dance/physical theatre review

Jungalbook

The American High School Theatre Festival

I arrived at the Church Hill Theatre very sceptical about this 'street' adaptation of Kipling's classic tale by American Highschoolers, but left rather more impressed than I thought I would be. The play was dogged by the perhaps inevitable amateurishness of school theatre: the acting was at times very one-dimensional; the stage fighting utterly unconvincing and a ridiculous rasta wig even fell off at one point, but there was more than enough here to keep things interesting. The outlandish, playful design and impressive set made for a visually arresting experience, and one or two of the performances stood out as actually decent and complex - Bagheera in particular. This is a clever and curious, if somewhat childish and shallow, adaptation.

Church Hill Theatre, 15 - 20 Aug (not 17, 19), times vary , £6.00 (£4.00), fpp 117

tw rating: 3/5

published: Aug-2008

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