The jungle will come to life in the desert when the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in Ivins, Utah, presents the regional premiere of Tarzan—the Broadway musical based on the popular 1999 Disney film and beloved story by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  Performances continue June 7—October 15, 2010.

(Ivins, UT) The Tuacahn Amphitheatre will be transformed into an African jungle when the Broadway musical adaptation of the Disney film Tarzan begins performances Monday, June 7, at 8:30 p.m.  Based upon the classic story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this live stage production boasts music by seven-time Grammy Award winner Phil Collins, including the Academy Award winning song “You’ll Be in My Heart.”  Tarzan will be performed each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night June 7—October 15 in the outdoor Tuacahn Amphitheatre.  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.

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!”

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

TARZAN

The Stage Musical
Based on the Disney Film

Music and Lyrics by Phil Collins            Book by David Henry Hwang

based on the story “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs

and the Disney film “Tarzan”

Originally presented on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions

TARZAN ARTISTIC STAFF

Director—Scott S. Anderson

Choreographer—Mic Thompson

Aerial Choreography—Cees de Kok and Cathy Perquin

Tumbling Choreography—Adam AhQuin

Scenic Designer—Doug Ellis

Costume Designers—Nancy Hamblin, Wilma Mickler, Rory Scanlon

Lighting Designer—Joseph L. Eddy

Music Direction—Camille Villalpando Rolla

Sound Designer—David Swenson

Hair Designer—Matthew Reeves Oliver

Makeup Designer—Guy Smith

Production Stage Manager—Monica Dickhens

Associate Producer—Jeffrey Martin

Producers—Scott S. Anderson, Kevin M. Smith, Kevin E. Warnick

BROADWAY IN THE DESERT: TARZAN AND CATS

Tarzan is the first production in Tuacahn’s annual theatre season, presented in the outdoor Tuacahn Amphitheatre each June through October.  The show will play in repertory with Cats through the middle of August. Crazy for You will then replace Cats and will be performed in repertory with Tarzan through October 16.  Cats features the same cast of actors as Tarzan with the addition of Grammy Award winner Lisa H. Seegmiller, who will play the role of Grizabella.  Seegmiller also received a Tony Award for her portrayal of Mimi in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of La Bohéme in 2003.

Tuacahn’s 2010 season is sponsored by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation; Utah Office of Tourism; Washington County CVB; Split Rock Development Group; Wells Fargo; Parr, Brown, Gee, & Loveless; Entrada; Boulevard Home Furnishings; Marriner Eccles Foundation; Deseret News; St. George Ford; SkyWest Airlines; Canyon Media Broadcasting; Kayenta; The Salt Lake Tribune; The Spectrum; Rocky Mountain Power; Brent & Bonnie Beesley Foundation; Crossroads Equipment; Executive Car Sales; Ivins City; Ruby’s Inn; Snow Canyon Motor Sports; Sun Country Chrysler; Utah Arts Council; Snow, Christensen & Martineau; Best Western Abbey Inn; Zions Bank; America First Credit Union; Painter’s Sun Country Mitsubishi; and State Bank of Southern Utah.

Tuacahn is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

As the holidays approach, Tuacahn Center for the Arts has been preparing for its annual Festival of Lights and Live Nativity, which premiers the day after Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27. Workers have been busy for many weeks hanging more than 200,000 lights on trees, bushes, buildings, and most everything within reach of a power outlet. “The effect is amazing. The lights create a wonderful holiday ambience-a place for the entire family to come and enjoy the spirit of the holiday season,” says Scott Anderson, Tuacahn’s Artistic Director.

The Festival will be open from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings through December 23. A reenactment of the nativity scene is presented in Tuacahn’s outdoor amphitheatre twice nightly at 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The Live Nativity features as many as sixty volunteer actors on stage along with an assortment of live animals, including the camel used by Will Smith in the film Independence Day. (NOTE: Due to Tuacahn’s “Christmas in the Canyon” concert, which is presented in the outdoor amphitheatre, the Live Nativity will not be performed Friday, December 4.) Tickets for the nativity cost $2.00 per person or $10.00 per family and are available at the door or by calling the Tuacahn box office.

On the plaza, patrons can savor hot cocoa from the concessions stand as they sit around an open fire, or stroll through the Tuacahn Gift Gallery stocked full of holiday presents and delights. Santa Claus will visit the plaza beginning at 6:30 pm. The Festival of Lights also offers rides on the Old Salty Train provided by Ruby’s Inn for only $1.00 per person. Local performance groups will also perform throughout the month on the outdoor plaza stage at 6:30 p.m, 7:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. (contact the Tuacahn box office for schedule).

At 7:00 pm on Friday, December 4t, Tuacahn presents “Christmas in the Canyon,” a delightful and upbeat holiday concert in the outdoor amphitheatre featuring singer/songwriter Sam Payne, Jenny Jordan Frogley, and BYU’s award-winning cappella ensemble, Vocal Point. “The idea behind this concert is to present a unique blend of professional musicians in a hometown tribute to the Christmas holidays,” says Kevin Smith, Tuacahn’s CEO. “This concert has become one of the highlights of the holidays.” For more information about Tuacahn’s Festival of Lights and Live Nativity, visit seeitoutside.com or call (435) 652-3300/(800) 746-9882.

Tuacahn High School of the Performing Arts will also present the holiday-themed musical production Irving Berlin’s White Christmas Dec. 3-5, 7, and 10-12 at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information to this production, call (435) 652-3201.

Local audiences have embraced Ryan Shupe’s and Peter Breinholt’s distinctive musical styles for many years. These Utah-based musicians create and perform lively, entertaining, folk/bluegrass/rock music in an exciting way that guarantees fans always have a great time at their concerts. These musicians will team up for a special performance at Tuacahn Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

RubberBand is a perfect name for Ryan Shupe and his band of amazing musicians. The group is known for its ability to stretch out musically in all directions, pinging back and forth with a joyful spontaneity most bands could barely imagine, let alone achieve. Each member possesses years of experience on his respective instrument and when the band comes together on tunes like the bouncy “Don’t Leave Me Lonely,” or the frenetically fun, “Last Man Standing,” their collective talent is explosive and undeniable.

The five man band, hailing from the Salt Lake City, is a breath of fresh air in an age where much of the music is over-produced. Their organic approach to performing has built them quite a following, not only through the West but around the rest of the country as well. Lead singer Ryan Shupe originally formed the band as an outlet for his songwriting but it soon took on a life all its own, becoming bigger than anything he could have originally imagined.

Songwriter Peter Breinholt has been delighting audiences with his self-styled acoustic music for more than a decade. He has sold out every major concert hall in his home state of Utah many times over, including Kingsbury Hall, Tuacahn, Sundance, Thanksgiving Point, and BYU’s de Jong Concert Hall, among others. His credits also include six albums, a concert DVD, guitar songbooks, film scores, Pearl Awards, songwriting awards, and concerts with several symphony orchestras and choirs, including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Writing of his music, The Independent said that “anyone familiar with Breinholt’s vibe will find a lot to enjoy here—heavy investment in big neo-folk grooves, with Breinholt’s clear voice sharing center-stage with his articulate and confident acoustic guitar work.” You’ll surely feel the same way when Peter Breinholt and Ryan Shupe come together for a night of great music in Southern Utah’s most spectacular setting.

Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband and Peter Breinholt will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2009, at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre. Tickets, priced at only $15.50, are available at the Tuacahn box office by calling 435.652.3300/800.746.9882 or online at tuacahn.org.