HighRise Theatre’s Concrete Jungle Book is back on stage for the first time since 2017, with an updated cast of multi-talented young actors in this energetic, contemporary urban revision of a much-loved classic.
Exploring themes of survival, abandonment and perseverance through comedic storytelling and beats and rhymes, The Concrete Jungle Book is expressive in its delivery and conveys messages of community through plot and production. Written and produced by HighRise Theatre, the show brings together young British voices on stage, creating an experience that is playful, colloquial and refreshingly real.
The play follows foster kid Mo (Roshini) as she runs away whilst battling feelings of abandonment and rejection from her big brother Bageera (Lindsay), and finds herself caught in the seedy crossfires of the inner-city underbelly. It’s not long until she’s face-to-face with some dangerous and unforgiving characters, but she is taken under the wing of “bear of the streets” Baloo (Cobbina), who teaches her the survival code on road – the laws of the concrete jungle. It’s an expressive and lively production that seamlessly switches the original story to depict the harsh realities of homelessness, through the experience of a young teenage girl, as she learns how to embody courage and self-responsibility in her darkest and loneliest moments.
The opening song is enough to capture the audience’s attention, and a glimpse into the immensely talented cast who sing, rap and dance throughout the play. The script is dynamic and the acting is passionate and free, and though the content is emotionally heavy in places, the comedic threads woven throughout the story and musical richness, bring a lightness in tone, and is a welcome respite to the storyline. It works because it’s authentic. HighRise have really succeeded in creating space for up-and-coming and emerging young creatives looking for avenues of expression.
Name of Production: The Concrete Jungle Book
Year of Production: 2021
Venue: The Pleasance
Writer: Dominic Garfield
Director: Dominic Garfield
Assistant Director: Fahad Shaft
Performed by: Nicky Rose Roshini, Lesley Rietta Cobbina, Joseph Ra Lindsay, Lauryn Louise, Jack Boal, Michael Mbozo, Ché Gordon, Che Campbell
Producer: Libby Liburd
Musical Director: Kwame ‘KZ’ Kwei-Armah Jnr
Musician & Composer: Jack D’Arcy
Composer & Beat Maker: Duncan Burton
Fight Director: Adrian Derrick-Palmer
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