Tarzan (musical)

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Tarzan
Broadway Poster
Music	Phil Collins
Lyrics	Phil Collins
Book	David Henry Hwang
Based upon	Tarzan of the Apes story by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Disney's 1999 animated film Tarzan
Productions	2006 Broadway 2007 The Hague 2008 Kristianstad 2008 Hamburg

Tarzan is a stage musical based on the Disney film of the same name and the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The music is composed by Phil Collins, and the book by David Henry Hwang. Designed and directed by Bob Crowley, the production was choreographed by Meryl Tankard with Aerial Movement by Pinchon Baldinu, with lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound design by John Shivers.

The musical opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway on May 10, 2006, making it the only Disney Theatrical production without an out-of-town tryout. Danton Burroughs, grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs, attended the opening night gala. This production was nominated for a Tony award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Natasha Katz). Due to poor reviews and ticket sales, the show closed on July 8, 2007 after 35 previews and 486 performances.^[1]

[edit] Plot

The musical follows the plot of the Disney film, with few minor changes.

[edit] Musical numbers

Phil Collins, who wrote five songs for the 1999 film, wrote nine new songs for the stage version.

[edit] Original Broadway Cast

• Josh Strickland as Tarzan
• Jenn Gambatese as Jane
• Shuler Hensley as Kerchak
• Merle Dandridge as Kala
• Chester Gregory II as Terk
• Timothy Jerome as Professor Porter
• Donnie R. Keshawarz as Clayton
• Alex Rutherford and Daniel Manche as Young Tarzan

[edit] Broadway Cast Replacement History

• Dylan Riley Snyder replaced Daniel Manche as Young Tarzan on September 15, 2006
• Rob Evan replaced Shuler Hensley as Kerchak on March 26, 2007
• J. Bradley Bowers joined the cast as Young Tarzan on June 29, 2007

[edit] Other productions

[edit] Dutch

The first international Tarzan production opened on April 15, 2007 in The Netherlands in the Circustheatre in Scheveningen near The Hague. Phil Collins was present at the opening night. The original cast featured Ron Link as Tarzan, Chantal Janzen as Jane, Chaira Borderslee as Kala, Jeroen Phaff as Korchak, Clayton Peroti as Tark, Hans Ligtvoet as Professor Porter and Arie Rustenburg as Clayton, on May 24 the show closed to make way for the Dutch Production of Mary Poppins (musical)

[edit] Swedish

The second European production of Tarzan, and the first independent production (Scheveningen, Broadway, Hamburg, and US Tour were all produced by Disney) opened in Kristianstad, Sweden at the Kristianstad Theatre on February 16, 2008, with Emil Sigfridsson as the title character.

[edit] German

The third European production of Tarzan opened in Hamburg, Germany at the Neue Flora Theater on October 19, 2008. It stars Anton Zetterholm and Elisabeth Hübert who won the roles of Tarzan and Jane on the German casting show "Ich Tarzan, Du Jane". Phil Collins was present at the opening night.

[edit] US Tour

A revamped tour version had previously been announced to debut in January 2009 in Atlanta at the Theatre of the Stars. The new production was supposed to feature the same music and book, and directed and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, with scenic design by Kenneth Foy, aerial design by Paul Rubin and lighting design by Ken Billington.^[2] This production has since been canceled due to a supposed mismanagement of funds by Theatre of the Stars.^[3]

[edit] Asia

Productions are currently in development for China, Japan, and Korea.^[4]

[edit] See also

• Tarzan (1999 film)
• Disney Theatrical

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• ERB, Inc. site featuring reviews
• ERB, Inc. coverage of the Netherlands opening
• Official website
• Playbill article
• Richard Rodgers Theatre Broadway
• Tarzan at the Internet Broadway Database