Dad bought me The Jungle Book Disney version film sound track album to play on my kiddy record player; I must have played it ’til it wore nearly through. Later he took us to see the film at Manchester’s then Odeon cinema, which sadly has recently been demolished. Now de-Disneyfied, this beguiling tale is to be re staged in Blackpool, by the same Children’s Touring Partnership team that gave us Running Wild, for which I wrote a glowing recent review.
First written in 1894, The Jungle Book is a timeless story of a boy returning to society after being raised in the jungle by wolves and facing grave danger, including the tiger Shere Khan. Since then tigers have moved from being a scary menace to a conservation priority. The story has been re imagined with a brand new score and script, exploring the universal themes of family, belonging and identity.
The Jungle Book creative team includes playwright Jessica Swale, whose Nell Gwynn won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 2016, with director Max Webster and internationally renowned songwriter Joe Stilgoe. Jessica says:
I jumped at the chance to adapt The Jungle Book because it’s such a vivid world- yet, for a writer, there’s so much opportunity to imagine the jungle afresh. I’ve enjoyed exploring what sort of place this mysterious, delightful, sometimes scary place might be- and what better way to do that than with the brilliant director Max Webster.
I loved Kipling’s characters wrote them, but wanted to find new voices which resonate now- funny, bright, dynamic voices, with greater diversity. It’s a funny, heart-filled roller coaster of a journey which, I hope, will transport the audience right round the world and back again.
The cast includes Rachel Dawson as ‘Kaa Grey’, Lloyd Gorman as ‘Shere Khan’, TJ Holmes as ‘Hiran’, Avita Jay as ‘Raksha’, Keziah Joseph as ‘Mowgli’, Dyfrig Morris as ‘Balloo’, Deborah Oyelade as ‘Bagheera’ and Tripti Tripuraneni as ‘Akala’. They are joined by Ruri James and Chipo Kureya in the ensemble.
Suitable for children 6+, the show’s UK national tour comes to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre on Tuesday 8 to Saturday 12 May 2018. Tickets are available from The Grand Theatre box office, telephone – 01253 290 190 or visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk.
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