Praised by USA Today as a Broadway hit of "uncynical warmth and charm," the Tony-nominated Tarzan: The Musical swings into Moline's Spotlight Theatre for an area-debut run from June 7 through 16, this theatrical adaptation of Disney's Oscar-winning animated film boasting magical stagecraft and delightful tunes including "Two Worlds," "Strangers Like Me," and 1999's Academy Award champion ""You'll Be In My Heart."
With its book by Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang and music by the legendary Phil Collins, Tarzan: The Musical opens on the shores of West Africa, where a baby boy is orphaned when his shipwrecked parents become the victims of a fierce leopard. He is subsequently taken in and raised by a family of gorillas who have recently lost their own baby to the same predator. They name the child Tarzan, and he grows up as one of the pack. However, his foster father Kerchak remains wary of having a human in the jungle. When an expedition of human explorers and naturalists enter the jungle, Tarzan encounters creatures like himself for the first time. As he learns about human life and grows increasingly enamored of Jane, a young naturalist, Tarzan begins to realize that they are not so different. However, Tarzan and Jane’s relationship threatens the safety of the gorillas, and the couple must eventually decide where they truly belong.