows the story. A little boy named Mowgli, whose father is killed, is left in the jungle and raised by a pack of wolves. They are the only family he’s ever known. Mowgli becomes very comfortable living amongst the animals, well, all but one. Shere Khan isn’t exactly a fan. He would love nothing more than to kill the human because he hates mankind. But Mowgli has some cool friends. He has a panther named Bagheera and a too cool for the room bear named Baloo, watching over him.
 |
| Jungle Book Photo by Gary W. Sweetman |
All of this is presented in an incredibly creative, innovative and enjoyable production complete with music, projected images, screens, interactive technology, animated characters (think Lion King) and more.
There are several occasions when there is audience participation.
It’s clear that the show is geared toward a young audience. But don’t be fooled, adults will find Jungle Book a thoroughly entertaining show.
There is a lot going on in this production. Except for Valayil, all of the other actors portray three or more of the characters either through voicing, projected images or by simply taking off the head of one character and donning another right on stage.
Screens are turned, different images are projected, two boards are positioned in various areas of the stage for a myriad of reasons. They could be flown in to be the mountains in one scene, the grass in another, the entrance to a dungeon the next. It all comes together quite easily.
Co-creators and directors Craig Francis and Rick Miller have brought to life a wonderful children’s story.
Valayil, accompanied by his youthful smile, is a delight with just the right amount of energy and enthusiasm.
The other actors are just as delightful, evidenced by the joyous squeals of the children in the audience during the opening night performance.
Frankly, I have found Jungle Book to be a scary story. Kipling's classic set of tales has seen many iterations including Disney’s animated version and Jon Favreau’s 2016 movie version. For me, all the versions are a bit unnerving, especially whenever the sinister snake, Kaa, appeared.
 |
| Anita Mujumdar and Miriam Fernandes in Jungle Book. Photo by Gary W. Sweetman |
Besides being a story of survival, family, determination, and loyalty, Jungle Book also has a message. For instance: Mowgli's refusal to be a part of the segment of mankind that kills animals.
Jungle Book stars Levin Valayil (Mowgli), Miriam Fernandes (Shere Khan, Kaa, Maya, others), Matt Lacas (Akela Baloo Buldeo, others) and Anita Majumdar (Raksha, Bagheera, Messua, others)
Jungle Book is written, co-created and directed by Craig Francis and Rick Miller, adapted from the works of Rudyard Kipling, a Kidoons and WYRD Production in association with The 20K Collective.
On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Jungle Book gets an O (oh, yeah).
No comments:
Post a Comment