Tarzan Article w/ Pictures Covers NY Times Arts & Leisure Section- Page 2

[CJWesselman]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 2:46pm

Thanks, taboo! I meant my post as a joke, but in all seriousness, I guess I mean what I say about the athletic build. You pretty much put it the way I should have if I wanted to be taken seriously.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 2:51pm

Current Disney version, Tarzan the ape boy.

YWIW version - Christopher Lambert - Tarzan, the ape man.


Updated On: 4/15/06 at 02:51 PM

[zepka102]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 3:02pm

crazy thought here... i was trying to think why they would give Tarzan dreads. they obviously need to give him a dirty look. he's not going to be able to use shampoo and conditioner very often living uncivilized in a jungle. maybe from far it looks like his hair is disgusting and clumping together...? his hair wasn't exactly free and wavey in the Disney movie if you want to compare it to that. i don't know. i was trying to think of some reason. doesn't make sense, but it's an idea!

Updated On: 4/15/06 at 03:02 PM

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 3:15pm

Tarzan should have a huge upper body! The guy is climbing trees all day swinging on vines. Also, if I am not mistaken, doesnt he fight of Leopards and other nasty jungle creatures? There is no way he would be able to do that being so scrawny!

Now what I dont get with the people that say that Disney wants him to be small and lean is that this is a DISNEY production based off of their own DISNEY movie. Why wouldnt they make him look like he did in their own movie?! It seems to me that their goal is always to stay as faithfull to their films as possible as to not alienate their fans, in which cased it would appear they have failed.

[RobbO]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 3:18pm

no version of tarzan has ever had a huge upper body though, so i think a lean, muscled body like josh has looks just perfect for the part.

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 3:32pm

I'm with the ones who think that Tarzan should've been cast with someone with a better built.
Most people identify the character like that, even in the movie he was twice the size...so I think audiences expect that.

Now, I think that Tarzan's body type will be the least of the show's problems when it opens...

[susieq3c]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 3:43pm

I'm telling you, I KNOW for a FACT that the creators wanted a more lean look...more of a swimmers build. And I don't think they had any intention of staying faithful to the movie. Creators in general get bored (think of any composers "variations" on a theme) and I imagine they wanted to bring about a new vision to the story. If viewers want a faithful reproduction of the movie, watch the DVD...
Updated On: 4/15/06 at 03:43 PM

[zepka102]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 3:49pm

yea, they always wanted swimmer's build... said so in the casting notice... Josh fits

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 4:10pm

You know, that picture of Josh is the best thing to come out of this show yet. I don't have much desire to see it, but I do like that picture.

[liotte]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 4:27pm

I think most of the people judging the show and Josh based solely on a picture or reviews online should see the show first before commenting.
Josh is extremely talented, he looks great and sings the hell out of the role.

[elvenprincess971]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 4:31pm

on the dreads thing... Tarzan probably doesn't have access to shampoo or a comb most of the time, and dreads do form naturally without proper washing and brushing.

I think he looks great... but then again, I like dreads...

Updated On: 4/15/06 at 04:31 PM

[YankeeGal#24]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 4:34pm

Amen liotte

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 4:57pm

liotte - I am sure Josh does a wonderful job. And, I don't know what age Tarzan is when found by/or finds Jane.

Physically, all I am saying is that he looks young to play "Kind of/Lord of the Apes." Maybe that is because Disney's target is to get the teenagers in there and the younger adults. For that market, Josh seems to be physically quite spot on.

I have only seen a few Tarzans in my day, and thought the only one to give me the menacing feel of anyone who could be "Lord of the Apes" is Christopher Lambert, with a bit of older, menacing sexuality there.

I am sure Josh will do wonderfully and is cast properly for what the producers of the show want.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 5:15pm

Travis Fimmell = Modern Day Tarzan

http://www.travisfimmel.homestead.com/Tarzan.html

Updated On: 4/15/06 at 05:15 PM

[Joshua488]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:06pm

The audition notice for Tarzan specifically stated that they wanted someone with more of a swimmer's build, not your stereotypical over-inflated, steroid-popping muscle guy.

And I think I need to see this show now, just so I can actually have an informed opinion about this show. I'm just not looking forward to it, though. Updated On: 4/15/06 at 06:06 PM

[BreeDaniel]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:16pm

I'm going to ask a serious question, WHEN are producers going to get a clue and STOP hiring the casting offices of Telsey casting to cast their shows? I've seen Tarzan and it's not even worth "reviewing", that's how terrible I thought the whole thing was and yes, while Tarzan has a lovely voice, there's little else to latch on to. And Jennifer Gambetese as Jane? Come on! Really, when will they learn? And it gets worse with each show they cast. All I can say is poor Shuler Hensley.
Updated On: 4/15/06 at 06:16 PM

[FosterChild]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:19pm

I gotta agree with Bree...

This show is definitely cast wrong. I KNOW the casting notice said that's what they wanted, but it's all wrong. I'm sure Strickland's a nice guy, but he's just not Tarzan.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:25pm

Please, don't get me started about "them". It's been a steady descent ever since they decided to cast a guy with two left feet to play the John travolta role in Saturday Night Fever. Updated On: 4/15/06 at 06:25 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:39pm

"...acting is good enough and getting better."

Does what is implied in this statement, ladies and gentleman, justify a top ticket price of over $100 on Broadway? "Good enough and getting better" should not be an acceptable rule-of-thumb for acting on Broadway in any production.

My post is not directed at TARZAN nor the actor who plays him, as I have not seen the production. It is directed at the continual lowering of standards across the board.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:41pm

Uninteresting-looking actor, judging from the Times photo.

Well, the whole enterprise sounds iffy to me, starting with hiring a set designer to be the director as well. Bad, bad news.



Mama Tiny
Montgomery, Alabama

[Phantom2]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 6:45pm

Joe Machota would have made an outstanding Tarzan. He's definitely got the bod, the voice, and the acting chops.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 7:44pm

"...acting is good enough and getting better."

Does what is implied in this statement, ladies and gentleman, justify a top ticket price of over $100 on Broadway? "Good enough and getting better" should not be an acceptable rule-of-thumb for acting on Broadway in any production.

What I was implying was that since they are really only a couple of previews in, I have every reason to believe he will be spot on by opening night. There's still several weeks to go, and I do think the critics will highlight his performance.

PS Technically, the audience was paying preview prices.

[zepka102]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 8:00pm

many people were already highlighting his performance here as far as acting and singing... if he's still growing in it, i'm sure he WILL be highlighted by critics... i hope so!

[arykahmarye]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 9:01pm

I saw this show last week at it's 3rd preview, seriously dreading the experience and expecting the worst. But walking out i was completely stunned and enthralled.

Josh Strickland certainly wasn't the best actor i've ever seen on stage, but he's really embodied the part and made it work for him. Maybe he's not what you expect Tarzan to look like, but during the performance he does become what Tarzan is and should be.

And when you're actually in the audience, the ropes don't carry the same hokey feel that picture seems to be evoking.

It's certainly worth giving a shot, guys. I'm a full-on Tarzan fan now, after spending months saying how much it was going to suck.

[FrancisGumm]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 9:47pm

i understand your point on he being the ape man and needing to be hairy, but thats just gross and distracting-especially the pictures on the main BWW site with he and jenn and that hair oozing out of the shirt :x

and i liked that tarzan show /travis. rosario dawson's bf whose name escapes at the moment reminds me of tarzan too.

Updated On: 4/15/06 at 09:47 PM