Derby theatre
The tales of Mowgli, Baloo and Bagheera are inventively staged with integrated sign language and a community cast
Accessibility is too often treated as an afterthought in theatre. Director Sarah Brigham’s exquisite integration of British Sign Language – a first for Derby theatre – is a brilliant demonstration of its value as a core theatrical element in this gargantuan production of Rudyard Kipling’s moral tales.
Under Jon Beney’s movement direction and Daryl Jackson’s consultancy, BSL serves as an extension of a panther’s claw and a wolf’s howl as we clamber through designer Ali Allen’s 2D jungle gym. When Mowgli (Iniki Mariano), the man cub raised by wolves, is reunited with his mother, he can’t speak, but the physical form of communication carves a space of mutual understanding. In several touching moments, two actors – one deaf, one hearing – merge into one, handing their words between them as they sing-sign together. Becky Barry, Alexandra James and Emily Rose Salter give particularly strong performances here. It is a pleasure to see creative inclusivity as a priority. Even the caption display is leaf shaped, nestled among the tree-tops.
At Derby theatre until 20 April.
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