Adapted from one of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories by Vital Children’s Theatre Director BRUCE MERRILL, "RIKKI TIKKI TAVI" tells the tale of a mongoose who is taken in by a family and ends up battling cobras in their garden. Original music by Joe O’Keefe, Indian dance and the martial arts are all combined to create an interesting visual experience.

Director BRUCE MERRILL is Vital Theatre Company’s Director of Children’s Theatre. He has directed The Swineherd, The Selfish Giant and Aesop’s Fables (which he co-wrote with the cast), and overseen the productions of Unwanted: The Very Ugly Duckling and The Chrismouse Story for Vital Children’s Theatre Company. He has previously served as Artistic Director for Peninsula Youth Theatre, Education Director for California Theatre Center, and spent two years touring as an Actor/Director for Missoula Children’s Theatre. Other New York directing credits include Werewolf in Town; On My Sister’s Passport; January 1, 1973; and Buried Alive.

Featured in the cast are MONI WOWERIES, ANNE MCKAY, LAURIE MILLER, FEMI PLIMPTON, NICOLA RISKE and CARRIE SOLOMON.

Review

New York Times

January 12, 2001

Family Fare
By LAUREL GRAEBER

Snakes in the Grass

In the West, dogs may be man's best friend (or cats, according to United States statistics on pets), but in Rudyard Kipling's India only a smaller animal could lay claim to that title. Kipling immortalized the creature in "Rikki Tikki Tavi," a story from "The Jungle Book" now being presented as a play.

Rikki is a mongoose celebrated for its ability to kill snakes. And while no one in the Vital Children's Theater Company has a detailed animal costume, the actors move their bodies so skillfully that it is easy to imagine them in their wild identities.

The show follows the Kipling tale closely, relating how Rikki (Moni Woweries) saves a human household from the predations of Nag and Nagaina (Anne McKay and Nicola Riske), deadly cobras that have taken over the family's garden.

Much to the delight of 5- to 10-year- olds, Bruce Merrill, who adapted and directed the play, has not stinted on deadly encounters. The production includes enough fight choreography, by Laurie Miller and Edward J. Wheeler, to rival a Jackie Chan movie. But with its all-female cast and Joe O'Keefe's Eastern-sounding music, "Rikki Tikki Tavi" offers martial arts without the macho, cleverly telling the story of one garden where the invading serpents didn't win.

"Rikki Tikki Tavi," through Feb. 25 at the Vital Theater Company, 432 West 42nd Street, third floor, Clinton, (212) 592-4508. Saturdays through Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Sundays from Feb. 4 to 25 at noon. Tickets: $10. Reservations advised.

Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company

Digital City

Rikki Tikki Tavi

A brave mongoose saves the day.
This theatrical adaptation of Kipling's Jungle Book tale is an all-female endeavor. Rikki is a mongoose with a mission. She is an accomplished snake-killer whose skills are called into play. Two cobras by the names of Nag and Nagaina have invaded a family's garden, and they turn to Rikki to save the day. There is no scrimping on the inevitable fight scenes (some of them are to the death), but it is all done imaginatively and with flair. It's especially nice to see the actresses use their bodies to create the animals instead of using elaborate costumes. Kids know which characters the actresses are playing by the way they move. The music is Eastern-influenced and the martial arts aspect will appeal to kids ages 5 to 10. -- Bijou Miller