Review of The Jungle Book at the Harlow Playhouse

WICKED Productions returned to the Harlow Playhouse for their sixth Easter production.

We always like to take along three of our junior reviewers for this show. Millie (10), Maddie (7) and Charlie (5 this week!). It is interesting that they all enjoy the show in a different way. First things first, they enjoyed everything about it. They were not alone, this was a packed matinee audience, with all ages in the audience including dads who really did regret sitting in the front row. Why? Because they end up on stage.

Millie loved the song and dance numbers. She is a member of HipHop Pop and so would o but it just goes to show that you don’t have to have familiar songs in order to entertain. Children loved the energy, the colour, the dynamism. Maddie loved the costumes and Charlie loved the snake and the boombox!

You just have to look at the little film clips of the end of the show. Everyone is up and dancing but there is a joy shared between the audience and the cast. That may well be the secret: it is not Wicked Productions delivering a show, putting on a production, that they share with the audience and bring everyone together.

As one member of the audience told us” “They make the Playhouse a place where the adults can behave like children again and the children get a kick out of cringing with embarrassment!”.

Once again there is one main who is the heart of the show. Tom Swift. Tom is the producer, writer and composes the music. He also plays Baloo. His ability to bring the audience together is a rare gift. You don not see it in every panto or easter show infact the last person was an actor called Damian Williams, who now wows the audiences in Sheffield.

Let’s not forget the cast. Ant Payne was outstanding as Bagheera, as was a very busy Suzie Chard as Queen Lou Lou/Raksha/The Voice of Kaa. Each actor gets a chance to develop and grow into their role.

From Act One Scene One Heart of the Jungle to Act Two Scene Five The Man Village, this had a packed Harlow Playhouse audience, on a Saturday afternoon, enthralled, entertained and ecstatic.

The show play until Thursday April 11th.
Full details of tickets are at https://playhouseharlow.ticketsolve.com/shows/873596671