★★★★☆
We see theatre to be transported to different worlds, to understand neglected stories, to connect with character and taste the gamut of emotion. It’s a big ask, and it’s rare that a single work can deliver on all fronts. But Belvoir St Theatre and Melbourne Theatre Company’s ambitious new production The Jungle and the Sea delivers across the board.
The play is the latest fruit of the long collaboration between S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack. The pair’s previous work, Counting and Cracking, was a triumph, evoking hundreds of characters in decades to tell the story of a Tamil family across Sri Lanka and Australia.
The Jungle and the Sea has a similar focus – a Tamil family stretched across Sri Lanka and Australia – but a different feel. It dwells longer in darker terrain. A short early scene establishes a sense of a close, loving family dynamic, but it’s the last moment of innocence before the shots of civil war splinter the family forever.
The story splits: Appa (Prakash Belawadi) and daughter Lakshmi (Emma Harvie) escape to Australia, Ahilan (Shiv Palekar) is recruited to the Tamil Tigers, and the rest of the family – Amma (Anandavalli) and daughters Madhu (Nadie Kammallaweera), and Abi (Kalieaswari Srinivasan) – remain in Sri Lanka in hopes of finding their brother again. Sinhalese friends Kishan (Dushan Philips) and Himal (Rajan Velu) reckon with their changing relationships with the family.
We follow the family’s two stories across three time periods. The dual structure is effective in highlighting, Sliding Doors-like, the diverging paths life can take from a decision in one fateful moment.
But the two narratives are not of equal weight. The emotional heart of the play lies with the three women in Sri Lanka, as they abandon their home, search for Ahilan, and journey from one supposedly safe zone to another.
Adequately capturing the complex history of the period is a difficult challenge, and sometimes the script veers too far into exposition. This is particularly the case when trying to illustrate differing political or philosophical viewpoints.
Characters rehearse arguments about joining the Tigers or permitting funeral rites as though at an undergraduate debate. The script is far stronger when the characters’ emotions and realities are centred, clutching a chicken or contemplating marriage, for example.
An exceptionally strong cast brings the story to life. Anandavalli and Belawadi portray the family’s matriarch and patriarch with gravitas and dignity, anchoring the play. Siblings Srinivasan and Kammallaweera offer a study in the subtle differences in how people respond to trauma.
Palekar’s gentle portrayal of Ahilan imbues the character’s journey with even more tragedy. Harvie captures the depth of feeling that can come from being forced to watch helplessly from the outside.
Another highlight is the sublime music from composer Arjunan Puveendran. Performed live on stage, the Carnatic music relies heavily on vocalisation and improvisation. It adds a veil of closeness and reverence to the performance; hushed silences broken by soulful sounds.
The only disappointment is the decision to have the central part of the stage constantly rotate. While the device works well at times, emphasising the monotony of days or adding tension to rushed conversations, it is overused and distracting at other times.
It takes the heat out of more tender, emotional moments: the dinner conversation between Appa and Lakshmi, for example. And the physical noise of the movement threatens the power of the Carnatic music breaking through the quieter moments.
Still, this doesn’t take away from the power of The Jungle and The Sea, a sweeping, stunning new Australian work from a brilliant cast and creative team.
The Jungle and The Sea is presented by Melbourne Theatre Company and produced by Belvoir St Theatre. It runs to 12 September at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner. 140 Southbank Boulevard Southbank Vic 3006.
Tickets: https://tickets.mtc.com.au/production/19787
Website: https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2026/the-jungle-and-the-sea
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbtheatreco/
Photo credits: Pia Johnson
