Thursday, May 19, 2016

Performance Review Emily Salamanca

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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