Jungle Book reimagined

Breathtaking projections of animation by YeastCulture steal this show and a set which is largely conveyed by lighting. What promises to be a magnificent production sadly does not live up to it. Since Akram Khan played Mowgli as a 10-year-old in Peter Brooke’s The Adventures of Mowgli, this dance production Jungle Book Reimagined must mean much to him. Here Rudyard Kipling is refashioned as a morality tale about our disconnect with nature, both the mistreatment of animals and the planet’s impending ecological disaster of rising seas; it is timely subject matter. With music by Jocelyn Pook, both contemporary and Indian influences melded and a voice-over script by Tariq Jordan, it should have had everything going for it.

The cast are to be congratulated on their immaculate precision as an ensemble

Driving rain and rising seas are a dramatic start, refugees huddled on rafts as the world’s towers and steeples drown including Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower, and Mowgli, a girl in this version, falls into a polluted sea, past floating tin cans and most relevant, masks, only to be rescued by a whale. On dry land she is deposited amongst a pack of wolves. So far, it is brilliant. But this gives way to lacklustre choreography, much sinuous movement, animal-like movement from the wolves but becoming repetitive and all at a low level on the stage’s floor, monotonous. The story takes an age to get going.

However, the choreography improves as the story takes off. The cast are to be congratulated on their immaculate precision as an ensemble, moving as one, much swaying from side to side, arms splayed over bent bodies, rising and falling, with only a suggestion of Kathak whilst miming to the pre-recorded voice-overs. Wearing baggy-trousers this aided the wide-legged plieés Indian-style, but the costumes are rather murky. No doubt it was intentional to distance itself from Disney’s Lion King but different animals are hard to distinguish apart from the bravura performance of Baloo the bear by Tom Davis-Dunn, his muscular frame perfect, hunched stance, lumbering walk, swaying and sniffing the air. Bagheera, the panther, is not given enough to do to stand out, the python Kaa, portrayed by cardboard boxes is enjoyable and surprisingly snake-like, the eyes lit up on the front box but seems out of place when no other animals are portrayed by boxes. However, his hiss and the Hannibal Lecter slurp are spine-chilling.

A complicated plot ensues where Mowgli is supposed to help the traumatised animals, monkeys who have escaped from research laboratories and Kaa who has escaped from a zoo but is psychologically damaged by being behind glass. It is Baloo who comes to Kaa’s rescue though. Mowgli has little to do but wander around carrying the box her mother gave her. When opened it is supposed to reveal her ‘identity’. Goodness knows how that symbolism works. It feels like one more currently fashionable issue crammed in too far. A lone hunter stalks the animals and gets his comeuppance, so there’s plenty of plot in the second half but does little to relieve the tedium of the choreography and monotonous music. To be fair, the end of each act culminates in moving songs in Indian style. Towards the end there is a rendition of the Agnus Dei and a fragment from a requiem mass which add an elegiac depth.

This is definitely not a show for children despite being billed for over 10s. Unmemorable animals (apart from Baloo), lack of pace, a heavy moralising tone to the voice overs and each dance far too long drawn out to dirge-like music. Such a shame. And yet there is so much to admire. Those giant elephant animations sauntering across the stage will stay with me. This could be a wonderful show with some judicious editing.

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