The Jungle Review
On Thursday 11th October, I saw The Jungle with my Performing Arts class at the Playhouse Theatre. The play was directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson. It was an immersive piece of theatre where the actors stood and acted from the audience and even interacted with them at some points. The play is about the Calais jungle at the height of the refugee crisis in 2016. The play spanned across a year and re-told various refugees’ stories whilst showing us how the Jungle became a community. I thought it was extremely poignant and eye opening, as I was not aware of the extreme nature of this situation. The play talked about how the Jungle was split into different countries like, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Kurdistan. This told me about how many countries were being affected by war in the Middle East.
I enjoyed how the performance incorporated music and singing from different countries and cultures. I really felt as though I was in a different country and it made me think that the refugees would have wanted where they were living to feel like home. I thought the script had a very good mixture of comic and sad moments. I appreciated the comic parts because the humour made the play realistic, since the refugees never lost hope of moving to the U.K. However, the script expertly incorporated important moments like when the little Syrian boy drowned whilst trying to sail to Greece, and reminded the audience of the struggles the refugees dealt with when trying to escape their war-stricken countries. I even found out that some of the refugees who had made it across the Channel and gained asylum here in England played some of the smaller roles. I thought it was a great way of keeping the play realistic and truthful.
Overall, I think this play is very educational, and it should be seen by everyone because we should never forget the refugees who tried so hard to find a better life. In addition, it should serve as a lesson for all people who believe refugees are nothing but terrorists. These people are humans like the rest of us, and they deserve feel safe and live in peace, but because of the terrible circumstances in their home countries, they cannot. Therefore, they believe a better life may be in store for them in England.
The play runs until 3rd November. If you get a chance, go and see it!
Star rating out of five: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
