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
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
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