Culture
April 26, 2024

Musical: Tarzan takes off

Tarzan (Anton Zetterholm) is the star of the new musical

The first thing the audience in the Hamburg theater Neue Flora Tarzan listen is not his famous screamthat echoes through the artificial jungle. No, it's his heartbreaking crying. The little boy's parents, stranded as shipwrecked people somewhere in Africa, were ripped off by a leopard. And he is all alone.

Luckily, gorilla lady Kala (Ana Milva Gomes) and a wild monkeys band appear. They rope from the ceiling, crawl from the side walls. And move in their colorful costumes so gorilla-equal that watching is a real pleasure.

Me Tarzan, you Jane

Jane came to the jungle to study butterflies. Until she met Tarzan ...

However, Anton Zetterholm and Elisabeth Hübert, the winners of the sat.1 casting show "Me Tarzan, you Jane" and the actual leading actor of the musical, will take the stage for a while. Star of the first act is a little boy who mimics the young Tarzan. He romps over the stage with his monkey brothers - and realizes that he is different. His foster father, the mighty Gorilla Kerchak (impressively played by Andreas Lichtenberger), does not trust the human child and pushes him into the jungle. Under the caring eyes of his mother, Tarzan grows up there handsome jungle boy approach. When the adult Tarzan Anton Zetterholm finally swings onto the stage for the first time with a mini loincloth and blond dreads, the audience cheers.

>> On the next page: Tarzan - within reach

So different, yet familiar: jungle boy Tarzan and researcher Jane fell in love.

One of the most beautiful scenes of the musical evening brings us not Tarzan, but Jane (Elisabeth Hübert) as a butterfly researcher. Clumsily, she wanders through the jungle, completely overwhelmed by the magnificent beauty of nature. There hovers a dancer in a butterfly dress over the auditorium, open and close human flowers to the beat of the music. All this is so beautiful that Jane does not notice how she tangles in an oversized spiderweb. Luckily, Tarzan has been watching her for a while. He saves her - and the daring researcher has done it.

Tarzan - within reach

Everyone knows Tarzan's story. The monkey man does not know where he belongs. And finally finds its roots in the great love. But what is being told on the musical stage is a minor matter. The technology is the focus. And that is impressive.

The 39-member ensemble does not care about the laws of gravity - and turns the musical world with the first scene on its head. We see Tarzan's parents after the shipwreck, washed ashore on a sandy beach. But the figures do not lie on the stage floor, they stick to the wall. This supervision opens up a completely new perspective for the viewer. One of many good ideas that make the musical a real spectacle.

When Tarzan and the gorillas take off, one's breath stops. Close enough to touch they whirr on specially designed flying harnesses across the audience. From time to time little paper sheets trickle from the ceiling. So jungle feeling is guaranteed in the New Flora.

>> On the next page: Asparagus Tarzan from Sweden

The monkeys race through the forest ... The musical Tarzan impresses above all with acrobatic air numbers.

Asparagus Tarzan from the casting show

The two main actors of the musical were identified in a casting show. But Anton Zetterholm and Elisabeth Hübert are not musical newbies. Both are only in their early 20s but already have plenty of experience on stage.

The blond boy from the Swedish Småland is from the figure, rather an asparagus Tarzan, Nevertheless, he does his job well. And Elisabeth, who was born in Lübeck, is also a real presence on stage. It's just a pity that the music plays a minor role with Tarzan.

Where were the hits?

Of course - who likes musicals, will spend an enchanting evening with Tarzan. But something is missing: the big hit. The catchy tune that you want to hum the next morning. Many of the songs composed by Phil Collins ripples shallowly. And even "You? Ll Be in My Heart" does not want to stay in your ear in your German version ("My heart belongs to you").