An exciting new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece The Jungle Book will visit the Playhouse from 13th-17th February for eight performances.

Originally written in 1894, Kipling’s beloved tale will be reimagined by Children’s Touring Partnership and Royal & Derngate, Northampton with a brand new score and script, exploring the universal themes of family, belonging and identity.

The Jungle Book tells the story of Mowgli – a man cub raised by wolves who battles for survival in the jungle. With the help of his animal friends, including Bagheera the panther, Balloo the bear and Kaa the python, Mowgli outwits the cruel and powerful tiger, Shere Khan, and learns the law of the jungle.

Cast includes Rachel Dawson as Kaa Grey, Lloyd Gorman as Shere Khan, T.J. Holmes as Hiran, Avita Jay as Raksha, Keziah Joseph as Mowgli, Dyfrig Morris as Balloo, Deborah Oyelade as Bagheera and Tripti Tripuraneni as Akala. They are joined by Ruri James and Chipo Kureya.

The award winning creative team bringing Kipling’s timeless story to the stage includes internationally renowned songwriter Joe Stilgoe and director Max Webster, who was nominated for Best Entertainment and Family Show at the 2016 Olivier Awards.

Adapting the story for the stage is Olivier Award-winning playwright Jessica Swale whose acclaimed play Nell Gwynn won Best New Comedy in 2016.

She said, “I jumped at the chance to adapt The Jungle Book because it’s such a vivid world, yet for a writer, there’s so much opportunity to imagine the jungle afresh.

Part of the book’s enduring appeal is that the jungle can be anything we choose. It’s a playground, a school, a hideaway, an adventure, so I’ve enjoyed exploring what sort of place this mysterious, delightful, sometimes scary place might be.”

The Jungle Book is the second Royal & Derngate production in the Playhouse spring 2018 season following on from A Passage to India, which visits from 6th-10th February.

Royal & Derngate have previously worked with the Everyman & Playhouse with their co-production of Arthur Miller’s The Hook at the Everyman in 2015.

The Jungle Book visits the Playhouse from 13th-17th February for eight performances during half term. Tickets are on sale now and available by calling the Everyman & Playhouse Box Office on 0151 709 4776 or at: https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on/the-jungle-book.