Our next piece for the MTI Shows In Literature series is the musical JUST SO. MTI Shows In Literature highlights shows from the MTI catalogue based on classic literature – including novels, short stories and childrens' books. Check back each week for a new feature!

JUST SO is inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories. With music by George Stiles and book and lyrics by Anthony Drewe (a team best known for HONK!, another story great for young audiences with a cast of engaging anthropomorphic animals), JUST SO was originally produced by Cameron Mackintosh. Kipling’s original work is a collection of fables telling fantastical origin stories for a variety of creatures and the world. Many of the stories focus on how certain animals got their signature traits, from “How the Leopard Got His Spots” to “How the Camel Got His Hump.”  In Stiles’ and Drewe’s musical adaptation, the short stories come together to form one full-length piece incorporating the elements of Kipling’s original along the way. The Eldest Magician enters a blank stage and begins a tale about the animals he created and how they all looked the same.  All of the animals got along, except for the giant crab, Pau Amma, whose lifestyle wreaked havoc on the other creatures. Aided in part by the Eldest Magician and the Kolokolo Bird, The Elephant’s Child goes on a daring journey to stop Pau Amma from flooding the other creatures out. On the way, the Child learns about courage, individuality, and friendship – and the audience learns how every creature came to be “just so.”

Most of the pieces featured in the MTI Shows In Literature series are adapted from or inspired by full-length works. In those cases, the task of the authors is to find a fresh approach for an existing story, and make it work on stage. In the case of JUST SO, however, the authors had to do something else entirely – they had to create an overarching plot and continuing characters that would allow them to tell one story that incorporated the elements and spirit of the original work. By making The Elephant's Child the main character for the whole piece, rather than just one of many in the short stories, the authors were able to transform Kipling’s themes and ideas into a single narrative that feels fresh and new, though the source material is over 100 years old!

JUST SO is an award-winning show that is geared towards younger audiences, but has an upbeat score and delightful characters that are fun to watch for anyone. The piece has had success both in England and the States and features a flexibly sized cast of children and adults. Rudyard Kipling’s great track record for stories with children and animals (he also wrote The Jungle Book) is undeniable, and most audience members will have heard of his work, if not the Just So Stories themselves. As with many shows based on classic literature, prior knowledge of the source material is a great way to interest new audiences in coming to the theater. However, with JUST SO, the material is transformed significantly enough to bring something new to viewers with even the most seasoned knowledge of Kipling’s stories.