Live Review: Tarzan – The Stage Musical @ National Theatre, Melbourne

Since 1912, when American author Edgar Rice Burroughs first introduced the world to the character Tarzan of the Apes, there have been numerous adaptations, most notably the Disney animated movie in 1999.

Released at the tail end of Disney’s renaissance, Tarzan featured one of the most underrated Disney soundtracks of all time, courtesy of Phil Collins. However, despite the iconic music, the film isn’t a traditional musical. Instead, the disembodied voice of Collins acts as a kind of narrator, driving the story through song.

Which begs the question: how do you turn a non-musical like Tarzan into a stage musical?

The answer came in 2006, when Tarzan was given the Broadway treatment. Unlike the film, the stage version had the characters singing the now-iconic tracks themselves. Collins even contributed nine additional tracks to the score.

In theory, it should have worked. Except it didn’t, at least not back in 2006.

In its most realised form, TARZAN – The Stage Musical should be one part Cirque du Soleil, one part heartwarming Disney epic.

Playing exclusively at Melbourne’s National Theatre for a limited season, TARZAN – The Stage Musical is directed by Alister Smith (Elvis: A Musical Revolution, The Boys in the Band) and produced by Green Room Award-winner James Terry Collective. This new staging deliberately distances itself from the short-lived and critically panned Broadway version, boldly forging its own identity.

And it mostly succeeds—though it still feels somewhat constrained by the limitations of a traditional theatre. The aerial choreography is impressive, offering an exciting sense of elevation and fluid movement that brings Tarzan’s treetop world to life.

However, a show like TARZAN – The Stage Musical feels designed for a big top, where aerial performers have the space to truly soar. The premise itself begs for verticality, for the thrilling illusion of vast wilderness stretching endlessly above and around you. At times, the production feels like it's pushing against the walls of the space, yearning for something grander.

Still, what this production lacks in scale, it makes up for in imagination. Set designer Jacob Battista delivers a striking jungle-meets-shipwreck aesthetic, with modular set pieces that shift and adapt as the story unfolds. Layered fringe vines hang in dense, flowing tiers, creating a rich and immersive environment. The result has a dimensional impact, evoking the groundbreaking Deep Canvas rendering technique created for the original film that gave the animation a dynamic sense of depth and fluid motion. On stage, Battista’s design echoes that same illusion of space.

With a book by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, TARZAN – The Stage Musical remains largely faithful to its Disney origins. Raised by gorillas in the African jungle, Tarzan’s world is upended by the arrival of a human expedition. Among them is the inquisitive Jane Porter, and as their worlds collide, Tarzan is pulled into a journey of self-discovery, grappling with who he is and where he truly belongs.

In the title role, Joshua Russell (Moulin Rouge! The Musical) leads the company with a compelling mix of physical strength and emotional vulnerability. As young Tarzan, Daniel Lim gave a nuanced performance, subtly conveying the character’s cleverness and deep yearning to belong.

Devon Braithwaite (Chicago, Hadestown) brings gravitas to the role of Kerchak, a character whose expanded backstory adds emotional depth and helps contextualise his deep mistrust of humans. In a gender-flipped take on Terk, Trent Owers (Titaniqué) injects the production with mischief and flair.

Drew Holmes (Kinky Boots) delivers a pleasantly unexpected comedic performance as the eccentric Professor Porter, stealing scenes with playful presence that brings warmth and levity to the show. By contrast, Nick Eynaud (Sweeney Todd) falls short as Clayton, delivering a performance that lacks menace and lands somewhere between campy colonial gerbil and moustache-twirling cartoon villain.

Ultimately, though, the show belongs to the women in Tarzan’s life. Act I is anchored by Kala, while Act II is undeniably Jane’s.

We open on a young couple and their baby, marooned somewhere in equatorial Africa in the 1880s. As with most Disney tales, the child is soon orphaned, setting the emotional foundation for what’s to come. Sarah Murr (Hadestown, & Juliet) is both tender and commanding as Kala. Her performance in You’ll Be in My Heart stands out as poignant and deeply affecting.

Later, her duet with Kerchak, Sure as Sun Turns to Moon, adds emotional depth to their relationship. While the pacing of the production can feel somewhat sluggish in stretches of Act I, it gains momentum with Son of Man, which injects much-needed energy and propels the story forward. Missing from the production is the character Tantor, along with some of the film’s funniest lines.

By the end of Act 1, the focus shifts to Jane. Emily Robinson makes a confident principal debut in the role. Her solo Waiting for This Moment reveals more about Jane’s intellect and inner world than much of the plot does for Tarzan.

It’s a rare exception in a score that can often feel like filler. Robinson’s sharp, charismatic delivery is matched by clever staging, including a playful use of umbrellas that subtly transform into the objects of botanical discovery. Robinson brings a welcome spark to the second act, balancing curiosity, intelligence, and comic timing with ease.

Under the direction of choreographer Michael Ralph (The Wedding Singer, Legally Blonde), movement becomes both a form of vocabulary and an integral part of the production’s visual storytelling, evoking the animal world and the primal rhythm of the jungle. The choreography cleverly mimics animalistic behaviours through a dynamic blend of acrobatics and contemporary dance. The result is so stylistically cohesive that you fully buy into the illusion.

One particularly impressive routine, Trashin’ the Camp, follows an oddly timed intermission. Despite this, it’s well worth the wait. The high-energy number showcases the ensemble’s athleticism, earning the loudest applause of the night. Strangers Like Me is another standout number.

The remainder of the plot closely follows the animated film with only minor changes. The final scene with Clayton is somewhat abbreviated and departs from the film’s darker shadow scene, but it still provides a satisfying conclusion.

TARZAN – The Stage Musical is a wildly successful, gravity-defying adventure for the whole family. It captures the spirit of the original Disney story while carving out its own unique identity. Though it occasionally feels constrained by its traditional theatre setting, it offers a moving exploration of connection, where love transcends language and bridges worlds.