Tony Winner Christopher Gattelli Joins Creative Team for World Premiere of Disney’s The Jungle Book

Newsies’ Tony-winning choreographer Christopher Gattelli has joined the creative team for Disney’s latest musical adaptation, The Jungle Book. Helmed by Tony-winning director Mary Zimmerman, the new live-action musical will premiere at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre June 21 through July 28 before transferring to Boston’s Huntington Theatre September 7 through October 6. No casting has been announced nor have any plans for a Broadway transfer.

Based on Disney’s 1967 animated movie of the same name, The Jungle Book tells the story of Mowgli, an orphan boy raised among animals in the wild jungles of India. The musical will follow the plot of the film with additional material that Zimmerman is adapting from Kipling’s original Mowgli stories.

The new Disney musical will include famous songs from the film (“The Bare Necessities,” “I Wanna Be Like You,” “That’s What Friends Are For”), music originally written for but later cut from the 1967 film, Sherman brothers trunk songs and brand new music with Indian roots.

In addition to Gattelli, Zimmerman has reunited her entire creative team from the 2002 Broadway production of Metamorphoses, including Tony-nominated set designer Daniel Ostling, lighting designer T.J. Gerckens, costume designer Mara Blumenfeld and sound designer Andre Pluess. The Jungle Book will also feature musical direction and arrangements by Doug Peck.

Relive the fun of the 1967 film with the classic number “The Bare Necessities” in the video below.