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I play the title character in what has turned out to be the most fun, most challenging, most rewarding role I've ever played.  The cast is phenomenal and the show is a joy to perform.  I've actually never seen a reaction to a show like I have to this one, and I would like to personally thank the amazing supporters of this production.  Seriously you have been the best audiences ever.  Tarzan has broken all box office records at Tuacahn and I know people who have driven 5 hours or more and come back 8 times.  There has been a lot of press about this show and I've included some links if you're interested in reading more.  If you're anywhere near Southern Utah please try to come out and see this amazing show.  Visually it is like nothing you have ever seen.  The apmitheatre's natrual red rock background is breathtaking.  I also have them most spectacular entrance in musical theatre history.

REVIEW QUOTES

Leading the cast of 38 in the title role is James Royce Edwards. Edwards has starred on Broadway and on the national tours of Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Pippin, and All Shook Up. Off-Broadway, James has starred in Altar Boyz, Matthew Passion, and Wanda's World.

At his side in the role of Jane will be Summer Broyhill, a veteran of Hairspray on Broadway as well as the national tours of Hairspray and I Love a Piano. About the opportunity to perform in Tarzan at Tuacahn, she says, "Even when you perform professionally, you still relish the moments when your jaw drops and you succumb completely to believing in a magical world with its own set of rules. I think this production really has the potential to be that kind of magical."

Broadway veteran Evan D'Angeles (Miss Saigon, Pacific Overtures) plays the role of Tarzan's sidekick, Terk. Additional cast members include Cessalee Stovall (Kala), Sam Zeller (Kerchak), Jerry Hoffman (Porter), and Todd Dubail (Clayton). DuBail has been seen across the country in the national tours of Joseph... (Pharaoh, with Patrick Cassidy and Jon Secada), Grease (Danny, with Frankie Avalon, Chubbie Checker and Fabian), Leader of the Pack, and Jesus Christ Superstar (with Ted Neeley and Carl Anderson).

Rounding out the cast are Talon Ackerman, Kile Allen, Eli Bauer, Giovanni Bonaventura, Erica Bryce, JeRemy Carpenter, Olin Davidson, Molly DePola, Craig Donnelly, Carolyn Hartvigsen, Zachary Hess, Tammie Rose Johnston, Payton Kemp, Tommy Martinez, Troy McGee, Nicholas McGough, Ryan Nickels, Kyli Rae, Robert Reep, Eddy Schumacher, Kierstyn Sharrow, Alexis Smith, Shellie Telford, Joey Tierno, Veronica Yeager, and Lindsey Young.

Tarzan's pop-rock music, exotic costumes, and conflicted love story will come together under the capable direction of Tuacahn's Artistic Director, Scott S. Anderson. Anderson also directed the Tuacahn premiere of Les Misérables in 2008 and has assembled an eclectic cast and crew to bring the show to life in its first production in the United States outside of New York.

"The greatest challenge in producing Tarzan is the flying," says Anderson. "But some of the additions to our facility from our production of Peter Pan in 2006 helped accommodate the show's technical needs. This, combined with the engineering talents of Flying By Foy, aerial choreography by Cees de Kok and Cathy Perquin, and stage choreography by Mic Thomson, has allowed us to overcome this difficulty in a thrilling way."

Tuacahn's producers have been working for two years to make this production a reality. "Having seen Tarzan on Broadway, I knew Tuacahn would be a great place for the show to make its regional premiere," Anderson continues. "Originally the rights to present a local production of Tarzan were granted to another group of producers. Nevertheless, we continued to hope for our chance to bring it to life at Tuacahn. When Disney finally gave us the green light, we eagerly jumped at the chance!"

Tickets, priced from $22-$56, are available at the Tuacahn box office, by calling (435) 652-3300/(800) 746-9882 or online at tuacahn.org.

Tuacahn's production of Tarzan is licensed through a special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions and Music Theater International in New York.
 

Read more: http://broadwayworld.com/article/James_Royce_Edwards_Leads_Regional_Premiere_of_TARZAN_at_Tuacahn_Amphitheatre_67_1015_20100513#ixzz15KJpXu3r

Tuacahn celebrates 15th anniversary with impressive summer season
July 27th, 2010 @ 3:40pm
By Carole Mikita

IVINS -- A major player in Utah's performing arts community is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a blockbuster summer.
"I have performed on Broadway stages and around the world, but there is nothing like this place." - Evan D'Angeles, performer

Surrounded by Utah's famous red rock, musical theater under the stars once again draws a crowd. Tuacahn Amphitheater is having the most successful season in its history.

This summer's offerings include the regional premier of Disney's "Tarzan."

"He's Tarzan; he's pretty much like a Disney superhero. It's the coolest part in the world," says James Royce Edwards, who plays Tarzan in the Tuacahn production.

"Tarzan is breaking all of our box office records," says Scott S. Anderson, Tuacahn's artistic director. "I have never seen a show sell like this. We are packing in almost 2,000 people a night."

Approximately 150,000 see a summer production at Tuacahn. Managers say the recession has not affected them; and their success spreads to the community, bringing millions to the St. George economy.

It also brings top-notch talent. Performers in the three shows -- "Cats", "Tarzan" and "Crazy for You" -- come from across the country; one is a Tony Award winner.
What is... Tuacahn?
The Tuacahn Amphitheatre and Center for the Arts is built on 80 acres of land at the base of Padre Canyon in Ivins. The 42,000 square foot facility was completed in the spring of 1995 and features a 1920-seat outdoor amphitheatre, a 330-seat indoor theater, a dance studio, a black-box theater, a recital hall, a costume shop and scene shop, studios and classrooms, and a gift shop.

"My great grandfather Louis Ramsey was a noted landscape artist, and he painted Zions and Bryce and all these gorgeous southern Utah landscapes; so I love Utah and consider it one of my dear homes," says performer Lisa Hopkins Seegmiller.

Payton Kemp, a hometown Ivins boy, is performing in his first musical. He plays young Tarzan, and audiences have been impressed with his beautiful voice.

"The singing and the flying are really fun," Kemp says.

Many cast members say they have fallen in love with Utah.

"It's a beautiful venue here at Tuacahn," says performer Evan D'Angeles. "I have performed on Broadway stages and around the world, but there is nothing like this place." 

Each summer The Tuacahn Amphitheatre and Center for the Arts puts on a “Broadway in the Desert Series” which this year includes the first production of Disney’s Tarzan since it played on Broadway, Cats, which is a repeat due to its popularity, and Crazy For You, the delightful revamped George Gershwin musical. In this my first visit to Tuacahn I saw Tarzan and Cats and had a terrific time.

Tuacahn Amphitheatre is located at the mouth of Padre Canyon below the 1500-foot towering red rocks of Ivies Utah that is adjacent to Snow Canyon State Park. This theatre complex is part of a larger facility that encompasses a school for the performing arts, a smaller 330-seat theatre, a dance studio, a black-box theatre space, a recital hall and the appropriate costume and set building facilities. The staff is committed to the goal of providing family entertainment while also promoting the exposure of high school students to the world of musical theatre. The Amphitheatre was originally built to house the outdoor musical drama Utah, which celebrated the founding of the state of Utah. Overt time the emphasis has shifted to the Broadway musical.

Tuacahn was granted the rights to the Disney musical Tarzan that had recently played in New York. Previously they had been the first regional theatre to present Les Miserables. Disney's trust in these producers is totally justified because the productions at Tuacahn are fully professional and feature some first-rate talent.

Take the case of Tarzan. The theatre is outfitted with “Flying by Foy’ and the production draws on the expertise of some Vegas professional circus artists to teach the cast the art of aerial flight and action. Most of Tarzan takes place in the air and Tarzan’s entrance from out of the rocks is a sight to behold — pure magic. The cast is lead by a strong character actor/singer from Los Angeles, Sam Zeller, who plays the lead ape Kerchak. Although he is the designated villain of the piece, because he sees Tarzan as a potential enemy, he manages to gain our sympathy as a caring leader ready to defend his family at any cost. When the white hunter kills him, there are many tears shed in the audience.

Much of Tarzan  is typical Disney pap including Kerchak's death, but the show is so well done and so different in that it involves so much gymnastics that you can’t help but be caught up in the action. Zeller is strongly supported by a charming Paton Kemp as Young Tarzan, Jerry Hoffman as the well-meaning Professor Porter, Todd Dubail as the evil Hunter Clayton, Evan D’Angeles as the mischievous ape Turk, Summer Broyhill as the geeky but brave Jane, James Royce Edwards as the hunky Tarzan (he’s funny too), and the lovely Cessalee Stovall as Tarzan’s ape mother. The cast is full of good singers and talented dancers. Scott S. Anderson provides the fine direction.

Speaking of dancers, Cats is the other presentation and is staged in an original way by Derryl Yeager. One of the nicest touches here is to let the actor, who plays Young Tarzan, play Admetus, who echoes Grizabella’s great song “Memories”. The boy has a lovely and strong soprano voice. Grizabella is played by the Tony Award-winning (for Baz Luhrmann’s La Boheme) Lisa H. Seegmiller. And what a powerful performance she gives! Seegmiller is accompanied by others of a stellar cast: Nicholas McGough as Mr. Mistoffelees, Jerry Hoffman as Gus the Theatre Cat, Todd Dubail as the sexy Rum Tum Tigger, Ronald L Brown as Old Deuteronomy (he has a wonderful voice), and Veronica Yeager and Thayne Jasperson as Rumpleteaser and Mungojerrie respectively.

Tuacahn is only a short one-hour drive from Las Vegas and 1-½ hours from Cedar City and its famous Shakespearean Festival. By all means, visit this magnificent location and see some exciting work. I look forward to a return visit. Tarzan, Cats, and soon Crazy for You, will be playing in rep until mid October.
 

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/theatre-review-ivins-ut-tuacahn-summer/#ixzz15KO86u7W
 
 
 
 

the Disney Executives at Disney International actually enjoyed our production so much that they granted Tuacahn the rights to produce the post Broadway premiere or Disney's "The Little Mermaid" next season.  It's quite a compliment and a huge honor for this theatre.

Going Ape for Tarzan at Tuacahn!
Written by: Cyndy Sagendorf | June 16, 2010.

IVINS — I have been looking forward to seeing Tarzan for so long!  In part, because Phil Collins has been my all-time favorite, award-winning, singer / song-writer / drummer . . . and more than a few Tarzan soundtracks have been worn out in our home.  Also, Tuacahn is currently the only regional theater licensed in the U.S. to produce Tarzan.  In fact, this production is Tarzan‘s post-Broadway regional theater debut.

To start the evening—and my first experience reviewing for UTBA—I arrived early to anxiously anticipate the gates opening to avail my first glimpse of the stage as I was sure the jungle would begin to come to life in this desert setting even before it started.  To my dismay, the stage was bare and plain.  Had I not known what I was seeing, (and with the exception of all the Tarzan memorabilia for sale at the patio kiosks), I would have never guessed which production I was about to see.

After the typical Tuacahn welcome and announcements, the stage lighting starts to dance and flash, the jungle drumming begins, and my heart and adrenalin quickly sync to the beat! Now I’m on board and completely engrossed!

There is a ship mast, almost unnoticeable in the far back hills, which is set in front of the breath-taking Tuacahn red rock mountain backdrop.  It begins to sway and then sinks as the raging water floods the stage (an effect Tuacahn is famous for).  A shipwrecked mother, father and baby float across the stage and finally lodge on the West African shore as the stage fills with jungle from every angle.  The music and drums intensify!  Gorillas begin their entrance from cables, bungee cords, and tree tops.  They descend from above and dangle only feet above audience members as they twirl and swing and mimic all the primate gestures we watch so often at monkey exhibits!  (Kudos to the costumer & choreographer, as I almost forgot these were humans!)  A few wild cats (Leopards) prowl the stage on all fours with their glowing eyes.  I soon realized that the leopards are an important piece of the storyline—as it’s at their jaws that the parents meet their fate—which leaves the infant abandoned in a luggage chest.  He is soon to be discovered by his new primate mother Kala (Cessalee Stovall), who has recently lost her gorilla baby.  Kala takes the infant under her protection and brings him into the gorilla tribe and names him Tarzan.  It’s this “adopted bond” between a mother and her son that tightens the audience’s heart strings throughout the rest of the story.  It’s this same love and bond that is sure to bring tears before the finale.

Young Tarzan (Talon Ackerman) is amazing and becomes my focal point every time he is on stage.    He has a beautiful young voice, he can certainly dance, and he does acrobatics like no novice.  He is also not afraid of some high flying and swift aerials!  (Ackerman will be leaving his Tuacahn family on July 13th to play the role of Michael Banks in the first National Tour of Disney’s Mary Poppins, upon which Payton Kemp will take his place as the young Tarzan.)

One of my favorite scenes is when Young Tarzan is swinging high above the stage from a cable and then flies stage right and exits into a cave in exact syncopation with Older Tarzan who is descending from a high cable from the distant red rock to make his “grown-up entrance”.  The audience whispers “ooh’s and ah’s” in concert—and I experience instantaneous chills!  Older Tarzan (James Royce Edwards) and his “partner-in-crime” and the clown of the show primate buddy Terk (Evan D’Angeles) share many learning / teaching / bonding moments on stage as they forage the jungle together and often disobey Kerchak (Sam Zeller), Tarzan’s adopted father and Ape tribe leader. Eventually, Tarzan encounters his first human – Jane Porter (Summer Broyhill), a curious young explorer – and both of their worlds transform forever.

Jane attempts to teach Tarzan “human words” as Tarzan smells, touches, strokes and invades personal space looking for bugs in Jane’s beautiful long locks. Jane shows him a slide-show of civilized life back home and Tarzan swings her from trees and takes her home to introduce her to his ape mother.  (Jane notices the mother-son bond and is envious because she did not have the privilege of a mother in her life.)

The time eventually comes for the ultimate decision to be made: Will Jane stay or will Tarzan go? It’s a painful choice and I found myself wondering what I would do: stay with the family who raised and loved me or go back to “my kind” and follow the love of my life?  Tarzan makes his initial decision and I am upset!  I should learn to be patient (you would think I didn’t already know the ending)!  Jane must have heard my thoughts and she finally makes the right choice.  As Tarzan cradles Jane in his strong arms, they ascend to the back of the upper deck to live happily ever after.  Truth?  This is where I got bugged that Jane was in her “civilized” dress!  I whisper to the woman next to me that I’m disappointed because I feel she NEEDED to come out in her “jungle dress” so we can have confidence that she truly “fit in” with the gorilla tribe.

Again, patience is not my virtue!  Don’t fret.  Jane soon swings from stage right in her cute jungle ensemble and Tarzan from stage left with his 6-pack and they hang and flip in the middle “as gorillas do” before dropping to the stage for their final bows.

The greatest challenge in this production was the “flying”!  Scott Anderson (Director) has often referred to Tarzan as Peter Pan on steroids.  After making some additions to their facility for Peter Pan in 2006 and with the engineering talents of Flying by Foy, aerial choreography by Cees de Kok and Cathy Perquin and stage choreography by Mic Thompson, Tuacahn has been able to overcome this difficulty in a thrilling way. In fact, I can only recall one scene where flying did not occur!  It was so exciting!

Awesome, awesome performance!  Children and old alike will love Tarzan!  If you live in Salt Lake, this show is worth the trip! Performances are sold out for June so call soon to book for July – October 15th.

Tarzan opened June 7th and plays through October 15th on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Tuacahn Amphitheater in Ivins, Utah.  Show times are as follows: June – August 8:30 PM, September 8:00 PM and October 7:30 PM.  Tickets are $17-56.  For more information, visit www.tuacahn.org.
 
 
 

tarzan.com	ERBzine.com	DantonBurroughs.com	tarzan.org
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