Iniki Mariano will make her Derby Theatre debut as Mowgli in a new version of The Jungle Book, inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s work and adapted by Neil Duffield.
Elliott Rennie will play Shere Khan. He was the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough in 2018.
Ivan Stott will take the role of Baloo as well as being composer for the production. He has composed music for Derby Theatre’s Christmas shows over the past few years. He also played Colonel Redfern in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger at the theatre in 2016.
Derby Theatre regular Esme Sears will be Bagheera. She appeared in Mike Kenny’s adaptation of Hansel and Gretel in 2018, was Tinkerbell in Peter Pan in 2017, took the lead role in Cinderella in 2015 and made her professional debut in A Christmas Carol in 2014.
Dominic Rye, who was also in Alice in Wonderland at Derby Theatre, will play Akela and Sergeant Major in The Jungle Book.
The cast also includes Becky Barry (Cobra), Oraine Johnson (Chill), Caroline Parker (Mao), Emily Rose-Salter (Raksa) and Alexandra James.
The community cast includes Abena Halliday-Fox, Diana Scott, Heather Slonimski, Amara Iqbal, Jo-Anne Blackwood, Lottie Venskus, Shreya Sayal, Hannah Williams, Dominic Gibbs, Alicia Day, Neve Bales, Daniel Moore, Ava Spare, Harrison Eyre, Matilda Eyre, Natalie Smallwood and Olivia Thomas, all from Derby, Joy Mandivenga and Emma White from Nottingham, Megan Clark from Alfreton, Bradley Walker from Kirk Hallam, Karen Lawley, Eva Waller and Samuel McDonagh from Duffield, Imogen Uphill and Ned Payne from Belper, Grace Parker-McKoy from Swadlincote, Freya Youngman from Burton and Kitty Wright from Matlock.
Derby Theatre’s artistic director Sarah Brigham directs. Design is by Ali Allen. Associate director is Emily Howlett, Jon Beney is movement director and creative BSL consultant is Daryl Jackson.
The Jungle Book runs at Derby Theatre from Friday 5 until Saturday 20 April.