Wheaton Warrenville South stages 'Jungle Book'

Audiences hoping for a lesson in "The Bare Necessities" will get their chance this weekend when Wheaton Warrenville South High School's Tiger Theatre performs the musical "Disney's The Jungle Book."

Adapted from the classic animated film, the show includes all the well-known tunes, including "I Wan'na Be Like You."

The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, and continues at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, in the school auditorium, 1993 Tiger Trail, Wheaton. Tickets, $12, are available online at showtix4u.com. For details, call the box office at (630) 784-7243.

On the run from Shere Khan, a ferocious tiger who has banished him from the jungle, a human boy named Mowgli is aided by an agile panther named Bagheera. Along the way, the two meet a sinister snake named Kaa, a herd of elephants and a giant bear named Baloo, who teaches them the swingin' musical rhythms of the jungle.

After surviving a dangerous encounter with a band of monkeys led by King Louie, Mowgli and Bagheera are forced to run for their lives. Shere Khan returns, leading the protagonists to rally their fellow creatures into battle and restore peace to the jungle.

Cast members are Jack Weeks, Katie Himes, Michael Zessin, David Taullahu, Rachel Neese, Haley Wilson, Max Kibler, Sam Cooperman, Cassidy Kubalanza, Varya Bazalev, Elizabeth Nahulak, Bethany Valente, Aaron Stanaway, Maggie Amen, Laura Virgilio, Sarah O'Connell, Grace Starzynski and Cassidy Larson.

The show is directed by Roberta James.