He Came Out of the Rainforest. He's Not Going Back.
Borneo Again — Mr Business the Orangutan & Captain Jon Voyage | Jungle Walkabout Street Theatre for Hire
The Act
Direct from the Sumatran rainforest — pedalling furiously, trailing temple fragments and jungle specimens, and wearing the expression of a man who has seen things the Royal Geographic Society is absolutely not ready to hear about — comes the infamous explorer Captain Jon Voyage.
Stowed away in the captain's tropical vegetation, attempting to look entirely innocent whilst surrounded by contraband bananas, is Mr Business. The orangutan. The one who was definitely not supposed to come.
Mr Business has, in his own words, given up the wildlife. He is a reformed creature. A creature of commerce. A creature who has very specific views about which members of the public deserve a banana and which ones are going to have to earn it. Captain Jon, to his credit, is doing his absolute best. The tricycle helps. The jungle specimens are a talking point. The orangutan is completely beyond managing.
What follows is a rolling, roaming, gloriously chaotic walkabout encounter that generates the kind of spontaneous, unscripted comedy that no stage act can manufacture. Mr Business finds his audience. His audience, without exception, finds him irresistible.
You'd be bananas to miss out.
The Creature
Mr Business is a full realistic orangutan creature suit — built and performed to the same extraordinary professional standard that Creature Encounters brings to all its animatronic characters. Up close, the effect is astonishing. At a distance, photographs require explanation. Children approach with caution and leave with stories. Adults forget entirely that there is a performer inside.
The tricycle, the temple fragments, the jungle specimens and the bananas are all exactly as described. Captain Jon is a fully developed character in his own right — knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and only slightly implicated in the smuggling.
The Conservation Dimension
The orangutan creature suit has also been used to powerful effect in a conservation context — performing in a live show to highlight the work of The Orangutan Project, visiting a children's hospice, and generating extraordinary audience responses around wildlife sponsorship and conservation awareness.
If you are programming an event with a conservation, wildlife or environmental theme, Mr Business can do more than entertain — he can move people to act. Please get in touch to discuss how.
Perfect For
Borneo Again is a natural fit for jungle and rainforest themes, wildlife and conservation events, adventure and explorer themes, Rudyard Kipling and literary events, natural history and science festivals, Jumanji and film-inspired events, family festivals, outdoor arts programmes, shopping centre activations, garden shows and country fairs, and any occasion that calls for something warm, funny, and genuinely unlike anything else on the market.
What People Say
"The acts were very well received last Saturday and despite the weather being so hot, the walkabouts gave it everything and a bit more. Please pass on our thanks to them — it really made the day special."
- Lyn Summers, Events Manager, London Borough of Hillingdon MBC
"Creature Encounters is extremely professional, creative and hugely talented. Very reliable, dependable, helpful and personable. Michael and Jamie are two of the nicest people I ever had the pleasure of doing business with. Would highly recommend."
- Diane Norton, Ilford Business Improvement District
Booking Information
Performers: 2 (creature performer + Captain Jon Voyage)
Format: Walkabout — roaming across your event site for 3 x 30-min sets per day
Props/set: Tropical tricycle, jungle vegetation, temple fragments, bananas
Suitable for: Outdoor and large indoor events — flat, accessible terrain preferred
Technical requirements: A clean, secure and private changing space within 30 metres of the performance area and free parking
Please note: This act dislikes stairs. The tricycle requires smooth, level ground.
Available: UK-wide and internationally
Tech Spec: RAMS and PLI available on request
To check availability or discuss your event, use the enquiry form below. We're happy to advise on scheduling, site requirements and whether Mr Business can be persuaded to share the bananas.
International Excess Baggage Details
Tbc
Creature Encounters are designers, makers and performers of extraordinary puppet experiences, based in Birmingham. Established in 2004, we have delivered world-class animatronic street theatre across the UK and internationally, including Kuwait, Indonesia, Estonia, Singapore, Monaco, Russia and beyond.