The Jungle Book on Stage

[UmbrellaFish]

Mary Zimmerman will premiere her new stage-musical version of "The Jungle Book"in Chicago, as part of the Goodman Theatre’s 2012-13 subscription season, the Chicago theater announced.

"The Jungle Book," a Goodman production enhanced by the participation of Disney Theatricals, will premiere in June 2013, and will include the famous songs from the 1967 movie (“The Bare Necessities,” “I Wanna Be Like You,” “That’s What Friends Are For”), mostly penned by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, as well as additional material that Zimmerman is adapting from the original Mowgli stories by Rudyard Kipling. "It's an iconic American property,” Zimmerman said. “That’s what makes it exciting and intimidating.”

In a statement, Disney Theatricals President Thomas M. Schumacher noted that the company had “entrusted” Zimmerman, whom he called “a great American artist,” with one of its most beloved and best-known properties. Zimmerman currently is credited as both writer and director. No other collaborators nor casting was announced, although Zimmerman has generally worked with such Chicago-based designers as Mara Blumenfeld, Daniel Ostling and T.J. Gerckens. In an interview Monday, Zimmerman said she planned to infuse new music with Indian roots with the familiar Disney numbers (Zimmerman also has access to the songs that were written for the film, but not used).

“It’s a similar challenge to ‘Candide,’ ” Zimmerman said. “There is a movie that has a certain tonality, and then there is the original source material that has something different. The question is how to combine the two.”

David Cromer, the longtime Chicago director and MacArthur Foundation “genius” grantee, will also makes his Goodman directing debut this September, directing Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth,’ the show that Cromer was supposed to be do on Broadway during the 2010 season, before producer Scott Rudin moved on to other projects. On Broadway, the stars were to be Nicole Kidman and James Franco. There was no word Monday as to whether movie stars would be appearing in Chicago (Rudin is not involved in the Chicago production but retains the New York rights).

The Goodman also will produce the first Chicago production of Jon Robin Baitz’ hit Broadway play, “Other Desert Cities.” Henry Wishcamper, demonstrably a rising star at the Goodman, will direct the Chicago premiere in January.

In April, 2013, Chuck Smith will direct the first Chicago production of “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark,” a comedy about issues of race in early Hollywood, by Lynn Nottage. One slot in the Goodman’s Albert Theatre, slated to be a Robert Falls project, has yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, three new works are on the Owen Theatre season. Victory Gardens Theater artistic director Chay Yew will direct Dael Orlandersmith in the solo performance piece “Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men,” a co-production with the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The piece will premiere in Berkeley in May and will move to the Goodman’s Owen Theatre in September. Evan Cabnet will direct the world premiere of Christopher Shinn’s new play “Teddy Ferrara” (a gay-rights themed piece) in February, and Quiara Alegria Hudes, the book writer for “In the Heights,” will premiere her latest play, “The Happiest Song Plays Last” at the Goodman in April, 2013. It’s a piece about two cousins, one an Iraqi war veteran and the other a kitchen-table political activist, set to a soundtrack of traditional Puerto Rican folk music.

cjones5@tribune.com

Twitter @ChrisJonesTrib

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... 284.column

[singerguy04]

Neat! I live right outside Chicago, so I'll go check it out once it opens!

I'm not really a big fan of TJB, but I like to see any Disney show on stage. Maybe I'll take my Drama Club at the High School I work at too.

[TsWade2]

Before I decided to get excited about it even though right now I'm excited about Newsies, is Jungle Book musical coming to Broadway or is it for theatrical license?

[Elladorine]

Neat! I live right outside Chicago, so I'll go check it out once it opens!

I probably grew up not far from you.

If I were still in the area, I'd definitely find a way to check this out.

[Poody]

Very odd choice, but I don't mind the idea. We'll see how it goes!!!

[Sotiris]

Disney's The Jungle Book: A New Musical is finally making its debut in Chicago. Here you can watch a video from the music workshop.

[disneyboy20022]

Wow that looks good. What makes it seem more cool is that Richard Sherman seems to be involved. Chicago is 5 hours away from where I live. I'll have to see what's gong on between June and August in my life to see if I could go or not.

[gardener14]

This is also being produced in Boston this autumn by The Huntington Theatre Company.

http://www.backstage.com/news/stage-ada ... ds-boston/

[DisneyJedi]

Before I decided to get excited about it even though right now I'm excited about Newsies, is Jungle Book musical coming to Broadway or is it for theatrical license?

To be honest, I'm starting to wonder myself whether or not it'll come to Broadway a few years from now. Remember the Seattle stage version of Aladdin in 2011? Well, that's coming to Broadway next year.

So... Who knows?

[gardener14]

Newsies started off at regional theater then moved to Broadway, and High School Musical started off the same way and then became a national tour. I assume The Jungle Book could move to Broadway or a national tour if it proves successful. It's all part of the process of developing a show and moving it forward as adjustments are made and reaction is gauged.

[Sotiris]

Cutting Through a Cultural Thicket: ‘The Jungle Book’ Comes to the Stage
http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/t ... stage.html

'The Jungle Book' at Goodman Theatre: When Mary met Walt (and Rudyard)
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013 ... heatricals

Goodman Theatre, Disney unite for stage version of ‘Jungle Book’
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/2 ... -book.html

[Sotiris]

He said the company has also begun work on two new musicals adapted from Disney films: “The Jungle Book” will be directed by Christopher Gattelli with a book by Rajiv Joseph and new songs by Richard Sherman. And “Hercules,” directed by Lear deBessonet, will be written by Robert Horn, Alan Menken and David Zippel, expanded from a version that ran last year at New York’s Delacorte Theater under the auspices of the Public Theater.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/thea ... virus.html

[Disney's Divinity]

I’ve never got too much out of the TJB soundtrack (“My Own Home” and “That’s What Friends Are For” are probably my favorites), but this film is a beloved classic and deserves its bite at the apple, too. Good news about Hercules, too!

[DisneyFan09]

but this film is a beloved classic and deserves its bite at the apple, too.

To be honest, while there's definitively love for The Jungle Book (since it's an important film in Disney's history, after all), I feel that people have now began to rather look down on it lately. I've noticed how several users and reviewers have the tendency to pick on it and regard it as overrated and not deserving it's place. While I can somewhat see it now, it seems like it's mostly stuck with an overrated-staple. However, I do have a soft spot for The Jungle Book, nonetheless. It was among my favorites during my childhood and it's a breezy, fun, happy-go-lucky film. While my adult years has made realize that screenplay is it's weakest part (since it is somewhat poorly structured), I do have a affection for it, regardless. So I'm glad that it's (finally) getting a stage version.

[JeanGreyForever]

but this film is a beloved classic and deserves its bite at the apple, too.

To be honest, while there's definitively love for The Jungle Book (since it's an important film in Disney's history, after all), I feel that people have now began to rather look down on it lately. I've noticed how several users and reviewers have the tendency to pick on it and regard it as overrated and not deserving it's place. While I can somewhat see it now, it seems like it's mostly stuck with an overrated-staple. However, I do have a soft spot for The Jungle Book, nonetheless. It was among my favorites during my childhood and it's a breezy, fun, happy-go-lucky film. While my adult years has made realize that screenplay is it's weakest part (since it is somewhat poorly structured), I do have a affection for it, regardless. So I'm glad that it's (finally) getting a stage version.

Wasn't this film basically The Lion King or Frozen of its time? I've never been too fond of it and I prefer what I've seen or heard from the Bill Peet darker take on it. But I do think with Walt's death, the way the film came out was probably the way to go. It does seem though that this film is a perennial favorite of those who grew up with it but it's not nearly as beloved by newer generations. I wonder if the success of films like The Lion King and Tarzan has also eclipsed The Jungle Book in the eyes of the current generation and the one preceding it.

But like you and I have discussed, it's still the most successful movie ever in Germany and I think Sweden.

[Avaitor]

The Jungle Book has never been a big favorite either, but I do come back to it from time to time for the same reasons that it ranks so high for many- the excellent music and fun characters. It doesn't seem to resonate for my generation or younger as well as it does for older Disney fans, but the music still seems to matter.

And it's worth noting that the live-action movie did as well as it did even without most of the music. Maybe there is still some demand for Disney's take on the story?

[DisneyFan09]

Wasn't this film basically The Lion King or Frozen of its time? I've never been too fond of it and I prefer what I've seen or heard from the Bill Peet darker take on it. But I do think with Walt's death, the way the film came out was probably the way to go. It does seem though that this film is a perennial favorite of those who grew up with it but it's not nearly as beloved by newer generations. I wonder if the success of films like The Lion King and Tarzan has also eclipsed The Jungle Book in the eyes of the current generation and the one preceding it. But like you and I have discussed, it's still the most successful movie ever in Germany and I think Sweden.

Well, at least The Jungle Book was a huge success at it's time, nonetheless. At least it's safe to say that The Lion King has eclipsed it, but I'm not sure about Tarzan. While there are definitively some who prefers Tarzan to The Jungle Book, at least Tarzan has been stuck with an underrated-staple lately (despite how it was far from underrated when it was first released). But yeah, at least The Jungle Book was a huge success in Germany.

[JeanGreyForever]

Wasn't this film basically The Lion King or Frozen of its time? I've never been too fond of it and I prefer what I've seen or heard from the Bill Peet darker take on it. But I do think with Walt's death, the way the film came out was probably the way to go. It does seem though that this film is a perennial favorite of those who grew up with it but it's not nearly as beloved by newer generations. I wonder if the success of films like The Lion King and Tarzan has also eclipsed The Jungle Book in the eyes of the current generation and the one preceding it. But like you and I have discussed, it's still the most successful movie ever in Germany and I think Sweden.

Well, at least The Jungle Book was a huge success at it's time, nonetheless. At least it's safe to say that The Lion King has eclipsed it, but I'm not sure about Tarzan. While there are definitively some who prefers Tarzan to The Jungle Book, at least Tarzan has been stuck with an underrated-staple lately (despite how it was far from underrated when it was first released). But yeah, at least The Jungle Book was a huge success in Germany.

I should rephrase my statement as I wouldn't say Tarzan has eclipsed The Jungle Book as much as with Tarzan, there was suddenly an alternative movie for younger Disney fans and the new generations if they want a jungle movie about a boy raised by animals. Tarzan might be more to their sensibilities than The Jungle Book especially if they prefer the more "modern" films like Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King, etc. So basically with Tarzan, I wouldn't call it more popular than The Jungle Book but the film's existence meant that newer Disney fans might prefer this film especially if they consider the Walt-era films outdated.

I know you and I have discussed how it's a shame that Tarzan is considered so underrated these days. I really blame it on the fact that Disney can't market it anymore so they don't see the point in making any effort with the film because I remember even in the mid-late 2000s, this was still a film they highly regarded. Germany must really like jungle films like this since the Tarzan musical was a huge success there.

[DisneyFan97]

Who are ther cast in this musical ??

[Disney's Divinity]

From the information above, they've only started, so there may not be any cast members yet.