Being drawn into your surroundings before you realize it – sounds like a novel concept being “played” out in a musical or school play, but when you see it happening everyday, and then it comes to stage front and center, you tent to notice it more. Is this musical worth seeing one of two remaining shows? ABSOLUTELY- as the cast is able to carry you to an understanding of topics that carry way beyond the stage. hearing the comments, fears, doubts, and excitement of the cast leading up to the days of this first production has been a long time coming, so I was able to catch aspects of “trailers” for weeks now. Was it worth the wait? Did Tarzan the Musical deliver in unusual ways I had not expected?

What better way to portray a life filled with tough decisions, unsure steps forward, and being true to yourself than Woodbridge High’s rendition of Tarzan the Musical than through the yes of students themselves that often navigate what some would deem the pits, perils and problems of high school, often deemed a jungle itself? Let’s have the first run of this musical be your guide…

The Depth of the Jungle

There is not doubt that I have been the benefit of seeing some unusual, creative setups when it comes to stage scenery and props. I have to say, without giving the exact details away, the creativity, art, detail, and simpleness yet complexity that uses the light and shadows – from how the trees the jungle, the vines, the rocks, the platforms are depicted, amazing. Not needing the complication of complicated materials, and yet looking complicated, being able to focus on one area of the stage and see it differently several times, it works so well.

If you pay close attention, you see almost every dance of light look differently thanks to the choice of how rocks, the jungle, the trees, ledges, allowing characters to manipulate up and down are done. As a high school stage crew member, I remember the creative and often ingenious moves that often had to be made to turn what the audience expects into something they do not expect and leave loving more. It is without a doubt this was the case with the chosen material and approach to depicting the jungles that represent confusion, finding one’s way, and navigating to higher ground. LOVED the choices made and the look when the house lights are down, and when the spotlights are utilized al through this musical. It helped set the tone, keep the momentum, and heighten the very aspects of the musical that the characters strive to represent.

A HUGE kudos to Sharon and Slaye Workman, Gillian Cannon, Ricki Truitt, Kim Wharton, Carren Wright, Sheila Kintz, Scott Haldeman, Ryan Curl, Stacey Hartman, Jen Fisher, Rita Webb, Delaware Electric CoOp, Anthony Lucke, John Davis, and the WHS Custodial Staff that were “All-in” when it comes to making sure, sound, set, costumes, props were enabled and activities to match the mystery of a forest we as an audience found ourselves lost in.

Leading by Example

Jonathon Morehouse as Tarzan- Walking among familiar friends and discovering if the grass is greener on the other side. Jonathan as a person and main character certainly defines that concept. There is rarely a time you will not see Jonathan without a smile on his face and even when having an “eh” day, Jonathan always has an upbeat smile, tone, and word for those he comes into contact with. At first it is hard to match the stereotype of Tarzan ( Hulk-size, estranged, distant) to Jonathan, but then – few can wear the courage, depth, and redefinition of what Tarzan as a metaphor means to the overall musical. Indeed, Jonathan redefines how we look at any main character amidst the changes that newness of a situation. He looks as if he was made to be in a flying harness (not an easy adjustment) and looking at the audience intently, his ability to convey the value and importance of what is beyond the name of family – with all it’s weird inconsistencies, is super human. The difficult thing will be looking at Jonathan differently in the halls of school AFTER Tarzan the Musical.

Discovery and Decisions

Avery Kerrick as Jane – Discovering and taking the opportunities that are presented to you is actually what Avery does best. In school and events, you see this on a caliber that often looks natural to Avery but is a challenge to many others, From raising the bar on herself in FFA, to sports, to academics, to responsibilities such as representing WHS and academics in our state interviewing school board candidates leading up to elections, to infusing ensemble with her voice, her time as a senior has FLOWN. Her curiosity to her surrounds and the personal discoveries made, comparable to the famous Jane Goodall, come out clearly as she runs through classifications of all she finds in the jungle, all she observes and notes down, and all that she ultimately conveys to the audience.

Add the element to flight to that character list (she never blinked during flight, making it seem the most natural thing in the world, and the way Jane is able to convey the value of her environment and what it means ultimately to those in this world, come as an appropriate time leading up to Earth Day. Of course the conflicts you feel between nature vs nurture, progress vs preserving our plant, family vs science, are just a few of the themes you wrestle with as she makes. it clear these are the very themes so many high school students, and then contributing members of a “civilized world” wrestle with daily.

Her voice, as has been the example in the past, leads the way through some of the most difficult, emotional decisions that need to be made, and it is not hard to see the maturity of this character that Avery brings to the musical. It often is hard to separate this person from the stage when you see her quietly yet confidently in the halls, but her voice and boldness on stage can’t be forgotten, nor shoudld it be missed. Is is wrong to say one of the highlights of the st age was the way she took the audience’s breath away with how she represented an endearing moment between herself and Tarzan? She did and this is one small example of how Avery can sneak up on your expectations of what you would expect versus what you will experience with her talent and ability. From the way she wears her hair matching the most mature Dora the explore and Jane Goodall, to the endearing and surprising reactions she brings to this character, you feel as if you are seeing this musical and story for the first time, which is difficult to do in many cases. Not this one!

The Unknown jungle, but Familiarity in Family

Emerson Wright as Kala. When I first moved back to Delaware from Mexico, after being spoiled by musical and production after production put on by massive budgets and hard work from The American School Foundation’s Theatre Group, I had set the bar low for myself in realizing i was going to see my first school play/musical in a very rural area, small school compared to leaving a massive school and production group, and I will admit had prepared myself for a “not the same but a new experience” feeling. I was blown away at that time by the talent, detail, and planning in that first small musical I saw being back in Delaware with a production of Miracle on 34th Street and the lead at that time was Alyssa Anthony who just redefined what it meant to take a leading role and run away with it. No longer was I in a small time, rural community but I was shocked into realizing how great a production can be anywhere when you have a cast that believes it can be bigger than people think a role can be.

I say all this because seeing a soft-spoken, usually not loud or obviously in the spotlight student as Emerson in school, then seeing her onstage and running with a confidence that is hard to match against any character, you see how any musical, any setting, any plot can be turned on its head and be unexpected when you have heart. Indeed, Emerson tugs on many heartstrings to push the narrative of what is important, what is valued, what is taken for granted, what can be versus what is.

It is interesting how you expect a first night to be filled with mistakes, errors, trip ups, etc, that is often why people go to see a first night production to compare it to a final production, to see the process develop, No need, as from the very beginning, Emerson is able to tap into the roles of defying the going train of thought when it comes to family, she is able to transform into a character that holds a think clock of hair not her own, and define what it means to make decisions that often women have to make in a male-dominated world.

Bringing the wildness of the world to civilization is often something many try to find ways to do versus bringing civilization to the wildness as this often leads down irreversible, destructive paths in nature, relationships, and how we see and identify ourselves. I have seen Emerson grow as an actor, student, and person just in the moments since she first took the stage and that growth helps you understand what any actor/student/individual can do if they believe the can. Her voice reinforces the strength of what it means to be a female version of Tarzan, but she manages to do so with humility, passion and intensity. Certainly the Emerson you see on stage is not the Emerson you would expect to see when you pass her quietly in school, and I think that is the beauty of what avenues individuals are encouraged to be passionate about – well what it is all about. What can happen. What does happen.

Even when the first night the mic she was wearing went in and out (normal as tech figures things out on a trial run of any musical)- it never made her impact recede in the least. Everyone could still hear her voice that reached beyond technology and highlighted the passion her character needed to bring to reinforce what is considered important, sacred, and irreversible.