Following up immersive renditions of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, the Sunset Place-based theatre troupe returns with a seldom-performed Disney classic
John Manarang July 18, 2025
The 1999 Disney Animated film Tarzan brought Edgar Rice Burrough’s story of a man raised by apes coming into contact with humans for the first time to the Broadway stage in 2006. Area Stage Co, the Sunset Place-based theatrical conservatory based out of Sunset Place has been steadily establishing themselves with immersive productions of Annie and Oliver!, replacing the casts of plucky orphans with a troupe of adults playing multiple roles.
Taking on Disney’s juggernauts crafting in-the-round renditions of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, the company returns with a re-imagined version of Tarzan with previews from July 17-19 and an official opening night on July 19, running until August 10.
With a book by playwright David Henry Hwang, whose Broadway revival of Yellow Face won at the 78th Tony Awards, the music and lyrics come from Genesis frontman Phil Collins who wrote about nine new songs for the production. Collins’ songs here are performed by a live rock ensemble. Set in-the-round once again, Director Giancarlo Rodaz invites the audience as hunters and explorers into the world of the show as storytellers recall the story of Tarzan. Featuring the company’s signature immersive staging, the audience can expect atmospheric scenic design and interactive moments.
While the original Broadway production of Tarzan closed prematurely, possibly due to the fact that Disney was running Tarzan simultaneously alongside the more established hits of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast (similar to the recent closure of Frozen), the Junior version has been a favorite of educators. Yet, the show has not often been produced by professional theater companies due to the scale of the production which involved actors swinging on flight rigs.
However, in recent years international renditions of the show have brought a new life to Tarzan and this version of the show promises to entirely transform the material. Area Stage Co’s Tarzan offers a transformative version of the familiar story that puts audiences right in the story, blurring the line between the audience and the action. Tarzan begins previews from July 17-19 and an official opening night on July 19, running until August 10 at their Sunset Place theater with tickets available here.
