When the original Broadway recording of Tarzan was released, Neil Starkenberg spent hours singing along to the smooth vocals of Josh Strickland, belting out lyrics to “Everything I Am” and other songs with a passion that could be felt by anyone listening.
Now Starkenberg can’t believe he is living out his dream — singing the same beautiful lyrics, only this time he’s doing so as the understudy to Strickland himself in Tuacahn’s production of Tarzan.
“I can’t believe I get to share a stage with Josh and call him one of my friends. I am on cloud nine,” Starkenberg said. “My 17-year-old self is giving me a very big pat on the back right now.”
It’s just one of many dreams coming to fruition and the beginning of many more memories as the cast and crew for Tuacahn’s 2023 season gathered at the base of the red rocks in Southern Utah a few weeks ago with an energy that was almost palpable.
“It’s all abuzz. It’s non-stop,” Shari Jordan, associate artistic producer for Tuacahn said of the days following the actors’ arrival. “We get so excited to see everyone again after the final casting decisions.”
For people like Starkenberg, who played Bert in Mary Poppins last year, returning to Tuacahn is a little like a family reunion, reconnecting with all the people both on stage and backstage that he came to love.
“It makes you feel so special when they remember you and are excited to have you back,” he said.
Not everyone is a returning player in the Tuacahn family, however. Some are making their debut on this unique stage, and they are just as excited to be experiencing it all for the first time.
“This is an extraordinary setting. I couldn’t wait to see it in person,” said Joel Briel, who plays Grandpa Joe in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “I had seen video footage of the space, but I was still floored. It’s the perfect place to create the magic of theater.”
The role of Grandpa Joe is not anything that had been on Briel’s radar, even though he’s nearing an age where he fits well with a grandfather part; though he’s quick to point out he is nowhere close to 90.
“I was 12 years old, the same age as Charlie Bucket in the story, when I first saw the Gene Wilder movie,” Briel said. “It made such an impression on me and stayed in my heart because of the great music. It has such a beautiful and delightfully twisted story.”
Briel said it is a joy to join forces with the talented Charlie Stover, who plays Charlie Bucket, in singing “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” — a tune that has been running through Briel’s mind since he was 12.
“When I went into the audition and sang that song, I felt like I was literally floating on air,” Briel said.
And he can’t believe that this role is also allowing him to literally float on air, with the help of the flying apparatus, in one particularly exciting scene inside Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
“When we were finalizing contracts they asked me if I had any fear of heights. I told them I only have a fear of falling from heights,” Briel said with a laugh. “But I can trust Flying by Foy to make everything go smoothly. It’s just so wonderful to be checking off all these amazing boxes in my career.”
Now that the actors are on site and rehearsals are in full swing, audiences are even closer to getting their first peek at the unbelievable magic of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Tarzan — both of which are filled with, as you might expect, pure imagination.
“It’s designed to make you utterly enchanted,” Briel said.
Get your first look at Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory May 13, and Tarzan May 20. Both shows continue in repertory through Oct. 20, along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame opening July 15 in the Outdoor Amphitheatre. And don’t miss Beautiful: The Carole King Musical June 30 to Aug. 19 in the Indoor Hafen Theatre. Tickets are on sale now at www.tuacahn.org and 435-652-3300.