Electronic Press Kit last updated: July 15, 2020 “Jungle Book is A MUST SEE, especially for multi-generational families where this can open the door for dialogue on bullying, respect, temperance and so much more.” - Broadway World (June 2018 Florida review) “JOYOUS! A new version of the familiar story that should delight children and the adults lucky enough to join them.” - Sarasota Herald-Tribune “Like stepping inside a beautifully illustrated children’s storybook. It’s a MAGICAL experience!” - The Observer “Jungle Book is a great place to introduce young people to the wonderful world of theatrical storytelling.” - Talkin’ Broadway “The cast and crew bring a classic to life with modern-day techniques and takes.” - Sarasota Magazine “INCREDIBLE... Even the “Imagineers” at Disney could learn from this production — it is that good.” - Venice Gondolier Sun “CHARMING!...an imaginative blend of living, breathing, onstage actors, stage- filling projections both still and animated, and shadow puppets operated by shadow people.” - Creative Loafing “EXCITING... I was taken on a wild adventure ride through an immersive technology and multimedia to the urban jungle of Mowgli’s childhood in the forests of India. I loved every minute of it” - OnStage Blog “BREATHTAKING... As co-creators/ directors Rick Miller and Craig Francis showed with their immersive and spectacular Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, they are geniuses at melding technology with raw art forms to create a theatre of illusions and magic.” - Drew Rowsome Theatre Blog “An Imaginative, Beautiful Production... age-appropriate, stunningly designed, and immensely fun.” - Broadway World (February 2020 Toronto review)
Transcript
Electronic Press Kitlast updated: July 15, 2020
“Jungle Book is A MUST SEE, especially for multi-generational families where this
can open the door for dialogue on bullying, respect, temperance and so much more.”
- Broadway World (June 2018 Florida review)
“JOYOUS! A new version of the familiar story that should delight children and the
adults lucky enough to join them.” - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“Like stepping inside a beautifully illustrated children’s storybook.
It’s a MAGICAL experience!” - The Observer
“Jungle Book is a great place to introduce young people to the wonderful world
of theatrical storytelling.” - Talkin’ Broadway
“The cast and crew bring a classic to life with modern-day techniques and takes.”
- Sarasota Magazine
“INCREDIBLE... Even the “Imagineers” at Disney could learn from this production
— it is that good.”- Venice Gondolier Sun
“CHARMING!...an imaginative blend of living, breathing, onstage actors, stage-
filling projections both still and animated, and shadow puppets operated by
shadow people.” - Creative Loafing
“EXCITING... I was taken on a wild adventure ride through an immersive
technology and multimedia to the urban jungle of Mowgli’s childhood in the forests
of India. I loved every minute of it” - OnStage Blog
“BREATHTAKING... As co-creators/directors Rick Miller and Craig Francis
showed with their immersive and spectacular Twenty Thousand Leagues
Under the Sea, they are geniuses at melding technology with raw art forms to create a theatre of illusions and magic.”
‘Jungle Book’ to world premiere at Asolo RepRudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book” gets a fun and “I’m in love with the show in this theater; I mean if anyone doesn’t know how lucky they are to have a theater like Asolo Repertory in Sarasota they are lucky,” Co-Director & Co-Creator Craig Francis said.
He calls the Asolo a “jewel box theatre.”
“It’s also a very tall theater, and the multimedia and the immersive effects we’ve created for this show really fi ll it,” Francis said.
From puppets to shadow theater to sound design, the show takes the audience on an adventure.
“Make people feel like, for a moment at least, they’re in the jungle,” Francis said. “They’re some-where else.”
Dozens of animal and human characters are all portrayed by just four actors.
Levin Valayil, who plays Mowgli, says he’s always dreamed of being on the Asolo stage.
“Now I’m here, and it’s pretty awesome to see it come to fruition,” Valayil said.
Miriam Fernandes plays Mowgli’s little sister, Maya.
The role of Maya was created specifi cally for this show.
“..because Jungle Book tends to be a very male story about Mowgli,” Fernandes said.
This version is different.
“You have Mowgli’s mother, who’s a single mother raising Maya and Mowgli, so I think it’s important to see women and keep hearing their voices on stage,” Fernandes said.
Valayil calls Mowgli’s role a “coming of age” story.
“I think that’s always relatable, and that’s why there’s so many stories about what it means to go from being a kid to growing up,” Valayil said. “There’s loss there and there’s a gain, and that sto-ry’s really important no matter what. I think all the kids that come are gonna appreciate that.”
Theater Review: Inventive ‘Jungle Book’ charms kids and adults at Asolo Rep Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book” gets a fun and spirited modern makeover in the Asolo Repertory Theatre’s world premiere of a new version of the familiar story that should delight children and the adults lucky enough to join them.
Asolo Rep commissioned this multimedia show with original music from Craig Francis and Rick Miller, the Canadian theater and television team that brought their version of “20,000 Leagues Un-der the Sea” to Sarasota last season.
Forget what you’ve seen in any Disney version. This “Jungle Book” is an inventive and colorful tell-ing of the story of a young boy named Mowgli who is left behind in the jungles of India to be raised by the wolves and navigate the dangers posed by other animals who eye this human “man cub” with great suspicion. Mowgli is fi rst seen as a disap-pointed adult, an architect who realizes that he is contributing to the destruction of green spaces by designing suburban strip malls. He feels like an outsider in the big city because he has lost his connection to nature. It’s a split reminiscent of his feelings in the jungle as a human in an animal world.
So he opens what his sister, Maya, came to call his “jungle book” of sketches, phrases and poems about his life in the wild, his adventures, misad-ventures and lessons learned from his animal pro-tectors. And we join him through his story as the pages come to life on screens and scrims through the imaginative projections by Irina Litvinenko, which are set off by impactful lighting by Rebec-ca Picherback and a constantly surprising array of scenic, prop and costume design by Astrid Jan-son and Melanie McNeill.
There are only four actors visible on stage, but the designs make the stage seem more crowded in this fast-moving, 70-minute show, which features several songs with an Indian fl air by Suba San-karan. Shadow puppets mix with the human per-
formers to create a wild but inviting jungle world.Levin Valayil, who was seen in Sarasota in Florida Studio Theatre’s production of “The Fabulous Lipi-tones” is a charming Mowgli (the name means “lit-tle frog”), kid-like and purposeful as the youngster grows up and tries to fi t in with his animal family and friends. His broad smile helps to engage even the most reluctant audience members to get in-volved in the show. At one point, we’re asked to how like wolves and at another, audience clapping can help to create rain on stage to stop a lightning fi re.
The other three actors — Matt Lacas, Anita Maju-madar and Miriam Fernandes — play multiple hu-man and animal characters, either creating shad-ow puppets or wearing furry costumes that are cute but not cloying. Lacas is stern as Mowgli’s wolf father, Akela; playful as the slow-moving but supportive bear, Baloo, and menacing as a human hunter out to add to his trophy case. Majumdar conveys warmth and concern as both Mowgli’s wolf and human mothers, and she’s sleek and ob-servant as the panther Bagheera. In addition to manipulating the movements of a large python who helps save Mowgli from trouble, Fernandes is delightful as his younger sister, Maya, who tells a favorite childhood story with lots of dramatic fl air.
The script is smart enough to appeal to adults while not talking down to kids. It includes some dark moments that are believable without being haunting.
“Jungle Book” continues Asolo Rep’s recent sea-son-closing series of family friendly shows which have helped to alter our sense of what children’s theater can or should be. This production, which conveys a strong message about the environment, speaks to young audiences and the kid inside the adults in equal and joyous measure.
REVIEW: Asolo Rep Engages Audiences with a New Jungle BookThe cast and crew bring a classic to life with modern-day techniques and takes.
Rudyard Kipling’s children’s classic The Jungle Book has certainly proved fertile ground for adaptation over the years, whether it be for Disney movie megahits or onstage, as is the case with the world premiere version of the story of the boy Mowgli now playing at Asolo Rep.
Brought to life by the same team (writers-directors Craig Francis and Rick Miller) who conceived last year’s family-friendly season closer, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, this Jungle Book employs some of the same techniques as that earlier production. A small cast of four actors ranges across the stage in a number of roles, so swiftly and smoothly that you sometimes can’t remember who’s playing what. A few original songs (by Suba Sankaran) enhance the action. And all of the production design elements—props, costumes and set by Astrid Janson and Melanie McNeill, lighting by Rebecca Picherack, and multimedia design by Irina Litvinenko—cohere to move the story along with color and atmosphere, without any pauses for set changes in the 70-minute, intermission-less show.
Like Leagues, with its embittered Captain Nemo, Jungle Book also offers a character who feels torn between the worlds of humanity and nature with Mowgli (Levin Valayil), who fi rst addresses the audience directly as the grown man and architect he’s become, in 21st-century New York. He doesn’t like the buildings he fi nds himself designing, and soon he’s taking us back with him to the jungles of India, where he grew up as a wolf-boy raised by a loving pair of wolf parents after nearly being killed by the fi erce Bengal tiger Shere Khan.
Of course, Khan, like other animals in the story, including Hathi the elephant, has reasons for hating man, so murderous though he is, he’s not completely without our sympathy.
Besides the familiar characters of Baloo the sloth bear, Bagheera the panther, Kaa the python, and those dangerous but sort of fun monkeys (Bandar-Log), in this version of the story, we meet Mowgli’s human family: his sister Maya (Miriam Fernandes) and mother Messua (Anita Majumdar). And there’s also Buldeo (Matt Lacas), representing the worst of mankind as he wields a cruel elephant prod.
While I’m never sure that the contemporary framework of the urban jungle of New York, complete with Mowgli texting on his cell phone, is really necessary (I know, it’s supposed to help today’s kids relate), the production overall does succeed in translating Kipling’s original to a more modern sensibility. Valayil is an engaging, appropriately physical Mowgli who interacts convincingly with the animals of his world (who are in turn portrayed skillfully by Lacas, Majumdar and Fernandes, aided by props, costumes and shadow puppetry), as well as with his audience. And yes, there is a message here, but one delivered in an entertaining fashion that feels faithful to the spirit of the original.
Theater Review: The Jungle BookSARASOTA — BRADENTON — The Asolo Repertory Theatre presented its fi nal production of the 2017-18 when it opened the world premiere of The Jungle Book on June 9. The piece is a re-imagined, family friendly stage adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner Rudyard Kipling’s beloved classic.
Well known to kids who have marveled at the children’s picture book and the Disney version, this production engages in a parallel process for children and their parents. The Jungle Book is a morality play for adults, reminding them of our part in the animal kingdom. No element is dispensable without great peril. Children identify with the need to belong and the fact that ultimately, everyone does. Repeated throughout the piece is the warning to avoid the impulse and temptation to dominate.
The story is set in the urban jungle of New York City and then in a forest in India; and the area of Seonee, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh. The four actors played multiple roles, changing parts of their costumes to suggest the different animal characters. Levin Valayil plays the boy, or “man-cub,” Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves. Mowgli is the narrator of the play. Matt Lucas, Anita Majumdar and Miriam Fernandes play the other story book characters, Akela, Raksha and Shere Khan, respectively, among many others.
Fairytales help children manage their fears and teach lessons for life. One of the major themes in The Jungle Book is the fate of the abandoned Mowgli, fostered by the wolves. He is part of both worlds, searching for his rightful place in each. He is happily reunited with his human parents but has absorbed the lesson of the Jungle imparted to him. There are many individual lines from the book that tell powerful messages.
My 6-year-old neighbor, Savannah, who attended the opening, loved the show. Her favorite character was Mowgli, and she approves of the message of the piece to “not be greedy, to take care of all the animals and the environment.” She particularly liked the way the characters involved the audience
to make it rain, as one of the various multimedia techniques that were used to tell the tale.
Craig Francis and Rick Miller have written a compelling script. Included are bits of International-Fusion musical elements written by Suba Sankaran. There are many individual lines from the book that give powerful messages. The one that stayed with me: “Death is part of the Law of the Jungle, but not cruelty.”
By Marty FugateJune 11, 2018
REVIEW: Multimedia adaptation of ‘Jungle Book’ takes classic into the 21st centuryThe classic children’s tale gets a modern makeover in this world premiere production by Rick Miller and Craig Francis.
Craig Francis and Rick Miller co-wrote and co-directed this world-premiere production. They’re part of the same creative team that plunged audiences “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” last year. They’re equally inventive this year, without repeating any old tricks. Expect multilayered sensory immersion — a blend of live action, mime, dance, puppetry, animation, voiceover and projection.
Rudyard Kipling’s jungle fantasy has seen umpteen adaptations. You’ve probably seen a few, but you’ve never seen anything like this.
Kipling’s original novel tells the story of Mowgli, an Indian child raised by wolves. Those wolves get child-rearing assistance from Baloo (a bear) and Bagheera (a black panther). Together, they teach Mowgli the “Law of the Jungle,” which is on a par with the Justinian Code.
Francis and Miller’s stage production is more extrapolation than adaptation. They transplant Kipling’s sub-continental jungle to the 21st century, and follow Mowgli’s fate after he returns to human civilization. The bright lad grows up to be an architect and moves to New York City, where the urban jungle plays with his mind. Loss of habitat, climate change and cruelty to animals (elephants especially) are also on his mind.
Mowgli’s contemporary story alternates with fl ashbacks to Kipling’s original adventures. The storytellers also add two strong women to the mix: Mowgli’s human mother and sister.
There’s an obvious ecological subtext. Or make that text — period. From an adult perspective, the show’s a tad didactic. But it’s designed for young minds. The show wears its message on its sleeve. Its creators want kids to get the point. Subtlety isn’t their goal. But fun is also the goal. The message never gets in the way of the fun, as it occasionally did in last year’s production of “Twenty Thousand Leagues.”
This year’s multimedia mind trip feels like a large-cast production. Surprisingly, there are only four actors.
Levin Valayil is charismatic in the lead role of Mowgli. He’s got a big brain and a heart to match. The character can’t contain his love of life. It spills out and fl oods the auditorium. His zeal is contagious by design. It’s all about pumping up enthusiasm for animals and Planet Earth. That could feel forced and corny if done badly, but Valayil does it well.
The other actors play multiple roles. Standouts include: Matt Lacas’ out-of-shape Baloo, (who could be a slacker from a Seth Rogen movie if he wasn’t a bear); Miriam Fernandes’ predatory
puppetry as Shere Khan (the tiger) and Kaa (the python) and her lovable, in-the-fl esh portrayal of Maya, Mowgli’s human sister; and Anita Majumdar’s quiet wisdom as Bagheera, and Messua, Mowgli’s human mother — a puppet and a person, respectively.
The actors are backed up by Astrid Janson and Melanie McNeill’s fantastic costumes, props and scenic designs; Irina Litvinenko’s multimedia gumbo of front and rear projections, silhouettes and animations; Debashis Sinha’s sound tapestry; and Rebecca Picherack’s hypnotic lighting.
It all adds up to a great show, one that reminds you what a great storyteller Kipling was. With all of its technological wizardry, this intelligent production’s still built on the strong foundation of Kipling’s original tales. Those tales could be terrifying. (“The Jungle Book” starts with a lost baby in the jungle. Shere Khan remains determined to eat that baby. Kaa actually does eat the naughty monkeys.)
But this reimagining strikes a nice balance between fear and fun. The puppets are stylized, with visible puppeteers. The performers dance around the violence. Literally. (I’m happy to report, this approach succeeds.
Kids in the audience get excited. But none run out screaming in terror.) The adapters also deftly integrate Kipling’s “If” and “How Fear Came,” the just-so story from “The Second Jungle Book.”
For all of its ecological editorializing, the show keeps faith with Kipling’s spirit. Its Save-the-Earth message never feels like a tacked-on bumper sticker. Kipling loved animals, after all. In his original novel, animals were people, too. (Although he seemed to have had a thing against spider monkeys.)
Bottom line?
“Jungle Book” feels like stepping inside a beautifully illustrated children’s storybook. It’s a magical experience. The lesson is obvious. But it never spoils the magic.
“Jungle Book” is a co-production of Kidoons, WYRD Productions and the 20K Collective.
REVIEW: Multimedia adaptation of ‘Jungle Book’ takes classic into the 21st century (continued)
BWW Review: JUNGLE BOOK at ASOLO REPERTORY THEATREAsolo Repertory Theatre hits a home run bringing this re-imagined and inventive production to its stage. The Canadian theater and television team of Craig Francis and Rick Miller who staged their version of “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” last year is the talent behind the re-telling of this classic children’s story.
There have been many adaptations of Jungle Book in fi lm and other media but do you remember the original Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling written in 1894? To refresh your memory, it is a collection of stories where most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear. The principal character however is a human boy or “man-cub” named Mowgli, who is raised in the jungle by wolves.
The story is set in a forest in India and the theme throughout the story focuses on abandonment followed by fostering, as in the life of Mowgli who was displaced from his human family but found comfort in being fostered by wolves that accepted him as one of their own. Supposedly this refl ects Kipling’s own childhood having been separated from his parents at an early age, bullied by other children and raised by people with little regard for a nurturing environment. If you have read the story of this interesting Englishman’s life you will quickly understand why he writes the way he does and expresses such things from his own experiences, triumphs and tragedies.
Mowgli (Levin Valayil) begins the story by narrating us through, what his sister Maya (Miriam Fernandes) calls, his “jungle book”, a personal anthology of writings and animal sketches about his life’s journey from being raised by wolves in the jungle, then returning to civilization and his human family. As he speaks to the audience and moves into the scenes he is recollecting, clever projections utilizing a combination of stage scrims and screens bring us with him to various places in the jungle and the village where he was born. He tells of the interactions and struggle to survive between animals in the wild and how mankind can be so cruel at times, yet they are said to be the
most wise and civilized. There are a lot of deep lessons in this story, none too far beyond a child’s comprehension or too understated for the adults in attendance.
Mr. Valayil is playful, boisterous and comfortable in this role, sporting a razzle-dazzle smile that should win him a toothpaste commercial. He connected well with all ages that attended this very creative world premiere.
Miriam Fernandes, Matt Lacas, Anita Majumdar held various animal and human roles throughout the production. One part of the story that was particularly fun for the children as well as the adults was when Mowgli’s sister Maya decided to turn the tables on her mother’s rendition of fairy tales that she told her each night. Maya’s interpretation was overstated with great theatrical panache and brought a good laugh of approval from the audience.
Miss Fernandes was delightful as the sweet and loving sister. Mr. Lacas played Baloo with a lovable silliness that was charming and Miss Majumdar brought a gentle yet powerful persona to Mowgli’s human mother.
Creative lighting design by Rebecca Picherack, versatile scenic, prop and costumes by Astrid Janson and Melanie McNeill, and beautifully effective projections by Irina Litvinenko set the depth, mood and tone for each scenario.
This family-oriented production is a lesson in respect for authority, obedience, and knowing one’s place in the world regarding “the law of the jungle”. Kipling’s story illustrates the freedom to move between different worlds, such as when Mowgli moves between the jungle and the village in which he was born. It also sadly refl ects the irresponsible side of human nature. It was a lesson for yesterday and is just as relevant and maybe even more so today. Jungle Book is a must see, especially for multi-generational families where this can open the door for dialogue on bullying, respect, temperance and so much more.
BWW Review: JUNGLE BOOK Heeds the Call of the Wild in an Imaginative, Beautiful ProductionIt’s time to escape Toronto’s urban jungle for a real one, and this journey is one for the entire family to take together.
Rudyard Kipling’s classic works are adapted and directed by Craig Francis and Rick Miller in this modern, multimedia take on a beloved story of the connection between humanity and nature. Produced by Kidoons, WYRD Productions and The 20K Collective and presented by Young People’s Theatre, JUNGLE BOOK takes the story of Mowgli and his animal friends and refreshes it for kids today; in this version, Mowgli (Levin Valayil) is a 25-year old architect living in the urban jungle of New York City and struggling to reconcile the harsh nature of urban architecture with his roots in nature. His crisis halts when his sister sends him the ‘Jungle Book’ that he used to document his childhood adventures with the wolves who raised him, Baloo the bear (Matt Lacas), Bagheera the panther (Mina James), and more.
From here, JUNGLE BOOK rewinds to the moment when Mowgli, depicted as an infant with a surprisingly emotive puppet (controlled by Valayil), fi rst totters into the den of a pack of wolves. He’s quickly taken in by the pack’s leaders Akela (Lacas) and Raksha (James), and from there the audience watches him grow and learn through adventures both fun and frightening. Mowgli’s main adversary throughout the story is Shere Khan (Tahirih Vejdani), the vicious tiger who claims it is in his right to kill Mowgli, and who is a looming spectre - quite literally, as he’s a shadow puppet - throughout the boy’s life.
For a story with such dark content, this production does a phenomenal job of adjusting its scarier parts for its intended younger audience. Valayil is a strong lead, playing Mowgli with a bratty, rebellious attitude that subtly grows into maturity and self-awareness. The remainder of the cast doubles down to bring at least three characters to life each. Lacas shines as the fun-loving teacher Baloo, and Vejdani is wonderfully endearing as
Maya; however, James’s characters are a huge part of the story’s heart, and she carries each powerfully. As Mowgli’s mother, she is equal parts heroic and heartbreaking, and as the wise panther Bagheera she balances out the sillier Baloo with stoic grace.
What really sells this production are the multimedia (multimedia design by Irina Litvinenko), costumes, and puppet (both, plus sets and props, designed by Astrid Janson and Melanie McNeill) components. With simple adjustments and additions to the ensembles’ simple black jumpsuits, the actors shift into glowing-eyed wolves, sloth bears, monkeys, and anything else that might call the jungle home. The decision to restrict certain characters to puppets was wise, and worked well with the limitations of the stage; Shere Khan’s silhouette is strikingly terrifying whenever he crosses the large screen, and the size and power of creatures like the elephants or the python Kaa (Vejdani) are easy to understand when they’ve been enlarged through shadows and screens.
In some cases, too many digital elements can distract or detract from a staged production, but in JUNGLE BOOK the additions only strengthen a story that seeks to discuss - and succeeds in doing so - diffi cult topics like hierarchies, fi nding a place to belong, environmentalism and humanity’s ongoing destruction of nature. These are all things that affect children today, whether they’re fully conscious of them or not, and it’s great to know that they can begin to explore these topics in a way that’s age-appropriate, stunningly designed, and immensely fun.
Toronto Review: An eye popping ‘Jungle Book’ roars enthusiastically at Young People’s TheatreI’m hoping I’m not that old in pointing out how we’ve all watched the dancing, singing and cuteness version of Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’. Whenever I’ve seen the fi lm advertised on television, it’s always Baloo’s memorable ditty to Mowgli, “Look for the Bare Necessities”. There’s nothing wrong with this adaptation as it introduces Rudyard Kipling’s stories of Mowgli, the wolf boy, to new audiences. However, don’t allow Disney to be the only experience you have of this story.
An exciting, colourful and eye-catching production of ‘Jungle Book’ from creators Craig Francis and Rick Miller opened at Young People’s Theatre with theatrical fl air and musical excitement right from the top of the show. According to the release, this production is part of a North American tour after a recent appearance in New York. Four rousing actors entered grandly from the house and moved their way down to the stage in a fanfare of audience participation that even the adults around me clapped along in fun fi lled unison with the kids.And I was taken on a wild adventure ride through an immersive technology and multimedia to the urban jungle of Mowgli’s childhood in the forests of India. I loved every minute of it and am pleased it’s playing here for just over a month. For me, this touring production was magical as it took me back fondly to my childhood when I fi rst read Rudyard Kipling’s tale.
The set design consisted of three see through scrims. Behind the scrims, there is a large rectangular raised platform with a large white hanging screen which I’m assuming will be to view projections throughout the show. Rebecca Picherack’s lighting design was fascinating at the top of the show as the swirl of red and green was intriguing to watch. The refl ection through the scrim made it appear as if water was nearby.Irina Litvinenko’s multimedia designs are exquisite to the eyes. Ms. Litvinenko’s work in capturing the fast-paced world of New York City where the adult
Mowgli (Levin Valayil) is an architect is exquisite. The multimedia designs colourfully and cleverly place us in the richness verdant jungle where such characters as Shere Khan, Bagheera and Kaa inhabit and roam. What is also remarkably dazzling to watch are the use of puppets co-designed by Astrid Janson and Melanie McNeill. I’ve always been fascinated with puppetry as part of theatre, and the extraordinary creations of these two women is astounding. Make sure you pay careful attention to Tahirih Vejani as Kaa, the snake. With the puppet, she slithers in front of the audience with the elongated ‘s’ sound sinisterly sibilating in her voice as the puppet slithers in front of the audience at one point.Under a guiding vision of dignity for life in co-direction by Messrs. Francis and Miller, this ‘Jungle Book’ gently balances the theme of Respect in exploration of the consequences of colonialism and continuing human domination of the animal world. The four principal ensemble players merrily bring to life (through songs by composer Suba Sankaran and clever lyrics by Kipling/Miller and Francis) several of the famous characters whom we have come to know. Levin Valayil is a charming and affable adult and architect Mowgli who leaps and moves around the stage with gusto. And can he ever sing and hold a musical note. I especially liked Mr. Valayil’s work in the adorable young boy puppet of Mowgli. I heard some audience members around me along with some children utter and affectionate, “Aaaahhhh”. Matt Lacas becomes a comfortable, genial teddy bear as Baloo, the sloth bear. His relationship with the young Mowgli in teaching him to become more than just a wolf boy is sweet. As the panther, Bagheera, who is out to protect the young Mowgli, Mina James is solid in her work as she contorts her body to an animalistic pose in the puppetry costume she dons.
FINAL COMMENTS: There is rapturous joy in this ‘Jungle Book’. It’s a defi nite go to and must see for the family. It’s here for Family Day and the March Break, perfect for day or evening shows.
By Joe Szekeres, Chief Toronto CriticFebruary 15, 2020
“JOYOUS! A new version of the familiar story that should delight children and the
adults lucky enough to join them.” - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“Like stepping inside a beautifully illustrated children’s storybook.
It’s a MAGICAL experience!” - The Observer
“Jungle Book is A MUST SEE, especially for multi-generational families where this can open the door for dialogue on
bullying, respect, temperance and so much more.”
- Broadway World
“Jungle Book is a great place to introduce young people to the wonderful
world of theatrical storytelling.” - Talkin’ Broadway
“The production employs a rich soundscape, immersive multimedia, inventive puppetry and a variety of
new and traditional theatrical traditions to transport audiences to
the world’s jungles.” - Pasadena Weekly
“The cast and crew bring a classic to life with modern-day techniques and takes.”
- Sarasota Magazine
“CHARMING!...an imaginative blend of living, breathing, onstage actors, stage-fi lling projections both still and animated, and shadow puppets operated by shadow people.”- Creative Loafi ng
“EXCITING... I was taken on a wild adventure ride through an immersive technology and multimedia to the urban jungle of Mowgli’s childhood in the forests of India. I loved every minute of it”- OnStage Blog
“INCREDIBLE... Even the “Imagineers” at Disney could learn from this production — it is that good.”- Venice Gondolier Sun
“MAGICAL! The children in the audience on opening night showed their appreciation with laughs, rapt attention, and lots of applause.”- ColoradoBoulevard.net
JungleBook.ca
JUNGLE BOOKWritten & Directed by Craig Francis & Rick MillerAdapted from the works of Rudyard KiplingProduced by Kidoons and WYRD Productionsin association with The 20K Collective
