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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews
The Jungle
Book Entire contents copyright © 2008, Cristina Martin. All rights reserved.
What a delight! Clarksville Little Theatre's The Jungle Book is children's theatre in the most complete sense of the term: a production perfectly suited to audience members of all ages for sure, but most impressively, an engaging show performed by actors between the tender ages of six and twelve with only three weeks of intensive preparation. Hats off to director Debra Rice Endris (who does happen to be a grown-up) and to her cast and crew of young people, who have accomplished something many a professional adult theatre group would find hard to beat. The choice of this play for CLT's fifteenth annual summer theatre workshop for children was wise and inspired. Rudyard Kipling's tales of adventure and power dynamics in the jungles of India continue to capture the imagination and to instruct over a century after they were written. The rich allegory and incisive character studies throughout are not only a great source of amusement for audiences; they also provide profound and appealing literary subject matter for those who get to know Kipling's stories intimately by bringing them to life. While learning about the theatre, the children involved in this show have the opportunity to glean meaty insights, some of which may not sink in until years hence, from the characters they and their peers portray. And while enjoying some timeless tales, children in the audience might gain a special appreciation for the theatre when there are kids just like themselves on stage and behind the scenes. Kipling's Indian setting comes alive in this production with wolves, big cats, monkeys, snakes, a mongoose, a bear, a jackal, a peacock, a bat, and a few humans, too, all costumed simply but effectively. The human characters are dressed to suggest traditional Indian garb, and the animals wear mostly solid-colored clothing with headpieces made by the crew. Consisting of twelve- to sixteen-year-olds, the crew also created a beautifully painted jungle background, a clever rotating platform used alternately in jungle and village scenes, and a lovely brick wall festooned with exotic flowers. What a welcome opportunity to meet this group before the curtain opens: Jordan Brown, Cherrish Curry, Chelsea Endris, Jacob Endris, Madison Lindsay, Julie Plan and Casey Winnecke certainly deserve to be seen and recognized. Before the play begins, Jordan Brown (who is Assistant Director and Stage Manager) leads them in introducing themselves, saying a few words about the performance (translated into French, no less, by Julie Plan, the French exchange student among them!), and warming up the audience, by leading them in imitating the sounds of certain jungle denizens. I was disappointed that we weren't called upon later during the play itself to contribute the animal sounds we had practiced! Even so, the musical interludes and sound effects work well throughout. The actors clearly know what they're doing on stage and seem comfortable there, having their lines down cold and delivering them with energy and good timing. Each of the eighteen fresh faces is earnest and natural, sweet but never saccharine. Articulation and volume are good for the most part, though I wish I had been able to hear better during the dramatic scene between Mowgli and the Cobra, who is a hand puppet who appears behind the brick wall at center stage but is voiced by crew member Jordan Brown, who remains backstage behind the jungle wall. The young people work so well in ensemble that one is hard pressed to identify a standout. Each character has his or her time to shine and does so, contributing to a strong choral effect when the focus is not primarily on him or her. Staging and movement keep the action interesting, with some charming dances and gestures by the monkeys and Rikki-Tikki the mongoose in particular. The focus and dedication on the part of everyone involved in The Jungle Book are truly worthy of respect. As the program notes state, "CLT's summer children's show is proof positive of community theatre at its best. It also goes to show that professionalism is not measured by age or paycheck but in the work ethic of its participants." They're not kidding.
The Jungle Book Clarksville Little Theatre 812 - 283 - 6522 Starring Ryley Biggs, Riley Billings, Ethan Brown, Jordan Brown, Meadow Drollinger, Molly Garrett, Kelsey Goodwin, Alec Heitz, Elise Heitz, Alyssa Hyndman, Patrick Koshewa, Jocelyn Nichols, Reilly Northam, RJ Ohlemacher, Max Samourian, Payton Sims, Sydney Sims, Avery Thomas and Lillie Weber Posted July 13, 2008; amended July 14, 2008
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