Tarzan Comes To Broadway
Tarzan the Musical opened on Broadway in May but it will be curious to see how long it lasts.
I recently saw Phil Collins on the Today Show plugging the musical along with Josh Strickland (from American Idol fame). Unfortunately, during the performances of selective songs, he didn’t allow his leading man to garnish too much of the spotlight. He sang most of the music himself with a very casual “Why Am I Here” attitude. I was never a big fan of the music from the movie Tarzan and the songs from the Broadway Musical just seem to sadly be more of the same. I’d much rather hear Josh Strickland sing them though.
The New York Times didn’t have many good things to say about it and many of the reader’s reviews said the same. The opening sequence sounds incredible, but everyone says that within 5 minutes it goes down hill and the NYT critic, out of all the elements of the production, only really had good things to say about the lighting designer, Natasha Katz.
Sadly, most critics and patrons say that even the children aren’t too thrilled with the show. I think that is a shame, because there are not a lot of children friendly theatrical productions out there and it is enjoyable to strip your kids away from the Play Station, XBox or DVD’s and introduce them to something as special as live theater.
I think Broadway producers are getting so concerned about the spectacle of the production that they forget about what makes going to a Broadway show truly magical. The spectacle is wonderful, but it is the characters, the story and the emotion of seeing it all played out moment-by-moment right in front of you that drives you to want to return.
I am learning that when you start seeing a Broadway show hit the talk show circuit it is either receiving incredible accolades (like a Tony nomination) and is all the buzz of Broadway or they need help selling the tickets.
Well, I don’t get to New York much, so if you have seen the show let us know what you think.
Tarzan the Musical is playing now at the Richard Rogers Theater on 46th and Broadway. Tickets range from $51 to $111.
*Picture downloaded from here.
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