A complex artist, passionate about musical theatre, Eduard Jighirgiu writes music for theatre and has been creating children’s shows for over 10 years. The first musical he worked on was “Snow White”, directed by Cornel Todea – in 2007, at the Ion Creangă Theatre. Since then, tens of other shows followed, for children as well as adults. When he composes music for theatre, Eduard doesn’t forget that he is an actor, and this helps the artists who interpret the music to make it their own. With a perfect blend of emotion, joy and intensity, his music delivers messages that you cannot help but resonate with, as a spectator.
The novelty of this show is not necessarily its subject, but rather the way everything is “packaged” in order to reach the audience’s heart.
After almost 20 years’ experience in children’s theatre, the role of Shere Khan is an immense challenge for Eduard. This is the first time that he is acting on a stage surrounded by the innocence and purity of children.

“When I am working on a show, whether as an actor, a director or a composer, I always choose simplicity. Only simplicity can create extraordinary things. I feel very comfortable allowing the joy of playing to dominate me, because this helps me discover new things all the time. Although “The Jungle Book” is a very well-known story, I wanted to present it to the audience in an original way, as they have never seen it before. I kept the story, but I chose a new way of developing it, by turning whole narrative passages into sung arias. I wanted the show to be very alive and authentic. The story allowed me to turn it into a musical, with everything that this genre entails.
I couldn’t have worked on such a project without a wonderful production team, who would complete me so well. The cast of the show couldn’t have been more inspired: these beautiful children whom I was happy to take in my arms every day. I think this harmony is what creates the beauty of the show. My deepest wish is that “The Jungle Book” inspires the same emotions I felt when I created it, and that it brings joy to as many souls as possible.”

Eduard Petru Jighirgiu

Actor, director, composer

An accomplished artist with a fabulous stage experience, in Romania as well as abroad, a pedagogue who sounds almost like a character from Ion Creangă’s stories, a true universal encyclopedia, Claudia Măru Hanghiuc is one of the greatest personalities of the musical theatre world that we’ve had the privilege to meet.
She began her artistic career in 1975, as an actress at the Al. Davilla Theatre in Piteşti, then as a mezzosoprano at the Lyric Theatre in Craiova, the National Opera in Iaşi, the Opera and Ballet Theatre Oleg Danovski in Constanţa, and then as a first soloist at the National Bucharest Opera and the Operetta & Musical Theatre Ion Dacian.
She also starred in big productions on some of the world’s biggest stages, in Germany, Spain, Australia, Finland, Italy and the United States of America.
Since musical theatre had always been her passion, she wanted to perfect her method. After years of searching and experimenting, she discovered breathing techniques and vocalizing methods for theatre, which are so spectacular and yet so simple, thus becoming a helpful tool for the artist. The research into this field led her to become a professor of musical theatre. The successes of her former students, in renowned international schools and theatres, as well as the results of her current students confirm her great merits as a pedagogue.
We could write several volumes about Claudia Măru Hanghiuc. Beyond her worth as an artist, it is her qualities as a human being that best describe her. It is possibly the most important aspect when working with people, and especially with children. Her generosity and dedication in teaching children, who adore her, the art of singing, make her unique and prompt us to say that she “does wonders”.

“A people without culture lacks education! A people without education lacks decency! A people without culture and music education is ignorant and uneducated!”