Disney's Tarzan

[Henry Savage]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 10:48pm

The show intrigues me. I wasn't fortunate (or UNfortunate) enough to have seen it during it's short run, but I've become something of a wannabe dramaturg on this disastrous mickey mouse misstep. My question is to anyone who saw it - what did you think?
Updated On: 7/8/08 at 10:48 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 11:10pm

I really liked it. I'm a huge fan of Bob Crowley and was more impressed with his set and costumes then his actual direction, but the material needed work so I don't think it's fair to blame him entirly for the shows failure.

[broadwaycat3113]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 11:16pm

i loved tarzan and saw it various times throughout its run. It had great life messages, an incredible cast, and an overall simplistic beauty. I saw it during some highly emotional times for myself. it was hugely inspiring and enabled me to make the right decisions for me, no one else. so yeah..........i loved it. :)

[winston89]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 11:24pm

I thought it was the worst show to hit Broadway in the past few years. I hated the sets and thought that it was just a green box/castle bounce thing. Disney could have had the chance to do something with it but instead they didn't. This show is dead thank god for that.

[Henry Savage]

Posted: 7/8/08 at 11:24pm

Unexpected feedback so far. It pleases me that the show struck such a positive chord with both of you!

Winston, I agree with what you said about the visual appeal of the production. From what I've seen it was a pretty ugly, claustrophobic set. Updated On: 7/8/08 at 11:24 PM

[H.Higgins]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:42am

I never saw it, and, honestly, didn't really want to based on photos, videos, and reactions.


That being said, I purchased the cast recording and have loved it from the first listen. I'm really tired of hearing how bad the score was. It's actually wonderful and interestingly enough, I love some of Phil Collins' additions for the show even better than the great music he wrote for the film. I'm surprised, confused, and angry whenever I see it knocked. The score is fantastic.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:02am

The only issue I have with the score is that sometimes the little moments before the song began where very awkward which is a hurdle every musical has to overcome, but in the case of Tarzan it was really more the fault of the book writer. The songs themselves were fine which is why the CD is so much fun to listen to.

[Scott Briefer]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:15am

I thought it dull. It did have one lovely set piece though: the show curtain was cool. It was a scrim with a rocking ship behind it. It gently rocked back forth with appropriate sound effects for the 30 minutes before the show actually began. It was cool. The bungee cords were fun for about 2 minutes, then way overused and ultimately dull.

I too believe that Tarzan had huge potential. I just think this was the wrong direction to take the property.

[gypsy4]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:51am

I only saw clips of this but a friend mine saw it and realy liked it I did think the opening sequence was impressive.

[antonijan]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 3:52am

I can't wait to see the new staging next year at the American Musical Theater of San Jose!!!


Vote for me several times with different e-mails :)

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 4:09am

I saw Little Mermaid and thought it was pretty mediocre. Since people say that Tarzan wasn't that great, I am just wondering what people think of these two shows in comparison and which one is better? And why?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 7:59am

Bland and boring.

And the thrill of the design wore off after the 1st 10 minutes.

[James885]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 9:29am

The opening sequence with the whole shipwreck thing was great. The rest of the show quickly went downhill after that. I agree that the bungee rope swinging got old very quickly.

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 9:42am

One of the worst evenings I have ever spent in a theater. Nothing redeemable.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 10:02am

I loved Tarzan. I though the cast was wonderful and I liked the music alot. I thought the set was pretty awful and the ape costumes were wretched, but I loved the show. I think with a better stage concept it could have run longer. I give those actors mad props for working for 2 hours walking while squatted like apes and using their hands and feet to move. God bless what actors put themselves through to entertain us.

[zepka102]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 10:08am

The show wasn't the best. It was far from it. I felt the book was very weak and the sets could have been more detailed. Some of the character development felt lacking in areas.

But I was a fan of the show. I enjoyed the songs. I felt it sounded great. Both times I saw it I sat in the first row. From up there, you get sucked in completely, which I felt made the show feel different.

The cast also made it a great show. The did very well with what they had. Merle Dandridge is a goddess. Josh Strickland really made the character real. They had such great voices which made these songs even more enjoyable.

And the first 10 minutes of the show is still one of my top favorite moments of Broadway. It's just upsetting they couldn't continue that kind of feeling the rest of the show.

[amalou]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:28pm

Right from sitting down, there's a sort of thrilling atmosphere with the drums getting louder, the stormy scene is set etc. The opening promises something that the rest of the show just couldn't deliver.

I didn't like Josh Strickland, some of the book was a little absurd, a few new songs were okay, the "Son of Man" scene was a huge let-down. The giant moth was pretty as was the music that went along with it. The scenery for the most part was dull but it did keep a jungle-y atmosphere. The climax was kind of lame...not much to get excited about.

All in all, I really wanted to like it because I liked the Disney movie. But no matter how much I wanted to get pulled in, I wasn't completely satisfied.

[jess20882]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:31pm

i saw it twice and really enjoyed it both times, not for the show as a whole but for pieces. i love merle dandridge (although i think she was greatly underused), niki scalera, chester gregory... i also enjoy the music - sure it's nothing completely spectacular, but it was enjoyable and the message of the show was meaningful. ok, i'll agree that the swinging vines got old after the first opening sequence, but some of the gorilla choreography was really really fun.
if i had to grade it, i'd give it a B...
just a thought

[Robert Taylor]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:42pm

I saw it twice and really enjoyed it quite a bit. Disney tried something extremely different than what was going on at the time, and for the most part they succeeded.

I must agree that the show is better thought of in parts than as a cohesive whole, because it works better if you remember the moments.

[JRybka]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 12:51pm

I have the cd of the show and have loved it since I bought it. I would have loved to have seen the show.
Merle is so amazing on the song You'll be in my Heart.

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 1:26pm

I saw the Cirque Du Solei show in Las Vegas called Ka before Tarzan. Ka also opened before Tarzan. There is a jungle type scene in Ka that immediately made me think while watching Tarzan - Disney STOLE this from Ka! The set, bungies etc. The biggest difference...Ka's jungle scene was a scene lasting one song. Disney made that one scene into an entire musical. I really tired of watching everyone bouncing and bouncing in Tarzan! The ape costumes did not look like apes to me - they looked like Cavemen! I really was disappointed with Tarzan.

I liked Little Mermaid better than Tarzan but I really didn't like the heelies. I thought they were too tacky and were more of a laugh distraction than a benefit.

[Kev14]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 3:26pm

I really enjoyed Tarzan. It has a fantastic soundtrack which saved the show for me. They could have certainly improved the show but it was alot of fun and I really liked it. Strange, I also saw KA and I didnt think twice about comparing the two.

I also agree the Little Mermaid is a lot better than Tarzan. Especially the scenery which is really cool.

[broadwayboy522]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 3:27pm

I thought the cast was really great!!!!! The cast really made the show but besides that nothing else to really brag about.

[Boy]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 3:56pm

Not to bring down the show, but it was a mess. The opening sequence was beautiful, one of the finest things I have seen in a theater if I am being completely honest, however from there it just collapsed. The set was neon green for a majority of the show, it wasnt appealing. The transitions into song from the book were very random and many of the songs felt out of place and incomplete. The cast did fine job with what they were given but it simply just wasnt a good production. If you could overlook these things then it was a fun night at the theater. But nothing more than maybe fun.

[carderic]

Posted: 7/9/08 at 4:05pm

I thought the book was lousy. A lot of the music was good. A lot of it was not. The set was terrible. The performances were meh. Overall, i thought it was crap. Worst thing i've seen on Broadway so far. Glad i only paid $20 for it. Met some nice people in the student line though!