Disney's Jungle Book opens at Goodman Theatre in Chicago- Page 3

[jon5202]

Posted: 7/1/13 at 11:03pm

The Jungle Book opened tonight.

Here is Chris Jones (Chicago Tribune) review:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/theaterloop/ct-ent-0702-jungle-book-review-20130701,0,5132024.column?track=rss

Here is Hedy Weiss (Chicago Sun Times):

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/stage/21002764-421/its-a-jungle-in-there.html

more to follow

Updated On: 7/1/13 at 11:03 PM

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/2/13 at 12:38am

These reviews seem mixed to positive. Seems like she can make the improvements they're suggesting. I'm so happy the costume, sets and music are getting such good notices. The costumes are just stunning.

I saw a song list on the Variety notice:


Musical numbers: Act I: “Hunting Song of the Seeonee Wolf Pack,” “Kalaweeta Kiliana,” “Time Passes,” “Colonel Hathi’s March,” “Colonel Hathi’s March” (reprise), “The Bare Necessities,” “I Wanna Be Like You.” Act II: “Baloo’s Blues,” “Road Song of the Bandar-Log,” “Colonel Hathi’s March” (reprise), “Your Unexpected Friend,” “Trust in Me,” “That’s What Friends Are For,” “My Own Home,” “Jungle Rhythm” (Finale).



One of these has the music to "It's a Kick" with new lyrics. Hunting Song, I believe is a Gilkyson son. Shame about a song for Mowgli,, but maybe this show will change when it transfers to Boston. Sounds like they have something going on here. Hopefully Disney keeps Zimmerman and her creatives around.

[jon5202]

Posted: 7/2/13 at 8:57am

Additional reviews as posted by Broadway World:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Review-Roundup-Disneys-THE-JUNGLE-BOOK-Opens-at-Chicagos-Goodman-Theatre-20130701

[jon5202]

Posted: 7/4/13 at 8:03pm

Additional Chicago reviews:

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/review.php?playID=5764

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 7/8/13 at 1:50am

I saw the show tonight, and I mostly enjoyed it with some important reservations. I've never seen the movie, so I guess you could count me as an unbiased judge.

It's been said before, but with Mary Zimmerman, if you've seen one, you've seen them all. However, hat one is very strong. And, surprisingly, she didn't use any of her signature miniatures to represent anything, and there was very little narration. I thought that what she brought to the story was really strong, and my least favorite parts of the show were the famous Disney numbers. A number of them (Bare Necessities, Just Like You, the elephant song) were so loud that I couldn't understand any of the lyrics. I think it had something to do with balancing with the pit (because apparently nobody has ever heard of a mute), but it was very disappointing because I normally think that the Goodman has a beautiful sound, often on the quieter side. But that wasn't the only problem with the big numbers--most of them stopped the plot completely. I probably would have preferred this to be a straight play than a musical weakened by its songs.

Another major problem was the casting of Mowgli. That boy was just not a good actor. He had a decent voice, but I really didn't care for his character. This production made a very good choice by focusing on the characters surrounding him, who were far more interesting.

The best part of the show, in my opinion, was Larry Yando, who played the tiger. He is one of my favorite actors ever, and part of me wishes he had Broadway credits so all of you on here could recognize his talent, but another part of me is so happy that he stays in Chicago so that I can see him in a lot of different shows. You should have seen his Roy Cohn in Angels in America last year--probably the best individual performance I have ever seen. In this show, I thought he was underused in the first act (really, he's underused in any show whenever he's not on stage), but when he had his big scenes in the second act, those parts worked beautifully. Although, in some of his more thrilling work, I have thought that he has a very snake-like energy, and so I wondered what he would be like in that role.

The show had its moments, but overall, I didn't feel moved or anything particularly strong. It was a "that was enjoyable, now what's next?" kind of experience. It didn't have the power that Zimmerman's Candide had, nor did it truly take me on a journey like that show did. I'm glad I saw this, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. If you happen to be looking for recommendations, I would highly suggest seeing The Glass Menagerie at Theatre Wit or Belleville at Steppenwolf for a thrilling Chicago theatre experience.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/8/13 at 9:05pm

Goodman Theatre Artist Encounter: "The Jungle Book"

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/9/13 at 10:49am

I don't want to read reviews before I see it, but my favorite thing ever is that Chris Jones rated it in question marks instead of stars. Please don't let that be some kind of script error, because it's amazing.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 7/9/13 at 11:15am

I try to not let reviews hinder my desire to see a show, but I have to admit, I think I might end up passing on this.

I was all set to see it and excited for the possibilities of what Zimmerman could do with it, but, as both critical and non-professional reviews came out, almost all I have read have been on a similar page and the overwhelming feeling behind them seem to be that it’s good, but nothing to write home about. I was never itching to see it for the fact that it’s “Jungle Book” (was never one of my favorite Disney movies) and, after hearing more about the show through these reviews, it feels harder and harder for me to dish out the cash for it.

Also, hearing that it’s a typical Zimmerman show, I feel like I can already picture the entire thing.

Sad to say, but I think I will be saving my money.

[jon5202]

Posted: 7/9/13 at 8:36pm

Making of the Jungle Book video from the Goodman:

http://www.goodmantheatre.org/Watch-Listen/

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/9/13 at 8:43pm

I actually really liked reading the Chicago Tribune review. It was true constructive criticism, and actually pointed out several-many ways in which the drama can be improved and heightened.

This is a classic story by Kipling. It isn't weak or forgettable unless it's poorly presented. The biggest problem is that there seem to be little to no stakes in the plot. No sense of danger, nothing risked.

The issue seems to be in the book of this musical, almost exclusively. Time to hire another book writer to make the changes.

This is one instance where I really hope someone high up from Disney reads it and says, "Yeah, we can do that, and we will do that."

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/10/13 at 11:15am

'Jungle Book' Live-Action Reboot in the Works at Disney (Exclusive)

[tgrabon2]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 10:20am

Chicago Tribune: Jungle Book going back into rehearsal for Boston.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ott-0719-jones-loop-20130717,0,724298.story
De Sheild's road to King Louie

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/19/13 at 10:34am

Sorry that pop-up blocked me here is the article:

Andre De Shields' road to King Louie


As Mary Zimmerman and the cast of "The Jungle Book" go back into rehearsal and (I'm told) revision for their Boston run, here's one piece of low-hanging fruit, as Baloo might say.

Give Beantown more of Andre De Shields.

The old-school actor, who is 67, was faced with the delicate task of performing "I Wanna Be Like You," which simultaneously is the best number in the Goodman Theatre production of "The Jungle Book" and its most controversial, given that is was voiced in the 1967 animated Disney movie by the Italian-American singer Louis Prima very much in the style of Louis Armstrong. De Shields does what only great actors know how to do: Stuff the history, ignore the naysayers, take charge as an artist, dig deep into the truth of the character of King Louie and the aspirational lyric and sell the entire package to the back row. By the end of this number, all the racially complex cobwebs have been swept away. It is the highlight of the night.

De Shields has had a long and fascinating career. He grew up poor in Baltimore, one of 11 children. His dad was a tailor. His mom cleaned houses.

"I was," he said, over a cocktail recently, "what would now be called an 'at-risk youth.'" But the Quakers took an interest in his education and sent him off to Wilmington College in Ohio where he found himself, he says, "one of 35 blacks, 25 of whom were not from America." He says that experience — his sense that he was being given an unusual chance — instilled a lifelong sense of duty.

"From my family, I was the chosen one," he says, "I am one of those who feels a responsibility to the whole tribe."

He ended up at the University of Wisconsin with no money. He wanted to come to Chicago to audition for "Hair," which was casting for its Chicago company. So he persuaded two women at the university, both from Chicago, to invest $5 each in his future career, just as you would if you were buying stock. The women agreed and De Shields had his bus fare and, shortly thereafter, a callback audition — even though the line around the Shubert Theatre from hippy wannabes stretched for blocks through Richard J. Daley's Chicago.

The callbacks were on a separate day. De Shields returned to Madison, broke again. He went back to the women for another $5. They gave it to him. He got back on the bus — and that led to a part as a member of a different tribe. He also, he says, then took on a lifelong obligation to pay stock dividends on those early investments through a lot of dinners and theater tickets. That ensemble gig in the Chicago company of "Hair" led, in turn, to a part in Stuart Gordon's famous Organic Theatre production of "Warp." And when Organic took the act to New York in 1973, De Shields stayed on.

That led to a stellar Broadway career — most notably as the first actor to play the Wiz in the groundbreaking 1975 musical of the same name (it ran for four years), but also featuring Broadway stands in "Ain't Misbehavin'," and "The Full Monty." Even after all these years, "The Wiz" still has a dedicated core of fans for whom de Shields remains a celebrity; from time to time, he shows up at conventions in his costume, loving every moment, he says.

Still, there's a good deal more to De Shields than "The Wiz." He's frequently returned to the city where he first got his Equity card, especially to the Goodman Theatre, showing up here in the likes of "Play On," "Waiting for Godot" and, unforgettably, in the highly sexualized "Camino Real," wherein he took, one might say, a few risks. He talked a lot about his determination to challenge himself and to pick his collaborators with care. He also likes doing residences — including one currently at the Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago.

De Shields is an inveterate theatergoer, which is not as common among big-name actors as you might think. He's seen, and admired, "The Glass Menagerie" in Chicago. And, a few years earlier, he caught some of the early work of Mary Zimmerman and decided he wanted to work with her. That led to his decision to audition for "The Jungle Book." He didn't need to borrow bus fare.

And so here we are with De Shields singing "Oobee doo, I wanna be like you," as if swinging from a star.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 10:04am

With all the A-list cast/buzz for this feature I wonder if this new adaptation could replace the Zimmerman book.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 10:29am

What a nearly perfect cast! The best by far is Christopher Walken as King Louie. He's going to nail it! The only choices I'm unsure of are Scarlett Johansson as Kaa (He's a boy, why a girl?) and Bill Murray as Baloo.

[Nateben2]

Posted: 8/2/14 at 3:54pm

no reason kaa has to be a boy