On walking into the Octagon's space, configured in-the-round for this production, Katie Scott's design creates the feeling of entering the jungle, with huge leaves over the stage and auditorium, before we are welcomed in an opening song to the wolf pack, led by Harveen Mann-Neary's Akeela—unlike Kipling's male Akela or Lone Wolf, this Akeela is a mother figure to the pack.
During a meeting of the pack, in a biblical touch, a human baby (“man's cub”) floats down the river, created effectively with silken fabrics, in a basket of reeds. The wolves propose adopting him, but tiger Shere Khan—also changed to female—argues that this will bring trouble from men to the animals of the jungle. Bagheera, the black panther, played as dark and brooding but noble and caring by Ashley D Gayle, settles the matter, but this isn't the end of it for the tiger. They name the boy Mowgli, which they say means "Little Frog" (a translation that Kipling specifically denied), and we see him grow from a baby to a young boy during the song "Jungle Jive".
Kiara Nicole Pillai's Mowgli is a wilful, stubborn child whom Akeela struggles to control as he gets older, not taking any notice of her warnings about Khan and the snake Kaa—whom adapter Pollard treats as a threat, following Disney, rather than an ally and mentor to the boy, as he is in Kipling—and he has to be rescued by his bumbling mentor, Baloo the bear. He also has a couple of encounters with Shere Khan, including a final showdown, and is captured by the mischievous Bandar-log monkeys, who want him to teach them how man makes things—but they aren't very good students.
The second half turns much darker, with more genuine rather than panto-style jeopardy for the characters. While the final bloody battle is staged in an abstract way without physical contact, it does result in the death on stage of someone close to young Mowgli. However, there is a final touching reunion that sees the 'man's cub' perhaps finding a way back to the human world.
Pollard's adaptation is mostly taken from just a couple of Kipling's stories, with a few touches and twists of his own. Some parts of the script are very wordy and heavy with explanation, particularly in the first half, but then every so often they suddenly erupt into pure panto (Pollard is a prolific and respected writer of pantos); Rachel Marwood's Shere Khan is played like a pantomime villain, while Charlie Ryan's Baloo is the panto comic who frequently acknowledges the audience, plus the audience is encouraged to join in occasionally.
The show is billed as for ages five and over, and the younger members would (and did on press night) revel in the silliness of Baloo (especially the scatological humour), the physical naughtiness of Mowgli and the well-executed puppetry, though I would expect their attention to wander during the long passages of explanation. There are scenes and also some songs that go on for too long with not enough happening to justify their length, such as the number where Kaa is tying up and hypnotising the young boy.
The talented cast, including two swings—Daniella Barratt onstage and Imogen Khan offstage—play multiple characters very effectively, singing and dancing to Ziad Jabero's lively songs with some lovely choral vocal arrangements by musical director Alice Brown, in director Sarah Punshon's pacy and imaginative production.
While the storytelling is uneven and the script could benefit from tightening up in places, there's plenty of fun to be had from the Octagon's colourful Christmas offering.