Emily Salamanca
Performance Review
After
watching the eleventh performance of The
Jungle Book from the light box at Henry Clay High School’s Lassiter Theater,
I became a bit more cynical of the production because I had seen it over and
over. However, the musical was still endearing, childish, and fun. Even at the
eleventh performance, I still bopped along to “I Wan’na Be Like You,” while “Trust
In Me” continued to give me shivers.
At
the beginning, Mowgli (Viviana Ortiz), a human boy, is found by a Panther named
Bagheera (Emily Spencer). Wolves raise Mowgli until it is recognized that a
man-eating tiger, Shere Khan (Yesmina Townsley), has returned to the jungle.
Thus, Bagheera must take Mowgli from his home and back to the ‘man-village,’
although Mowgli resists going. Along the way, Mowgli runs off and meets Baloo
(Jordan Gross), a bear who just wants Mowgli to feel better and have a good
time. Mowgli and Baloo bond, which further convinces Mowgli that the jungle is
the right place for him. The company falls asleep and Mowgli is taken by
monkeys, led by King Louis (Jessalyn Brown), who just want to be like him, a
human. Baloo interrupts and destroys the monkey civilization. Baloo informs
Mowgli that he needs to go back to the Man Village since the Jungle is
dangerous. Mowgli runs off, too angry with Baloo to stay. Alone, Mowgli is nearly
eaten by Kaa (Anne Russell, with assistance from Jade Curless), a snake, but is
saved when Shere Khan frightens Kaa enough to let Mowgli go. Alone again,
Mowgli encounters the Vultures, who provide him with some friendship. However,
Shere Khan interrupts the friendship and battles with Mowgli. Baloo comes to
rescue Mowgli. Shere Khan is burned up in a fire after lightening strike a
stick. Together again, Baloo, Mowgli, and Bagheera, encounter a human woman.
Mowgli, struck by her beauty, follows her off to the village. Bagheera and
Baloo rejoice that Mowgli has found his place without force. He is safe.
The
costumes showed the most professionalism in the show. Kaa’s costume, just a
snake body and austere dress-in-all-black actresses made the snake sufficiently
creepy. It wasn’t laughable because it wasn’t forced. The large snake body was
all there and it maneuvered well to scare elementary school kids. The costumes
of Mowgli and Bagheera were not too thought provoking, but they suited the
roles well. King Louis’s bright orange frock contrasted nicely with the baggy
brown monkeys. The orange showed his power and pizzaz. Baloo’s costume looked
fuzzy and fun, just like the characters.
The
pit made the show. Although the intro was a bit too long for an hour-long show,
it was still quite riveting. The band eased shaky transitions and provided
humor, such as when the elephants ‘ran’ into the pit. Their volume prevented some
people from hearing the show though, so that aspect could certainly be improved
upon. The singing was also incredible. The stars in this respect were Anne and
Jessalyn, who provided more emotion to their songs than any other character did
in the entire show. Each played their respective role well and surprised
everyone. Anne’s sharp voice reflected her creepy character. Jessalyn’s power
was a perfect mirror of King Louis.
My
personal favorite part was when Shere Khan was scared off by the lightning. The
lights flashed on and off, then transitioned into a glowing red. The drums beat
in a chaos. The vultures swarmed. Extras brought in fiery flags to resemble
flames. This was technically the best part of the show, competing only with the
monkey scenes where the ropes fell from the ceiling.
Since
it was a high school play, there was a lack of deep emotion. It’s Disney, so it
can only elicit so much guttural feeling, yet no one brought it to the stage.
Maybe since there were so many performances the actors grew tired, but in
general, the play seemed a bit rushed. Next year, we should try to accomplish
something deeper. Regardless, I still enjoyed the production, especially
comparing the two casts. It certainly was great to see everyone giving it their
all.
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