SINGAPORE – “Why does Mowgli always have to be a boy?”

It was this simple question from Akram Khan’s daughter, then aged eight, which inspired the renowned English dancer and choreographer of Bangladeshi descent to retell The Jungle Book – not from the perspective of an orphan boy, but from that of a refugee girl.

Khan recalls how, as a child, watching Mowgli in Disney’s 1967 animated film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book was a transformative experience. It was the first time he had seen someone like himself as the hero of a show: a skinny brown boy with curly hair.

The 49-year-old says: “Up till then, I’d read Marvel comics and, of course, the Ramayana. But to see (The Jungle Book) on Western television really stuck with me.”

In his Jungle Book Reimagined, a dance-theatre production set in a future world ravaged by climate change, Khan hopes to create a similar sense of identification for another generation of children inheriting a planet with a complex relationship with the environment and the natural world.

The reimagined show, which tells the story of a family fleeing to a modern city and a child’s discovery of allies among wild animals, is an Esplanade co-commission.

It will play at the Esplanade Theatre on March 8 and 9 as part of the performing arts centre’s annual children’s festival March On.

Young Artist Award-winning Carnatic vocalist Sushma Soma’s voice features prominently in the Singapore show – which Khan is particularly excited by, as it will be an opportunity for the artist to hear her own voice, which has reached audiences around the world, in the performance.

Khan says of the show: “I was thinking, what are we passing down? The majority of my generation don’t think like that. We’re very obsessed with ourselves and what we can do in the present, rather than how we can sustain and pass down something more positive into the future.”

He recalls how his daughter was constantly talking about climate change from lessons in school. “It was so sad. It was almost like she was learning how to deal with the problem that my generation and my parents’ generation have created.”

About climate activists like Sweden’s 21-year-old Greta Thunberg, Khan says: “It took a white person to be taken seriously – that’s the irony of it all. I’m not taking away from what she does – she’s super amazing.

“But again, context: If it were a brown girl from Asia, from a Pygmy tribe, would she have the same attention in the news?”

Instead of transporting big sets as the show travels around the world, Jungle Book Reimagined will use animation and locally sourced cardboard boxes.

This decision was also inspired by Khan’s daughter. During the pandemic lockdowns, the girl would eavesdrop on Khan’s production Zoom calls and comment on the irony of shipping sets across the world in a play about the ravages of climate change.

He says: “What hit me was when she said, ‘You want change as long as you don’t have to change the way you work.’ And that triggered something deep in me.”

Instead of merely talking to his children about climate change, he believes that art has a different power to inspire children.

“When they experience something through art, they absorb it in the way you cannot do when somebody is talking to you, because it feels like they are telling you what to think. But art is not there to give you answers. It’s there to inspire you to ask the questions.”

Khan admits that when his daughter watches the show, she finds some parts boring and slow-paced, but he cautions against fulfilling her generation’s search for quick gratification.

“They respond very quickly, they don’t get context – they just say it as they see it – without really listening to the full narrative. So, when they see it a second time, the criticism is less because they start to understand the work.”

He adds: “Theatre is like a book, where you have to give it time to fully get the best out of it.”

Book It/Jungle Book Reimagined

Where: Esplanade Theatre, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: March 8, 7.30pm; and March 9, 3pm
Admission: From $32
Info: str.sg/rZZb

Three other shows to catch at March On 2024

Aki’s Playground

In this multi-sensory experience by Singapore-based artist collective Play!, journey through mystical forests, cosmic galaxies and oceanic worlds with interactive light and sound displays, as well as workshops. Recommended for children between the ages of three and eight.

Where: Esplanade Annexe Studio, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: March 14 to 17, 11am to 2pm and 3 to 6pm
Admission: $15
Info: str.sg/Hqu7

Caliban’s Island

Inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, this interactive play by immersive theatre company Void Deck Games follows a group of shipwrecked children on a quest to reverse a curse that has transformed adults into strange animal hybrids. Recommended for children aged seven and above.

Where: Various locations, starting at Esplanade Basement 2 Carpark, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: March 8 to 10, and 13 to 17; 11am and 4pm
Admission: $30
Info: str.sg/Czwf

The Plants

Australian participatory arts company Playable Streets has set up plant-based instruments for the public to play, with live performances by local musicians at night. No musical experience is required for this event, which will feature a series of creative exercises. Recommended for all ages.

Where: Esplanade Lawn, outside Singtel Waterfront Theatre, 8 Raffles Avenue
When: March 7 to 10, and 14 to 17; 5 to 7.30pm; performance at 7.30pm
Admission: Free
Info: str.sg/yi3t