The sun broke through the rain clouds Saturday afternoon to shine a light toward the second opening night of Gettysburg Community Theatre’s “Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS,” directed by GCT alumni Jessi Gillingham.
Imagination soared as a large cast of excited young thespians strutted their talent in the classic tale of Mowgli, a human boy and his beasty besties racing through the jungle in a coming-of-age journey. Abbreviated from British storyteller Rudyard Kipling’s 19th century tales, “The Jungle Book” was first adapted to animated film by Walt Disney Productions in 1967 — its sequel, “Jungle Book 2,” was released in 2003 — and then remade in 2016 featuring the voices of Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Scarlet Johansson and Christopher Walken.
Onstage, the full length “Jungle Book” musical was revived for live performance with some adaptations and variations on Broadway and in Opera just last year.
With vocal music direction and choreography here by Mo Okotie Uro and Kyle Meisner, respectively, GCT’s rendition of the 30-minute kids’ adaptation offers an exciting journey into fantasia as almost fifty students in grades one through nine who’ve completed GCT’s Winter 2025 Musical Theatre Production Class show off what they’ve learned.
Describing the culmination of their 14 weeks of study in acting, singing and dancing on the second opening night (a large cast rotates) as anything less than charming falls short.
GCT Artistic Director Chad Alan-Carr designed the production, and the lights rise on a whimsical locale. Tree vines branch into the audience on a set accentuated by a projected image of the musical’s official logo complemented by jungle foliage painted on and added to the stage (which is managed by Randi Walker).
The costumes of the ensemble cast (coordinated by Karen Davis) are colorful and cute. The character Kaa’s snake costume, which takes four rotating actors to fill, is one example.
More than a dozen jazzy tunes tell an abbreviated version of the tale of Mowgli (played on Saturday night by Ashton Rhoads) — an abandoned boy running for his life from ferocious tiger Shere Khan (Imogen Petters) through a deep jungle with his bear mentor Baloo (Hannah Hoptak) and panther friend Bagheera (Sullivan Phelps). On a (thematic) journey toward adulthood, Mowgli encounters friends and foes alike as he rallies a battle to restore peace to the jungle.
As Shere Khan spreads fear of Man throughout the jungle, Bagheera explains to the innocent Mowgli that “you can’t explain things to a tiger” in a moment that reflects on loss of innocence.
There are many themes to explore in the timeless tale (such as parallels to British imperialism, societal roles, authority, freedom, loyalty and friendship), but this production resonates most with the energy and animated vocals and dance delivered by wide-eyed young performers from the surrounding community.
They are local singers, dancers, musicians, artists, theater students, sports players, and explorers of the arts. Fifth grader Brody Rummel — whose vocals as King Louie in “I Wanna Be Like You” on Saturday night shone — aspires to perform on Broadway one day. And recently crowned Miss Gettysburg Belle at a GCT scholarship competition, Auri Sainer (who portrayed Baby Elephant) delivered an animated and joyful performance with energy that seemed to leap from the stage.
There are so many (and far too numerous to list) performances worthy of kudos by this colorful cast of anthropomorphized animals, trees, plants and rocks; all deserve a shout out. The song list that includes enduring faves like “I Wanna Be Like You” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” as well as the final toe-tapping reprisal of the well-loved “Bare Necessities” should leave any audience member humming and tapping.
GCT’s performance of “Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS” offers a chance to step out of daily life into innocence, adventure and fantasy — and the opportunity it’s provided for theater students to develop and flex their craft locally is yet another gift from an outstanding community theater to its community.
“Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS” runs through May 11 at Gettysburg Community Theatre, 49 York Street. Performances are 2 p.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. General admission is $20. Two casts perform on alternating nights; if you know someone you want to see perform, please confirm with them the dates they will appear before purchasing tickets. For tickets and more information about this production and upcoming classes and summer camps, visit gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org. (Photo courtesy of GCT.)
