If you have followed my reviews for any amount of time you know I have mixed opinions about the Disney Theatrical adaptations of their animated films. Some I love like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King and others I could live without like Mary Poppins. You can see my ranking of the Disney theatricals here:

When it comes to the Broadway adaptation of Tarzan I had it grouped in the lower grouping but then I saw it this summer at Herriman Arts Council and was quite taken with it. This made me excited when I heard Empress Theatre was putting it on to give it another look and see what I thought of it. Now I’ve seen it and yeah it’s definitely a show I underestimated at first and I’ve moved it up a few slots in my Disney Theatricals ranking.

Anyway, that’s a long introduction to saying I enjoy Tarzan as a musical and I had a great time with it at The Empress Theatre in Magna (people get all concerned when they hear Magna but it’s honestly just a hop up from the airport. No big deal!) This is community theatre so it is not going to be perfect but it is spirited and any unpolished elements are all part of the charm of the experience.

This production is directed by Cheryl Cripps Richardson, and I admire the way she used the unusual Empress stage to its full advantages. If you’ve never been they have a half-way theater-in-the-round with a large platform above the stage they can act scenes out on. For Tarzan they used the platform as part of the jungle and then had 2 large ropes they could swing on to create a swinging through vines effect. They also bring in other visual effects in the story like using strobe lights to create the vintage film reel look in “Strangers Like Me.”

For community theatre a lot is asked of the actors with the swinging, dancing (Gweny Adams particularly impressed me with her interpretative dance approach to the Leopard in the early sequences. Choreographer Dylan Panter), singing, and of course acting. Ashley Bates leads the team in all aspects as Kala (Adult Tarzan isn’t actually introduced until “Son of Man” and Jane isn’t introduced until the end of Act 1). Bates is warm yet determined as Kala and has a beautiful alto voice for songs like “You’ll Be in My Heart” and “As Sure as the Sun turns to Moon.” All of the animal cast performed their roles with abandon, which made the experience very entertaining and sweet.

Tyler Rasmussen and Sophie Manzanares have lovely chemistry as Tarzan and Jane respectively and she is able to keep the British accent consistently throughout the show. Ian Bates also makes for a deliciously moustache twirling villain in his Clayton (if you haven’t caught on I prefer my villains to lean into the camp whenever possible in musical theatre.)

Obviously not everything was perfect the night we attended but the cast soldiered forward like any good night of community theater must do. Tarzan at The Empress Theatre would be a great choice for introducing young ones to musical theatre and is guaranteed to entertain the whole family (and maybe one they don’t see as frequently as other Disney shows like The Little Mermaid.) I definitely recommend it. It is playing through September 6th and tickets can be purchased here.

Tarzan features music and lyrics by Phil Collins with a book by David Henry Hwang based on the 1999 Disney film and Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

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