Tarzan Review!- Page 2

[Princeton78]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:33am

So their faces aren't hidden by 34lbs of CATS-like Makeup or LionKing-like masks?

[Qfan2.0]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:33am

what was the set like? a bunch of levels and vines?

[liotte]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:34am

Jenn Gambatese as Jane is fabulous. I am a huge fan of hers, and though I was a little thrown by the British accent, she did it very well. She doesn't come in until late in the first act. She comes out in an 1800's style dress, walks around looking at all the plant and animal life (butterfly comes down from the mezz, people in bug and plant costumes all over the stage, hanging from harnesses- think Can You Feel The Love Tonight from Lion King). She walks around talking about how she's waited for this moment, ends up at the back of the stage, a harness is put on her, and she flies up to the middle of the back, her skirt enraveling into a huge spider web that covers the entire back wall. A big puppetty spider comes out, and is chased away by Tarzan. And so they meet...

There is a new song in the show called "For the First Time" sung by Jenn and Josh (Jane and Tarzan) which I loved. Phil Collins was in the audience, it's nice to see how involved he is in the development process of the show. The songs overall are great, they kept the ones from the movie "You'll be in my heart" "Son of Man" "Strangers like me" "Two Worlds" "Trashing the Camp"- which was a fun opener for the second act with the gorillas destroying everything in sight. And then lots of new songs as well, which I didn't care for as much as the original movie songs, but were still good. Maybe just that I am not familiar with them (YET).

[TheOneAndOnly]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:34am

To answer the gimmicky question....while it was a BIG spectacle, I didn't see ANY of it as gimmicky. It was done in very innovative and artistic ways, as opposed to Disneyworld animatronic nonsense. Not at all theme park....you really are put in the middle of the jungle in just a fantasic way.

[ScottInLA]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:37am

Cool...glad to hear that. Spectacle's fine...I don't think anyone expected anything less. :)

I'm guessing, then, it's a similar comparison to Lion King vs. a Lion King show at the parks...again, spectacle, but innovative--not just a bunch of furry suits running around.

[liotte]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:41am

I agree, it wasn't as gimmicky as I thought it would be.
I was actually expecting more of a spectacle than it was.

In regards to changes- I think the dialogue needs to be tightened quite a bit. There were many times when just a couple characters were singing or talking on stage without much of a set. The vines were there all the time, but the stage felt empty. The center of the stage floor drops, so it can be made into water, and is effective for getting people and sets on and off. But there wasn't any huge spectacle sets besides the opening, the camp scene (which wasn't too spectacle), and then all the flying in the harnesses.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:43am

Now for the REALLY important question, you all know it. So, how much was Josh wearing?

[TheOneAndOnly]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:44am

Absolutely...and I saw in another thread someone saying that they didn't like the idea of being able to see all the harnesses and clips and whatnot....but it TOTALLY WORKED. You don't really see the harnesses at all...just the clips. It's not like it ruins the experience or 'magic'....cuz it's still pretty spectacular to see Josh hanging 40 feet in the air, or Chester 'climbing' a tree in an instant.

One thing I don't think mentioned is that the sides of stage and back walls (there aren't any visible "levels" or platforms in the center of the stage, it's actually pretty bare..anyhow, back to the walls....they have probably 30 cubby holes that are visible but covered with long floppy fabric vines that people pop in and out of throughout the show. I'm not explaining it well, but it's nicely done. The set & staging includes a TON of quickly flowing and falling silky fabric done in a million different ways..whether to create a waterfall, a tree-top canopy, etc..
Updated On: 3/25/06 at 12:44 AM

[Yero]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:44am

Random question, but how old are Jenn and Josh?

[zoomzoom]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:44am

I know it's really early to ask. Does it has any chance to win Tony's best musical this year?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:45am

that's disappointing, i thought the set would be cooler more innovative. was it like Lion King though? Where they spent a lot of time on the spectacle and making it look cool rather than making the songs/book good? or was the dialogue mostly cheesy.

[Qfan2.0]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:49am

liotte u rock

[Me2]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:49am

you do rock. thank you so much!

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:51am

Did I miss something?

[Qfan2.0]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:52am

1st page

[zepka102]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:56am

ok, calming down... or trying... so i'm finally posting.




liotte, i just told you this, but i love you. seriously.



i CANNOT WAIT to see this

[blaxx]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:58am

Eeek, what happened to hot Tarzan in those pics? Thought he was going to look ripped Oh well, still looks promising...

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:59am

lol blaxx. i don't really like the costumes, maybe they look better far away. cool set though.

[outovfashion07]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 12:59am

...i'd totally hit that. and i mean that in the most respectful way.

[Qfan2.0]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 1:00am

i need to see this show can't wait for my ny trip!

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 1:01am

Ah man, I wish I had won lotto for this. It sounds great. So they added a lot, huh? If I remember right the bulk of the movie is the plot with Jane, Tarzan, and the villain. Usually the first act runs longer than the second act but it sounds as if they really cram most of the actual plot into the second act. Is there a cheesey villain song for Clayton? Is it pretty close to the original movie?

I can't wait to see how they do the scene where Clayton and Tarzan finally have their showdown.

Ew, Josh Strickland is hairy.

[liotte]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 1:11am

Ya know, I don't think there was a cheesy villian song. In fact, I don't remember Clayton singing at all. He and Tarzan do fight though.

With the amount of time people spend crawling around and bouncing on the floor, I think the stage has to be some kind of soft surface, like a floor mat for gymnastics. I'll have to reach over when I win the lotto and sit in the front. Oh, and the stage looked lowered, so those lotto seats seem pretty good!

[Qfan2.0]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 1:12am

where were you sitting tonight?

[Yero]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 1:13am

I'm sorry if I'm being annoying, but nobody answered my question so I'll ask again:
How old are Josh and Jenn?

[zepka102]

Posted: 3/25/06 at 1:14am

Josh is 22, Jenn is 30