CHILDREN’S
THEATRE ONLINE
Jungle Bungle written & created by Craig
Christie
TheatreWorks streamed online 14 & 15 April 2021
Reviewer:
Kate Herbert
Stars: ***
This review published only on this blog. KH
Meg McKibbin, Rhys Wilson
Jungle Bungle, written and created by
Craig Christie and directed by James Coley, is a children’s musical adventure
about Oliver’s (Rhys Wilson) first day at a new school where he meets Claire (Meg
McKibbin), who becomes his new friend.
This performance was live streamed from Theatre
Works, so some of the detail in sound and audience activity may have been lost
in translation.
It begins with an introduction by Mitch Ralston,
dressed in a safari outfit, who teaches the family audience their participatory
words and actions. When they hear the words, ‘Life is crazy! Whoa-Oh-Oh. Life
is crazy!’ they must do crazy dancing. When they hear the lyrics ‘Safari A,
Safari O’, they must mimic their favourite animal: monkey, elephant, lion or
snake.
Oliver has changed schools often and is considered
to be ‘weird and freaks other kids out’. He uses his trusty, but now faulty,
compass to navigate the new school which is a dangerous jungle to Oliver. (The
compass, we learn, tracks his emotions rather than cardinal directions.)
Meg McKibbin, Rhys Wilson, Mitch Ralston
Impetuous Oliver wants to go camping, but sensible
Claire resists as she needs to be home by 4pm. They go to Oliver’s garden to
play but Claire is annoyed and frightened when they become lost, and she can’t
reach her mum by phone. The garden is a jungle populated by unseen creatures
and freaky noises, and the two get separated.
Although some songs are less than successful, Look
Before You Leap has a lively tune and clear message for kids, while Safari
A, Safari O, is a part jungle beat, part rap.
Ralston, as Peter Pan, prompts the dance moves
during his song, Life is Crazy! which is the most cohesive and entertaining
part of the show, with the optimum participation for the live family audience.
The message in A Bit Unusual, is a
little too obvious, but clear for kids: it’s OK to be yourself and a bit unusual.
It becomes clear that Oliver is fearful and isolated and has been running away
from fear itself.
Meg McKibbin as Claire has a pretty, tuneful
voice but Rhys Wilson as Oliver slips off key on occasion.
The very basic introductory song and dance
moves and Ralston’s directions suggest that the show is for very young children.
However, Oliver and Claire are played older, perhaps Year 5 or 6. They are relatively
independent, use mobile phones, and their songs have complex lyrics and
melodies that do not encourage or include any participation.
The narrative needs stronger dramatic structure,
the action on stage has little physicality apart from the dance moves during
songs, and the dialogue sometimes rambles.
This production is probably more engaging in
the theatre but, if you can’t or don’t want to sit in the glass boxes at Theatre
Works, streaming is a good option for kids’ holiday entertainment.
By Kate Herbert
