The Jungle Book at The Lowry
Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor
Multi-award winning Metta Theatre are renowned for their rich and startling visual storytelling from a multicultural perspective so there’s every reason to be excited about this new production aimed at aged 8 plus which transports Kipling’s tale to the urban jungle of contemporary Britain.
Meet a female Mowgli, a beat-boxing bin man Baloo, graffiti artist Bagheera, skateboarding wolves and street-dancing monkeys. Mowgli’s search for identity is heightened by spectacular circus and physical theatre, with choreography by Kendra J Horsburgh (BirdGang Dance Company, Into The Hoods).
Far from the pre-school Disney version, both Kipling’s original and Metta’s progressive re-imagining of the Jungle book tale is most definitely relevant to the 8 plus “tween” and above (adults included) audience as the vulnerable and isolated protagonist searches for identity and a way to belong.
Written and directed by Poppy Burton-Morgan and garnering rave reviews while on tour, expect to have your heart warmed and your breath taken away by this extraordinary physical performance.
