Akram Khan’s Jungle Book reimagined

Sadler’s Wells, London
April 5, 2023

Akram Khan redefines contemporary dance shows with his new production, Jungle Book reimagined.

The story follows the original by Rudyard Kipling but sets it in a near future where the actions of humans have led to the destruction of our planet. I applaud Khan’s intention to use the two hours of attention that the audience has granted him, to remind them of this major issue that we must act upon climate change.

In Khan’s version, the world has become flooded. The animals that have escaped from zoos, circuses and laboratories have formed alliances to try to survive in the inhospitable conditions that humans have brought to the planet. But while climate change is the work’s central theme, many other important messages regarding the self, belonging and trauma are also briefly discussed.

Since Jungle Book reimagined will be touring the world, Khan designed the stage in a way that there is almost no physical set, thus reducing the cost and impact of travelling. Instead, he worked with Miriam Buether, stage designer, and Nick Hillel and Adam Smith’s team of animators, to make use of technology to bring the stage to life. They play with animations projected on two screens, one at the front of the stage, the other behind the dancers, to explain some of the more challenging parts of the plot. The animations are exquisite and very carefully planned to make them interactive and surprising.

The only physical objects used on stage are a cloth, used as giant waves, and a few differently-sized white cubes that form the snake Kaa. The use of the cubes, though minimalistic, gives the snake very characteristic movement but could perhaps have been better exploited.

Tariq Jordan and Sharon Clark worked together with Khan to incorporate a script, something that we don’t normally see in dance shows. The plot is explained through recorded dialogue that the animations and dancers re-enact. The voice actors do an amazing job in portraying many emotions, and the dancers embody them in a way that sometimes completely fools one into thinking it is their voice.

Despite all dancers wearing the same plain orange T-shirts and grey trousers, it is easy to understand completely which animal is being played by which dancer just by seeing the way they move. That is where the show excels the most: through the carefully planned movements that create the illusion of each different animal. The only character that feels quite passive and emotionless, despite having no restrictions to the movement she could perform, is Mowgli.

The dance is subtle but superbly performed. The contemporary floor work is especially impressive. But while the dancing is the best part of the show, I would like to have seen more.  There are too few instances when we are allowed to fully enjoy the dancers’ abilities, as in one scene when the elephant tells the story of the Earth, and when the dance communicates the plot. Instead, for the most part, they move to accompany and illustrate the spoken text.

Though Akram Khan intended this show to be for children and adults alike, the depth of it, as well, as its dark tones and use of music, do rather make it much more appropriate for a mature audience.

Jungle Book reimagined. A complete experience. And a very important message delivered in a magnificent way.