How Could One Show Be So Awful: Tarzan

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:10pm

This is my rant on Tarzan.

I'm not sure what Disney was thinking. I was listening to the CD yesterday while driving home to visit the folks for Christmas, and I couldn't stop thinking about how horrible this show is. It had such great potential, and I'll admit that I was actually really excited about it, but it's just plain horrible. My first problem is why would they made Tarzan a pop tenor? If you think of Tarzan, why would they not make him a baritone the likes of Matt Bogart? That kind of rough, baritone sound would make sense with the character. With Josh's vocals the character just comes off as more of "delicate" rather than "masculine." Another thing I hate is the director's choice to make the ropes visable. Don't you think it would be more magical if the audience just saw the apes swinging through the air without knowing what's holding them up? Sort of like the car in CCBB or Mary Poppins. I think it ruins the spectacle and is just too clunky to be considered artistic. Also, the book is just horribly boring, as is the staging. I think the muisc could have been more interesting. If they made the Tarzan/Ape music different than Jane's music, and then in the end melted them together. That would have been an interesting choice. The costuming is just hideous. And the set is really dull considering it's Disney. I thought it would have interesting if they totally transformed the inside of the theater to look like a jungle. And they could have had platforms for the apes to sit on around the box seats and whatnot. That would have been very interesting. I just felt like this show just failed on all levels. Even Jane's number with the bugs is just boring and when the "spider moment" comes it's so delayed that you realize what's going on and all the spectacle is lost. I just think it's a horrible representation of the American musical. And the way the show is staged, it's not really going to be able to tour without some major restaging.

Sorry, I realize that all this is a rant, but I just found myself so ticked off by this show. I think Disney really messed up with it. They should have opted for an out-of-town tryout for the show first off. With some reviews under their belt and some audience reactions, I think they could have cleaned it up more. Sorry for the really long rant, just needed to get that out there.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:13pm

We see it in January so we shall see if we are in agreement or not

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:14pm

I actually agree with you on some things. I didn't think it was awful but it is my least favorite show that I have seen. But the book is extremely boring. I like the score though and the actors are just fantastic! I'm just not a fan of the show.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:17pm

Well I have the Cd, and I think the score is "fine," but is fine really okay? It's a MUSICAL. Musicals rely on their score. But when I think about the score, I realize that some of it is just so...boring. It's just typical stuff. Like the typical love song, etc. And the song "Different" just bugs me for some reason. Like the way it ends is just so dramatic, but there's really no reason for it to be except for the fact that it's the end of Act 1.

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:20pm

It's a horrible show, but Strickland's vocals truly don't contribute to the awfulness. One could make the argument that his less "masculine" vocals show the gentler side of Tarzan. The main problem with Tarzan is that watching people swing back and forth for two hours gets old, not to mention the repetitive and mediocre songs.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:22pm

I agree that he has a wonderful voice, it's just all wrong for the character. Why go with a guy who sings "sweetly" rather than a brooding baritone? And shouldn't Tarzan be more muscular? I just think he's a wrong choice for Tarzan, but I think he's got an amazing voice.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:25pm

My biggest problem with the show is the new music written for the show. Dreadful lyrics, and just boring melodies.

Other than that, the show was enjoyable, certainly not something I'd see again, but yeah...horrible music, I could not say that enough.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:28pm

I'm just a big Phil Collins fan. :)

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 8:40pm

where is Lizzy9??????

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 9:09pm

I love Jenn, and I love her as Jane.

TARZAN may not be perfect, but I really enjoyed it.

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 9:11pm

There's been countless threads on this...but anyways, I won't put in my input on the show because I'm actually fond of it.

[YankeeGal#24]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 9:12pm

Chester Gregory is BY FAR the best thing about Tarzan, though I also liked the other actors. I liked Jenn the least--not her best work--but she does well with what she is given to work with.

[Corine2]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 9:26pm

Hi,
Chester and Andy are the best things about Tarzan. Chester Gregory should have been cast as Tarzan. Strickland has a great voice, he is also stunning but he is so thin. He looks thinner than Jane and she is stunning and thin. Personally, would love to see Chester as Tarzan. He would be perfect.
I also really enjoyed Andy Pellick as the beautiful butterfly.
I took my Niece to Bryant Park this summer to see Tarzan and she got up on her own and danced to Chester. When he finished singing she turned to me and said "I like that music" she was dancing in her pink tutu and a lot of the cast were laughing because she is so cute. She looks like a blonde Shirley Temple.


Updated On: 12/24/06 at 09:26 PM

[MotorTink]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 9:28pm

I fell in love with the cast recording, and have tickets in Feb. I am trying to keep an open mind until then. So far, I am very excited to see it. I'll let you know what I think then.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 9:46pm

Please do. I fell in love with the cast recording too and thought "this isn't so bad..." but then I thought about it and it really is. ha.

TWSFan4Ever: I understand it might upset you, but then again, you screename is Wedding Singer Fan 4 ever? Hm. What did you like about the show? I'm open to hearing both sides.

[Yorkie1276]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 9:48pm

Um...the best thing about Tarzan is Merle Dandridge. Somebody put her in a real show, please.

[JustABroadwaybaby2]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 10:10pm

Yorkie- RENT isn't a real show? Or do you mean she should originate a role that is good? In that case, I agree. Some parts of the show I was laughing a tthe terribleness of it. Parts are Disney cute. Then, the rest is green.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 10:17pm

It's a theme park show. That's all it is. It should be at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I mean, the set is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cheap. It looks like they put a giant green box and put it through a paper shredder.

[outovfashion07]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 10:20pm

"Um...the best thing about Tarzan is Merle Dandridge. Somebody put her in a real show, please."

AMEN!

[winston89]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 10:22pm

I was very skeptic when I heard bout Tarzan being a broadway show. But, I realized that the people that did this were the same people that did Lion King and Beauty and the Beast so I should have a little faith. I HATED ho the entier show was essentally in a green box. The entier show aside from the music was god aweful sp? I did love the individual preformances but overall it sucked. I have said countless times about this show and I will say it again. If I didn't pay 25 bucks for it I would have demanded my money back. And Merle Dandridge was in a real show. She did RENT for a long time. Last I checked, RENT was a real show.

Updated On: 12/24/06 at 10:22 PM

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 12/24/06 at 10:24pm

I understand it might upset you, but then again, you screename is Wedding Singer Fan 4 ever?

That was uncalled for.

I enjoyed Tarzan, but it would be that much better if a lot of it was reworked. As far as your comments on the set, I think it would be weirder to see the apes flying around without assistance than to see them swinging on vines.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/25/06 at 12:03am

No, I don't mean without assistance. I mean without the HUGE THICK ropes holding them up. So when they went from vine to vine it flowed smoother instead of them just bouncing around in one place. Like, if there were vines out in the audience, they could swing from vine to vine and whatnot.

And wintson, we really need to work on your spelling my friend.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 12/25/06 at 12:15am

The thick ropes are actually vines, therefore the creative team avoided the "why are they flying?!" critic.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 12/25/06 at 12:17am

That's what I meant. The thick ropes are the vines. This is a case when we SHOULD know what's holding them up, I think.

[Mistress_Spouzic]

Posted: 12/25/06 at 2:16am

Im pretty sure walking that line between delicate and masculine was an intentional one- the way parents like boy bands because they seem wholesome and harmless but have the rough edges to appeal to the young girls.

And the ropes are meant to be vines. I suppose they could have flown on some wire and then had a vine as a prop, but really the vine needed to be carrying the weight of the ape for it to be believable.

I think peoples disappointment over the set has atleast a little to do with all the rumors about how it was going to be done before the show opened. Where people even suggested that the whole theater might look like a jungle. I certainly dont see anything wrong with them using a more stylized approach but it was hyped to be one thing and turned out completely different.

I personally love the number leading up to Jane in the spiderweb, theres a lot to look at- flowers, moth, bug, dancers and jane being molested by the plants. There are days when its more obvious than others that shes being hooked up, Ill give you that.

I cant say much to the fact that you find it boring... the songs and story are somewhat classic. If I had to pick a weakest link, Id say its Shuler and Ive loved him in other things. Part of it, I think is that his prosthetic seems to limit his ability to show emotion with his face, his brow especially is pretty stiff. Im not sure why he needs the piece.