Welcome to the jungle

Kipling's original 'Jungle Book' as ballet with a Bela Fleck soundtrack

RODNEY WILSON | CIN WEEKLY CONTRIBUTOR

Man-cub Mowgli gives Shere Khan the business in his striped evil gut. (Submitted photo)

JUST THE FACTS

WHAT: The Children's Theater of Cincinnati's production of The Jungle Book

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 19, 2 p.m. March 20-21

WHERE: Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., downtown

PRICE: $5-$16

CONTACT: (513) 569-8080, ext. 10, or online at www.thechildrenstheater.com; tickets also available through Ticketmaster at (513) 562-4949 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

For many people, the mention of The Jungle Book brings to mind a big blue bear dancing and singing with a young boy in a loincloth: "Look for the bare necessities ..."

And while the Disney movie - now franchise - has made it possible for generations to experience a delightful story that's now more than a century old, one could argue that Rudyard Kipling's timeless children's stories deserve better than a laundry list of sequels and spin-off television series (remember Jungle Cubs? How about Tale Spin?).

RECLAIMING KIPLING

This weekend, the Children's Theater sets about reclaiming Kipling's classic tales of adventure and danger from the wasteland of children's daytime programming. The ballet staging of The Jungle Book promises to present the exploits of Mowgli the man-cub and his family of benevolent predators with creativity and flair.

First performed in 1997 as a stylized ballet with narration, the Children's Theater's take on Kipling's tale will receive a facelift this year, with a new script written by Cincinnati playwright - and frequent Children's Theater collaborator - Mary Tensing (Androcles and the Lion, Rapunzel). The familiar story, about an orphaned boy in colonial India raised by jungle animals and eventually reintroduced to human society, is directed and choreographed by Children's Theater artistic director Jack Louiso.

PERFECT FOR THE SHOW

The sounds that Mowgli, Baloo, Shere Khan and the other characters dance to will be familiar to a lot of adults in the audience, but not from their children's CD collections. The ballet's music comes from Bela Fleck, the famed contemporary jazz banjoist, whose album Tabula Rasa provides the backdrop for the production.

Krista Katona Pille, spokeswoman for the Children's Theater, says the choice to use Fleck's music was "a little enchanted." In 1996, during the time that the theater was frantically searching for the right music to accompany the piece's 1997 debut, Susie and Jack Louiso (the couple is the company's production team) were driving through Northeast Ohio when their car stalled on the highway - twice. After a tow to Cleveland, they found an independent record store to pass the time in while their car was repaired, and it was here that they first heard Fleck's album. "From the very moment the music started," Katona Pille says, "they knew that his Asian/Indian sound fusion was perfect for the upcoming show. So they contacted Mr. Fleck, who granted permission to use the recording."

The music isn't the only aspect of The Jungle Book that will appeal to adults. "Because The Jungle Book features very athletic and breathtaking dance," Katona Pille says, "this particular show could be categorized as family fun for all ages."

A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

The production has been a resounding success among both kids and adults since its premiere in 1997, in part due to the company's desire to introduce children and their families to all aspects of theater. "We strive to include dance, visual art, opera and a variety of musical styles into our repertoire, helping children to understand all aspects of theater and expanding their awareness of all of the arts in the community," Katona Pille says.

"It's a great way to spend quality time with the kids," she adds. "Parents who expose their children to the arts right now are creating the artists and arts patrons of the future." So pull the kids away from the portly, upright bear singing about the "Bare Necessities" on the television, and introduce them to some artistic family entertainment.