Tarzan (musical)

Tarzan
Broadway Poster
Music	Phil Collins
Lyrics	Phil Collins
Book	David Henry Hwang
Basis	Tarzan of the Apes story by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Disney's 1999 animated film Tarzan
Productions	2006 Broadway 2007 The Netherlands 2008 Kristianstad 2008 Hamburg 2010 Utah

Tarzan: The Musical is based on the Disney film of the same name and the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Music and lyrics are written by Phil Collins, with a book by David Henry Hwang.

Production

A workshop was held in 2004, with Daniel Manche as the Child Tarzan, Matthew Morrison as the Adult Tarzan, Adam Pascal as Tarzan Storyteller and Laura Bell Bundy as Jane.

The musical began previews on Broadway on March 24, 2006, and officially opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on May 10,making it the only Disney Theatrical production without an out-of-town tryout. Bob Crowley designed the sets and costumes and directed the original Broadway production; choreography was by Meryl Tankard and lighting by Natasha Katz. Danton Burroughs, grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs, attended the opening night party, as did Phil Collins. The production was nominated for a Tony award for Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Natasha Katz).

Due to poor ticket sales, the show closed on July 8, 2007 after 35 previews and 486 performances.

Plot

The musical follows the plot of the Disney film, with a few minor changes. Terk, who was a female in the film, is a male in the musical. The major character of Tantor the elephant is completely cut from the musical.

Act 1

Off of the West African coast, a young English couple and their newborn son barely survive a shipwreck and land in Africa. They construct a tree house for their son before being killed by a leopard. In the African Jungle, Kerchak, the leader of a tribe of gorillas admires his new infant son with his mate, Kala ("Two Worlds"). The leopard suddenly appears and kidnaps the newborn baby gorilla. Kala goes off to find her son but finds the human boy instead and names him Tarzan. She mothers him and raises him despite Kerchak's refusal to treat Tarzan as his son ("You'll Be In My Heart"). Tarzan cannot keep up with the tribe and Kerchak views him as a threat. Tarzan is befriended by the lighthearted Terk, a young gorilla who teaches him the ways of the gorillas ("Who Better Than Me"). Kerchak finds Tarzan constructing a spear and he exiles him from the gorilla tribe ("No Other Way"). Kala worries for him and goes off to find him. She discovers him despairing by the water's edge ("I Need To Know"). Kala tells him that even though they look different, underneath the skin, they are just the same. Years pass and the young boy grows into a young man, athletic and resourceful ("Son of Man"). Kala tries to convince Kerchak to accept Tarzan ("Sure As Sun Turns To Moon"). Kerchak won't change his mind until Tarzan kills the leopard that has been terrorizing the tribe. Suddenly, gunshots are heard throughout the jungle, causing the tribe to scatter, but Tarzan investigates. Deep in the jungle, Jane Porter, a young English naturalist, is overwhelmed by the thrillingly diverse jungle life ("Waiting For This Moment"). While exploring, she is attacked by a giant spider but is rescued by Tarzan. Tarzan and Jane carefully assess each other as they realize their similar qualities ("Different").

Act 2

At the Porter expedition site, Terk and the other gorillas do some redecorating ("Trashin' The Camp"). Jane returns to the site with Tarzan, and she is thrilled by the tribe of gorillas. Kerchak arrives and scares the gorillas off. Jane tries to convince her father, Professor Porter, and their guide, Clayton that she discovered a wild man and a tribe of apes. Kerchak forbids contact with the humans but Tarzan and Jane grow to love each other and Jane tells her father more about the wild ape man ("Like No Man I've Ever Seen"). Clayton becomes jealous of their love. Jane tries to teach Tarzan more about humans and human life ("Strangers Like Me"), as she tries to cope with her emotions ("For The First Time"). She tries to tell her father to stop the plans of killing the gorillas but Clayton refuses and tricks Tarzan into taking the humans to the gorilla nesting grounds. Tarzan asks Terk to help him by keeping Kerchak away, and Terk agrees ("Who Better Than Me (Reprise)"). Kerchak arrives anyway, scattering the humans and demanding that Tarzan choose who he is. Kala shows Tarzan the treehouse his parents built and he discovers all of their belongings ("Everything That I Am"). He decides to go to England with Jane and live as a human and he tells Kala his decision ("You'll Be In My Heart (Reprise)"). Clayton kills Kerchak and Tarzan fights Clayton and nearly kills him, but Porter convinces him to let him go. The tribe convinces Tarzan that they need him to stay ("Sure As Sun Turns To Moon (Reprise)"). Jane agrees to stay with Tarzan in the jungle ("Two Worlds (Reprise)").

Musical numbers

Tarzan (Broadway)
Soundtrack album by Phil Collins
Released	2006
Recorded	2006
Genre	Pop
Label	Walt Disney
Producer	Mark Mancina
Phil Collins chronology
Love Songs: A Compilation... Old and New (2004) Tarzan (Broadway) (2006) Going Back (2010)

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

Act I

• "Two Worlds" – Voice of Tarzan and Ensemble
• "You'll Be In My Heart" – Kala and Ensemble
• "Jungle Funk" – Ensemble
• "Who Better Than Me?" – Young Tarzan and Terk
• "No Other Way" – Kerchak
• "I Need to Know" – Young Tarzan
• "Son of Man" – Terk and Ensemble
• "Son of Man (Reprise)" – Terk and Ensemble
• "Sure As Sun Turns to Moon" – Kala and Kerchak
• "Waiting for This Moment" – Jane and Ensemble
• "Different (Part 1 & 2)" – Tarzan

Act II

• "Trashin' the Camp" – Terk and Ensemble
• "Like No Man I've Ever Seen" – Jane and Professor Porter
• "Strangers Like Me" – Tarzan and Jane
• "For the First Time" – Jane and Tarzan
• "Who Better Than Me? (Reprise)" – Terk and Tarzan
• "I Need to Know (Reprise)" – Young Tarzan
• "Everything That I Am" – Tarzan and Kala
• "You'll Be In My Heart (Reprise)" – Tarzan and Kala
• "Sure As Sun Turns to Moon (Reprise)" – Kala
• "Two Worlds (Finale)" – Tarzan, Jane, and Ensemble

Original Broadway cast

Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway

• Josh Strickland as Tarzan
• Jennifer Gambatese as Jane
• Shuler Hensley as Kerchak
• Merle Dandridge as Kala
• Chester Gregory II as Terk
• Tim Jerome as Professor Porter
• Donnie Keshawarz as Clayton
• Daniel Manche / Alex Rutherford as Young Tarzan

Broadway Cast replacement history

• Dylan Riley Snyder replaced Daniel Manche as first alternate Young Tarzan on September 15, 2006.
• Rob Evan replaced Shuler Hensley as Kerchak on March 28, 2007.
• J. Bradley Bowers was cast as Young Tarzan in June, 2007 to replace Alex Rutherford. However, it was announced on June 23, 2007 that the show would close on July 8, 2007, so Bowers, Rutherford, and Snyder alternated in the role of Young Tarzan for the last 2 weeks of the show.

Differences from the film and musical

• The character of Tantor the elephant is cut from the musical.
• Instead of scaring the elephants off to make Kerchak angry, Tarzan fashions a spear making Kerchak think he intends to hurt the gorillas.
• Terk is male and an adult in the entire musical.
• Jane is attacked by a giant spider before being rescued by Tarzan and wasn't chased by baboons like in the film.
• Clayton is American in the musical instead of British like in the film
• Clayton seems to have more of a romantic attraction for Jane.
• Tarzan lets Clayton go, rather than having him fall and hang to his death.

Subsequent productions

The Netherlands (2007–2009)

The first international production of the show opened on April 15, 2007, in The Netherlands, Scheveningen. Phil Collins was present at the opening night. The original cast featured Ron Link as Tarzan (winner of the show "Wie Wordt Tarzan?") and Chantal Janzen as Jane. on May 24, 2009 the show closed to make way for the Dutch Production of Mary Poppins.

Kristianstad (2008–2009)

The second international production, and the first independent production (not to be produced by Disney) opened in Kristianstad, Sweden, on February 16, 2008, and closed in 2009.

Hamburg (2008–present)

The third international production opened in Hamburg, Germany, at the Neue Flora Theater on October 19, 2008. It originally starred Anton Zetterholm and Elisabeth Hübert who won the roles of Tarzan and Jane on the German casting show "Ich Tarzan, Du Jane". The musical is a huge success in Hamburg. A German cast recording has been released.

US Tour (Canceled)

A revamped tour version had previously been announced to debut in January 2009 in Atlanta, and was planned to feature the same music and book, with direction and choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett. The tour has since been canceled.

Utah (2010)

The Tuacahn Center for the Arts in Ivins, Utah, presented the regional premiere of the show from June 7-October 15, 2010, playing three shows a week. The theatre was the first equity theatre to produce the musical since it closed. The show starred James Royce Edwards as Tarzan and Summer Broyhill as Jane.

Indiana (2011)

The Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw, Indiana produced the regional premiere of the newly licensed version from June 8 through June 18, 2011.

Massachusetts (2011)

The North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, Massachusetts had a production scheduled, which ran from July 12, 2011 through July 24, 2011.

San Jose, California (December 2011)

Marquee Productions, a division of the award winning Children's Musical Theater San Jose, will bring Disney's Tarzan to the Montgomery Theater in downtown San Jose, December 2-11, 2011, directed and choreographed by the organization's Artistic Director, Kevin R. Hauge, and assistant choreographed by Shannon Self.

Awards and nominations

Award	Outcome
John Kraaijkamp Musical Award
Beste grote musical (Best big musical)	Won in 2008
Beste vrouwelijke hoofdrol in een grote musical (Best female lead in a big musical)(Chantal Janzen as Jane)	Nominated
Beste Mannelijke Bijrol in een Grote Musical (Best supporting actor in a big musical) (Clayton Peroti as Tark)	Won in 2007
Beste Creatieve Prestatie (Best creative prestation) (Sergio Trujillo)	Nominated
Beste Inhoudelijke Prestatie (Best Performance Content) (Martine Bijl)	Nominated
Beste Inhoudelijke Prestatie (Best Performance Content) (Phil Collins)	Nominated
Beste Ontwerper (Best designer) (Pichón Baldinu)	Nominated
Beste Ontwerper (Best designer) (Bob Crowley)	Nominated
Nashuatec Musical Award voor Aanstormend Talent (Musical Award for upcoming talent) (Ron Link as Tarzan)	Won in 2007

External links

• Tarzan at the Internet Broadway Database
• ERB, Inc. site featuring reviews
• ERB, Inc. coverage of the Netherlands opening
• ERB, Inc. coverage of the Hamburg opening
• Tarzan On Broadway 1921
• Official website