The fall 2023 play put on by the Reedy Theatre department was one of their best productions to date. The Jungle Book story centers around a young kid named Mowgli, misplaced and raised in a family of wolves and mentored by Baloo the bear. The Reedy High School auditorium lit up in a green hue as projections transported the audience deep into the jungle. Jungle patterns plastered all over the walls and the rising and falling set designs of leaves enamored the audience. A green glow took over, engulfing the stage as instrumental music played in the background, creating the sounds of the jungle. At the beginning of the play Kaa, the snake, took the stage, carrying the audience into a world of animals while the shrieking monkeys jumped around in the background. Startling the audience in a positive way, making the jungle setting all the more real.
As the cast danced around the stage piecing together a world of jungle magic, the audience was introduced to Mowgli who would become part of the wolf pack. The audience followed along as Mowgli set off on an expedition to find himself and to discover the meaning of belonging. He encountered the other animals of the jungle and built relationships. He was led through life by Baloo and Bhageera and threatened and manipulated by the monkeys, and Shere Khan. Mowgli navigates life to the tune of his mothers song, racing through the jungle to prove that he belongs. Watching the play felt like being dropped directly into the jungle, walking through life with Mowgli. The production shed light on themes such as discovering oneself, and pushing past the conundrum of who Mowgli is, wolf or human, to eventually realize that Mowgli is himself, a collage of the things that have influenced his life, just like us.
