Edinburgh International Festival presented Jungle Book Reimagined at the Festival Theatre this week, and what an absolute triumph it was. This piece of mesmerising physical theatre was choreographed by Akram Khan in the most spectacularly stunning way. The piece featured extremely impressive physicality from all of the performers, alongside striking animated projections and booming voice overs. It was a full sensory experience and something that I felt blessed to watch.
The piece was set in present times and incorporated compelling themes and issues that are not only prevalent in the original Kipling classic, but genuine concerns that penetrate society today. Our relationship with the natural world was explored throughout, as we were taken on a journey where climate change had taken dramatic effect. Not only did the audience have moments to check in with themselves on how we responsibly take care of our planet, but larger topics of animal cruelty and even meat consumption were brought to the surface.
I sat in awe as I watched the performers leap, gallop, snake and swarm across the stage. What was so wonderful about this was that there were no daft costumes or over the top props, yet the insane talent and physicality of these dancers allowed for us to know immediately which characters they were playing. There were a range of animals adopted in this performance, from monkeys to snakes, bears to wolves, and elephants to panthers. The choreography, coupled with humorous and thought-provoking voice overs from the animal characters took Edinburgh on such a wonderful journey through the exotic jungle.
Despite the fact that this is a physical theatre piece, it also felt like a cinematic experience due to the most wonderful, animated projections shining onto areas of gauze on the stage. The performers interacted so beautifully with these projections that it allowed the performance to be extremely eclectic and a feast for the senses. The animations assisted in the storytelling nature of this performance, and allowed for really emotional moments of memory to be highlighted.
A moment that stands out to me was when Baloo’s character treading water in the sea. The rest of the characters used a blue piece of material to create waves around Baloo and he struggled to keep himself afloat. The way that the performers moved the material, alongside Baloo’s realistic portrayal of a bear at sea was just so amazing to watch. The simplicity of the whole performance was just an absolute treat, as it allowed for us to really focus on the sheer talent of the ensemble. I would watch this again in a heartbeat.
Theatre Scotland 
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