Entertainment

Thursday, Jun. 11, 2009

On Stage: Kelrik Productions puts on a creative version of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’

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Kelrik’s charming production of “The Jungle Book” embellishes Rudyard Kipling’s classic story with creative costumes, puppets, a nice jungle set and a cast that includes entertaining pros and emerging young talent.

It’s the story of Mowgli, a human baby — a “man cub”—who is adopted by a family of wolves, befriended by the bear Baloo and the panther Bagerra, threatened by the fierce tiger Shere Kahn, captured by monkeys and finally returned to the human village.

This performance is a condensed version of the original story, running an hour without an intermission, but the story is intact and exciting, just right for young attention spans.

This show, directed by Casey Kooyman and designed by Erik Austin, gives the enduring tale, written in 1894, a “Lion King” look, showing what creativity can do regardless of the budget or the size of the production.

The wolves, bear and panther wear appropriate masks on their heads and fanciful, furry costumes.

The monkeys’ faces are painted to give them their simian look, and they wear monkey ears, but they’re given a modern makeover with bright red outfits, a robe for the Monkey King and short, red, ruffled dresses and brown tights for the lively Monkettes, Keana Alden, Jessica Fauria and Lauren Romero.

The buzzards and the snake, Kaa, are cute puppets, and their puppeteers, Ryan Vasquez and Alex Scoolis, wear exotic, India-inspired costumes, and their faces are elaborately painted.

Spencer Doyle, 11, is endearing as Mowgli. His acting is excellent as the confused man cub deals with the questions of his identity and loyalty.

In the original story, the bear and the panther were rather serious characters, but in this version they have more humorous personalities.

Lester Wilson plays Baloo as a giant teddy bear, lovable but not the brightest bear in the woods. The panther Bagerra is endowed by Erik Austin with his signature silliness. Both characters get plenty of giggles from the audience, especially when they sing and dance “Bare Necessities.”

Akela, the leader of the wolf pack, and Mother Wolf are the straight animals, played with more serious attitudes by director Kooyman and Debora Schwartz.

Shere Kahn, the ominous tiger, is the amplified, scary off-stage voice of Rachel Vasquez-Kooyman.

Miranda Schwartz-Bolef, an eighth-grader, narrates the story with grace and presence.

There are moments when audiences realize that a special talent is being showcased. In this show, 10-year-old Mya Paredes, as the girl who discovers Mowgli, sings “Mowgli’s Song,” by Andrew Olson, with a strong, lovely voice that belies her age and promises good things to come.

One of the pleasures of theater on the Central Coast is watching young talent emerge and, with numerous opportunities and plenty of encouragement, flourish. Zac Efron of Arroyo Grande is the obvious case in point, but there are upcoming stars right behind him. Youth theater programs and area high schools teach the skills and give students opportunities to perform.

Kelrik is a company that focuses on family-friendly shows. It plants the performing seed with children, both onstage and in audiences, and nurtures it from production to production.

Working with pros like Austin and Cal Poly theater department students and graduates like Wilson, who plays Baloo, the youngsters are often inspired to become actors, singers and dancers.

A show like “The Jungle Book,” which is fun for all ages, is a great opportunity to introduce kids to the interactive energy of live theater.