Everyone seems to be having such fun onstage and regaling friends in the audience, especially when jumping up over them along railings and from seat fronts! The flying on vines and wires goes without a hitch. Costumes give new meaning to “camp,” while apes and Tarzan have dreadlocks. How could one not like the rock musical Tarzan?
Well, for one thing, the dialogue and grunts are silly, and the music (that’s really rock) falls short of even standard Disney. In fact, the musical highlight is the ballad, “You’ll Be in My Heart” near both beginning and end of the show. Dialogue doesn’t evidence either Burroughs’ or Hwang’s proven writing skills elsewhere.
Dramatic plot elements get stretched out after the initial killing, by an evil beast, of Tarzan’s parents after their shipwreck survival. From then on the plot takes a split focus: Will the ape family safely survive animal and human beasts? Will Tarzan be accepted by the ape family and in what capacity? A subplot concerns the relationship between Tarzan and Jane Porter. The only suspense involved is whether or not this musical will veer from the well-known mating and, if not, where will each live, together or apart?
On the plus side are the players. Agile Maverick Wolf is an engaging child Tarzan, starting a lifelong friendship with ape Terk (cute Miranda Wolf). Brian Kleinschmidt becomes formidable, fearless adult Tarzan, both emulating the stances and vine-travels of the other animals or strongly standing. He has the tenderness of his ape mother Kala (MaryKate D. Glidewell, showing emotions in all the right ways and places). He never blames lack of his immediate acceptance on Kerchak, head of the ape family.
David Downer, Jr. overcomes the difficulty of winning the audience over while being so stern. Sarah Cassidy nicely sheds more than her Victorian upbringing as Jane, conveying a real love of Tarzan and the need to protect the apes.
Jack Harkleroad underplays dottering Professor Porter in his scientific aspirations and fatherly concern for Jane.
Chris Wolf is the villainous hunter and self-promoter, nasty as he should be. He’s the human equivalent of the old killing beast played stealthily by Mackenzie Grace. Morgan Campbell represents Spanish Web/Vine well. Eliza Engle and Ian Weir do justice to their brief roles as Tarzan’s caring birth parents. The actors are ably supported by all who play apes and by the singers and musicians on side stages.
An excellent technical crew nicely completes a tough job. Due special kudos: Joseph P. Oshry’s varied lighting and On The Fly Productions’ smooth tutelage and execution of jungle cavorting and travel.
Sound needs improvement, particularly since Manatee Players suffer from the over-microphoning so common in area venues.
Without Rick Kerby’s expertise in both directing and choreographing, Tarzan could court many a troubled if not disastrous moment. Thanks to Kerby, the show moves surely, if too slowly. I doubt it did much better during its tellingly brief Broadway run.
