The big Christmas show at London's National Theatre will be a brand new adaptation of 'The Jungle Book'

"This new stage version comes from Indian playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar, who previously gave the National Theatre a stonking hit with her Gandhi play The Father and the Assassin. We're promised some fairly major changes here, with the action explicitly relocated from central India to the Sundarbans mangrove swamps of the Ganges Delta (that now straddle India and Bangladesh)."

"Really, the main thing you need to know is it's a new stage outing for Mowgli, Baloo, et al and that you can imagine that Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell's large scale animal puppets will be jolly spectacular, as, doubtless, will be Rajha Shakiry's mangrove forest sets. It's aimed at families aged seven-plus."

"The show will reunite Chandrasekhar with The Father and the Assassin's star - Hiran Abeysekera, the NT's recent Hamlet - and its director, National Theatre boss Indhu Rubasingham."

The National Theatre will stage a fresh Christmas production of The Jungle Book, a new adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's classic story by Indian playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar. The production relocates the action from central India to the Sundarbans mangrove swamps of the Ganges Delta, straddling India and Bangladesh. Hiran Abeysekera, known for his recent role as Hamlet, plays Mowgli and reunites with director Indhu Rubasingham and playwright Chandrasekhar from their previous collaboration on The Father and the Assassin. The production features large-scale animal puppets designed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, along with mangrove forest sets by Rajha Shakiry. The show targets families aged seven and older and runs from November 13, 2026 to February 6, 2027 at the National Theatre's Olivier stage.

Read at Time Out London