REVIEW: Tarzan the Stage Musical - Spotlight Theatrical Company

Tarzan – The Stage Musical

Based on the Disney film

The Spotlight Theatrical Company

Directed by Stuart Morgan

Music Direction by Matt Pearson

Choreography by Jennifer and Perrin Gilbert

Photography by Clay English from Vargo Studios

Fellow millennials, let’s go back to 1999. Phil Collins of Genesis has just dropped a killer soundtrack for an Disney animated film about a jungle-raised man. Fast forward to now, and Tarzan The Stage Musical swings straight back into that era of big music and bigger heart.

I strolled into Tarzan at Spotlight Theatre all set for a nostalgia trip, and before I knew it, I was swinging through a full jungle of emotions! This production doesn’t just tiptoe into the magic of Disney. It catapults off it, vine-swinging into a wild theatrical adventure that is thrilling, acrobatic, immersive, and impressively ambitious.

As a 90s kid, I instantly vibe with director Stuart Morgan. Just like me, his childhood was shaped by the Disney Renaissance and those animated classics that taught us life’s most important lesson: singing absolutely solves everything. This production honours the emotional core of the story while embracing theatrical spectacle, creative risk, and a level of scale that genuinely made me whisper, “Seriously, what was their budget?!"

Set deep within the African jungle, Tarzan follows a young boy orphaned after a tragic shipwreck and a run-in with a leopard, who is raised by a family of gorillas. Taken in by the gentle Kala after she loses her own baby, Tarzan grows up learning the rhythms of jungle life, but as he matures, he begins to question where he truly belongs. When a group of humans arrive to study the wildlife, including the adventurous Jane Porter, Tarzan finds himself caught between two worlds.

Before the show even begins, the jungle is alive. The "animals" roam the auditorium, interacting with the audience and being “fed” with $1 cups of animal feed available from the theatre bar. So playful and immersive, and immediately lowers the fourth wall. This is theatre that wants to drag you right into the wild world, not just sit there like a frog on a log. Stepping into the cool, dark air of Halpin Auditorium, the sound of crashing waves surrounds you. A scrim reveals an old-world map projection, with a ship sailing towards Africa. The ocean grows rough, the sound swells, and suddenly Father, Mother, and Baby Tarzan are caught in the storm, tumbled by the sea and fighting for survival. These opening moments are cinematic, tense, and beautifully staged.

Then the set is revealed… Designed by Stuart Morgan and Peter Maden, this jungle is everywhere! It's as if they gathered every green and brown fabric they could find, knotted them, and hung them up to make the stage wings so densely decorated that performers had to pull them aside like curtains to enter. Upstage, a ladder climbs to a platform and a gigantic tree trunk dominates the space, opening to reveal a treehouse constructed from shipping crates... Tarzan’s first home. The lower section opens for more transformations, and cleverly integrated behind the environment is the twelve-piece band.

From the opening number “Two Worlds”, the ensemble’s physicality knocked my socks off. Bare feet of course, backs hunched, weight dropped low, and plenty of grunts. Did the ensemble genuinely study gorilla movements for weeks?! It certainly looks that way! While they obviously cannot walk fully on their knuckles, they incorporate knuckle-based gestures and hunched stances with impressive commitment. The upper-body strength of the rope climbers is unreal, and the ensemble never drops character, even in the background. Watch them closely, there are some very funny choices happening.

At the heart of it all is Flynn Anderson as Tarzan. After Brock Drinkwater was accepted into WAAPA (congrats!), he had to step away from the production, allowing Flynn to step in! Though his role has few words, his acting is precious, sincere, and captivating. Flynn communicates beautifully through movement, stillness, and presence. Plus, his singing voice is outstanding. In “Son of Man” (a song I've definitely listened to over a hundred times), the cast delivers everything I could have hoped for. The transition from young to grown Tarzan is slick, capped off with an incredible acrobatic (leap-flippy-feet) move that I cannot even explain, only applaud. Later, in “Strangers Like Me,” there's a minor timing issue between Tarzan, the band, and the offstage harmony, but Flynn powers through with his stunning tone. He truly has the voice of a Disney prince, which is quite fitting given his name. Someone please stage Aladdin immediately so Flynn can star in it.

Alannah Eyerich is a sensational Jane Porter. She leans fully into the proper British accent and fast-talking curiosity, crafting a Jane who is youthful, excitable, intelligent, and deeply passionate. Her first solo, “Waiting for This Moment”, introduces her in spectacular style, surrounded by ensemble members as flowers while an enormous (Audrey II-style) carnivorous plant attempts to make her lunch. Alannah’s voice is bright, pitch-perfect, and expressive, with gorgeous dynamic contrast and seamless register shifts.

Jane's falling-in-love ballad “For the First Time” becomes a split-stage duet with Tarzan, keeping them physically separate yet emotionally connected. It is beautifully directed, with both performers equally passionate and vocally matched. Their duet “Different” sees Jane and Tarzan narrate aloud, not understanding each other’s language, while the stage explodes with visual storytelling. Vines descend from above, the ensemble leap and climb, an aerialist flies on silks (REALLY), ropes swing across, and movement ripples through the jungle. Flynn and Alannah remain the calm centre as friendship and understanding collide with the chaos.

Dana Sandry as Kala is simply breathtaking, radiating warmth and maternal strength. Dressed in warm tones of orange, brown, and purple, and crimped hair with colourful clip-ins. Her voice feels like a comforting embrace, and her face is beautifully expressive; whether distorted with grief or filled with love. When she sings “You’ll Be in My Heart” to a doll baby Tarzan (who, by the way, has a hilariously full head of hair!), it hits you right in the feels with sincerity and tenderness.

Perrin Gilbert as the silverback gorilla Kerchak carries low-bellied tone and simmering intensity. His singing voice carries weight, his posture screams dominance, and his almost-constant gruffness makes his emotional arc with Kala and Tarzan especially effective. On the flip side, Jonathan Whitlow as Tarzan's bestie Terk is the ultimate scene-stealer. His character is a cocktail of hilarity and sharp detail, and his song “Who Better Than Me” is my top pick for tunes that are not in the movie, paired with some of the most energetic and physically demanding choreography in the show. “Trashing the Camp” is another jaw-dropper, led by Jonathan with ferocious energy and full-throttle vocals.

Young Tarzan is played by James Mitchell and Oscar Borrett (I saw Oscar), who is sweet, confident, and comfortable on stage with significant storytelling responsibility. Perrin’s real-life child Charles Gilbert plays the baby gorilla. He is adorable… until he is eaten by the leopard. Spoiler alert. I have genuinely never seen a kid so young on stage before!

Harrison Salter as the Leopard is so convincing I wonder if he was raised by actual cats. He moves on all fours with feline agility, slinking through the aisles, across the stage, and up the ladder in total silence. The Tarzan versus Leopard stage combat is epic, staged with clarity and care, and plays as a battle of instinct versus intelligence, agility versus strength.

Joe Bourke adds another splash of warmth and humour as Professor Porter, playing him as an excitable scientist and doting dad. His cheerful embrace of Tarzan, his fascination, and his affection for his daughter are clearly portrayed in "Like No Man I’ve Seen." Meanwhile, Daniel Carson steps in during Act Two as the arrogant, dogmatic antagonist Clayton. Zak Drew makes a heartfelt comeback as Tarzan’s father for "Everything That I Am" alongside Flynn and Oscar. Additionally, Nicolette Ditchburn's breathtaking atmospheric vocals drift through the jungle like mist every now and then.

The live music is an absolute jackpot. Under the direction of Matt Pearson, the band turns up the volume, with the percussion leading the way! It felt like a second heartbeat pounding within me. Costumes by Pina Crisafulli Omeros are richly textured fabrics, paired with deeply contoured makeup, dirtied skin, and wild hair. The gorilla makeup on Terk, Kala and Kerhak in particular is stunning and deserves special recognition (but I don’t know who to credit, sorry!). Lighting by Leonnie Jones and Ariana Sinner paints the jungle floor with layered patterns and lush colours, while projections by Stuart Morgan mark the passage of time and shifting worlds. Nick Willner's sound design is immersive, featuring bird calls, gunshots, roaring animals, and more.

The choreography by Jennifer and Perrin Gilbert blends naturalistic movement with modern technique, showcasing the cast's remarkable endurance as they deliver backing vocals while in constant motion. Each dancer is a dynamo, wholeheartedly committed, and highly skilled. Seriously, what’s in the water on the Gold Coast?! The talent coming out of this region is extraordinary, with performers shaped by training grounds like NAPA, SEPAC, Spotlight Youth, and beyond; enabling Spotlight Theatre's performances to consistently excel in choreography and casting.

If you want a swinging good time, you absolutely need to catch Tarzan – The Stage Musical. It’s got storytelling that will make you grin like a chimp, mind-blowing routines, stunning vocals, and epic production values. Even the bows were a spectacle!