Mancubs stormed the Wendt

By Laila Nasry and Ruhanie Perera. 

In the audience expectations ran high. Both kids and the kids at heart were waiting to be transported into the world of Mowgli and his animal friends. As the curtains opened and each scene took over from the other, pages from the favorite book were brought to life on stage and the audible gasps and exclamations of delight and recognition were unmistakable. 

The play opened with Bagheera the panther leaping atop the stage and in a resonant voice recounting to the audience Mowgli's early days. Suren Gnanaraj who played Bagheera had the stealth and grace of a true panther, giving life not just to the character he was portraying but to the play on the whole. 

Bagheera teaming up with 'Papa Baloo', played by a very high spirited Anushan Selvarajah, who was an absolutely scream with a totally rib tickling performance carried the play through to a marked 'high'. They were the 'ideal' saviours Kipling had in mind for the adventurous Mowgli. Their timely rescue operations had the audience in stitches, what with Baloo doing the hoola dance and literally driving the regal Shere-Khan up the wall. 

Adding to the melee and madness was the elephant brigade marching down the aisle headed by Colonel Hathi (Zaiqath Nizar). Their drills provided much entertainment and the 'baby' elephant - Quadir Zarook was absolutely cute. 

What was so appealing about the production was that the cast was having a great time on stage. They sure were having a lot of fun and it came through especially during the crowd scenes. The scene with the robust King Louie (played by Shezan Zarook), was yet another vibrant performance, and his troop of monkeys played to perfection brought shrieks of glee from the younger members of the audience.

Reza Ghany who played Shere Khan had immense stage presence. The lofty laugh and his arrogant looks were perfect, depicting a real imposing King of the jungle. 

They say time flies when you're having fun and before you knew it the curtain opened on the last scene with Mowgli, Bagheera and Baloo at the foot of the 'Man Village'. Here little Nivendra Uduman stole the show with his 'hip-swinging' portrayal of the village girl. He was an instant hit singing perched on the edge of the stage and coyly glancing at Mowgli, convincing him that the 'Man Village' was the best place for him. 

Directed by Indu Dharmasena, the performance came with her hallmark creative touch especially when it came to the costumes which were designed by her and executed by Miriam Gunaratne. Of these the most memorable being the 'snakeskin' carried off by Kaa the snake, which had the head of the snake (with hypnotic red lights for eyes) fixed on his arm giving the actor complete control of the movements. Music was provided by Soundarie David and the choreography by Shohan Chandiram and Oshan de Silva. 

'Jungle Book' proved to be a fun filled evening for everyone. For some it was the chance to see some of their favourite characters given life to, for others it was a childhood memory relived. 

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