Dancing apes, swinging vines, pouncing leopards, and more. What's going on at University School? Well, the jungle has taken a trip to the theater in Nova Southeastern University's production of Phil Collins' Tarzan.
This heartwarming musical based on the Disney film, with a book written by David Henry Hwang, in which a story is told of a boy who loses his parents in the jungle and is left in the hands of a local tribe of gorillas. The boy is raised as one of them, until as an adult; he comes into contact with other humans, and he is completely astonished. He begins to fall for one of the other humans named Jane, who is here on an expedition to analyze the life of the jungle including the gorillas, and has to go through some tough times and make some hard decisions to decide who he truly is.
University School's production of Tarzan is one of amazing quality. It had a wonderful and active ensemble that convincingly stayed in character throughout the entire show, including both the rowdy gang of gorillas and the intriguing "environmental" ensemble. It was a very large cast with a beautiful and large set, but each and every member made good use of it and had no problems maneuvering across the stage. Some singers struggled with higher notes, but generally it was very pleasant. The fly rail system used for lifting and carrying members of the cast across the stage was done very professionally and the swinging, jumping, and flying went very smoothly.
Some wonderful singers and actors carried along the show with high spirits as well. One of the notable students was Brittany Panzer as Kala, who left the heart feeling warm inside with her convincing performance as a caring mother, along with commendable singing and acting. Also memorable was Charley Garcia as Tarzan with consistent acting and singing choices. One who stole the stage during the performance was Laura Galindo as Terk, who showed consistent enthusiasm, great singing, and ape-like movement and dancing throughout the show.
The tricky part of Kerchak was done very well by Ryan Juda, who maintained very apelike movement and speech, strong singing, and even some surprising humor. Another memorable member of the cast is Brian Brant as Porter, who portrayed his character in an intriguing yet effective way. Some actors couldn't sing properly while in the air on the ropes, but usually it didn't take away from the performance.
The Lighting of the production really carried along the atmosphere of the show, and had little to no issues throughout the entire performance. The set was also beautifully made and was used well during the show, with very realistic rocks, vines, and plants. The costumes were also designed very well and the minor microphone problems during the show were fixed immediately. The makeup on some cast members' faces was out of place, but the body paint for the "dirt" on the apes was done astoundingly.
Nova Southeastern University's production was an entertaining and rambunctious experience that brought the crazy life of the jungle to the stage.
This heartwarming musical based on the Disney film, with a book written by David Henry Hwang, in which a story is told of a boy who loses his parents in the jungle and is left in the hands of a local tribe of gorillas. The boy is raised as one of them, until as an adult; he comes into contact with other humans, and he is completely astonished. He begins to fall for one of the other humans named Jane, who is here on an expedition to analyze the life of the jungle including the gorillas, and has to go through some tough times and make some hard decisions to decide who he truly is.
Some wonderful singers and actors carried along the show with high spirits as well. One of the notable students was Brittany Panzer as Kala, who left the heart feeling warm inside with her convincing performance as a caring mother, along with commendable singing and acting. Also memorable was Charley Garcia as Tarzan with consistent acting and singing choices. One who stole the stage during the performance was Laura Galindo as Terk, who showed consistent enthusiasm, great singing, and ape-like movement and dancing throughout the show.
The tricky part of Kerchak was done very well by Ryan Juda, who maintained very apelike movement and speech, strong singing, and even some surprising humor. Another memorable member of the cast is Brian Brant as Porter, who portrayed his character in an intriguing yet effective way. Some actors couldn't sing properly while in the air on the ropes, but usually it didn't take away from the performance.
The Lighting of the production really carried along the atmosphere of the show, and had little to no issues throughout the entire performance. The set was also beautifully made and was used well during the show, with very realistic rocks, vines, and plants. The costumes were also designed very well and the minor microphone problems during the show were fixed immediately. The makeup on some cast members' faces was out of place, but the body paint for the "dirt" on the apes was done astoundingly.
Nova Southeastern University's production was an entertaining and rambunctious experience that brought the crazy life of the jungle to the stage.
