On the final day of foreign drama Week, the Turkmen state puppet theatre staged a performance of «Mowgli», based on the famous story by English writer Rudyard Kipling.
Commenting on the play, young director Kerim Atayev noted: «With this play, I want to convey to the audience that humans are part of nature, and despite Mowgli growing up with wild animals, he retained his humanity. Only through his inner strength and humanity did he successfully overcome the trials that befell him. Mowgli survived because he accepted the Law of the Jungle».
Kerim Atayev and the creative team of theatre successfully recreated the atmosphere of the jungle on stage, with its rich, exotic nature and the turbulent lives of animals. The performance begins with a striking special effect: each audience member sees the jungle through the eyes of Kaa the python, who slowly and dignifiedly slithers through his domain. In a hissing voice, he addresses the audience: «I am the eyes of the jungle. I can see the past and the future. I will tell you the story of how the jungle fought for its existence. I witnessed how, one night, the inhabitants of the jungle entrusted their fate to a small creature they had never seen before –Mowgli».
The protagonist of production, Mowgli, appears before the audience at three ages: as a fearless and inquisitive toddler (a puppet), a clever young boy (actor Gaygysyz Purliyev), and a thoughtful teenager (actor Sohbet Orazmuhammedov). Thanks to production designer Didar Allakov, the theatre has pioneered the use of puppets with a structural mechanism, allowing the actors to express their emotions, transforming the puppet and actor into a single performer.
From the opening to the final moments, the performance is a pulsating jungle life – wolf cubs are having fun playing games, monkeys swing from vines, and someone fights an opponent to defend their position. This continuous process of movement is beautifully represented by choreography of Kerim Atayev.
The play will not feature meeting of Mowgli with Erica, a girl from an Indian village. The director chose to focus on the maturation of Mowgli and his overwhelming desire to meet people. This approach enhanced the role of the jungle in the production.
The play «Mowgli» is one of the striking works by Turkmen stage masters at the foreign drama Week, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of neutrality of Turkmenistan.
