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Tarzan: The Stage Musical

24/09/202512/09/2025 Debra Campbell🥈

Tarzan: The Stage Musical Rating

★★★★★

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The stage is set – I look at an enormous map of Africa, sails caught up with shipwrecked boxes and listen to the atmospheric opening sounds of the African jungle to soon be pierced by a baby’s cry – Tarzan’s cry, though he is not yet named ‘Tarzan’ – the next two hours will be his story.

TARZAN The Stage Musical has swung into life in Melbourne over the past couple of weeks and I’m so happy to have been invited to one of their final shows for review. I’ve seen three shows this week and this was my favourite – the other two were professional city shows so that’s saying something. My daughter could not believe she had been so engrossed when it was “interval already”. We sat next to one of the ‘Annies’ having a night off from playing her own famous character in the city currently, and when I asked her at interval what she thought thusfar she eagerly replied ‘I’m LOVING it!’ (excited to see her singing teacher in the cast too)

Get on the website to book the last tickets remaining until Sunday 14 Sept.
Ticket link: https://nationaltheatre.org.au/tarzan/

The blurb on the show told me:
TARZAN – The Stage Musical brings Disney’s epic animated film to life on stage in a high-flying action adventure, complete with aerial choreography and unforgettable music to the soundtrack of Phil Collins. Tarzan struggles to find where he truly belongs, torn between the animal kingdom and the human world. With book by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, at its core TARZAN is a story of identity, love, and the universal quest for connection.

Typically, the Disney TARZAN draws interest of course from adventurous kids, but there were more adults in the audience woo-hooing tonight and much of it for Joshua Russell as ‘Tarzan’ – the exact required look he definitely has and demanding skills for this unusual role; he strongly mastered those vine swings and strode a masterful ‘ape walk’ – his body must now be well adapted to that gait. Same for all the gorillas, excelling in their emulation of animal behavior and their acrobatic and dance which combine to give a seamless presentation of orderly uncontrolled chaos – there is so much going on, it’s exciting!

Usually I have a preference for certain characters by the end of a show, but in this one I didn’t, I liked them all and they were all played exceptionally well.

Seriousness and laughs from Jane and her father Prof. Porter were fun moments, played by Emily Robinson straight out of graduating from the VCA and Drew Holmes with an impressive history in shows too long to list.

Sarah Murr as ‘Kala’ (Tarzan’s ape-mother) is pure curated talent. It did not surprise me later to read about her role recently playing in Hadestown at Her Majesty’s. Matching up Sarah’s talents alongside Devon Braithwaite as ‘Kerchak’ (Tarzan’s ape-father) was perfect casting, and no wonder – he trained at The Boston Conservatory (USA). I’d love to see these two play again together in another show as non-animals after witnessing what they can do with a non-human role.

The scene where the gorillas inquisitively meet Jane and her Dad was both touching and tragic. The loss of one of Tarzan’s ape family had an empathetic music choice and the gun shots were unnervingly real, as was the formidable acting of Nick Eynaud as Clayton, jungle guide who had another goal on his agenda.

Emma Wilby Owers playing ‘Terk’ (Tarzan’s ape-buddy) nailed every line and expression, body movement and reaction. Another one to watch – there’s a heap of stars in this show!

Ollie Pearce as ‘Leopard’ brought the adrenalin rush, well focused with that slyly power and the Ensemble working every bit as hard as all the leads, sometimes more so on the energy required for partner throws and crazy wildness.

Finally, shout out to Young Tarzans, Daniel Lim and Sebastian Dovey Cribbes, both would have had an absolutely unique experience in this script and who wouldn’t want to play ‘Tarzan’ learning how to fruit pick and hang upside down. Whichever youthful Tarzan you see when you go along to watch you have to admire what these juniors in theatre can do and the confidence they have – theatre is so great for kids.

As always, I love the memories theatre can help recapture and looking later at the detailed program for this production, I have a mental flashback to watching a much earlier Tarzan on screen; Olympic swimmer Johnny Weismuller. Certainly not like the vivid colours and amazing action I saw everywhere on stage tonight with hundreds of green hanging vines, twisting and tumbling acrobats, dancers defying what their bodies can do naturally, but those calmer old black and white movies we’d sit down to watch on weekends and after which my brother would disappear to be ‘Tarzan’ in our backyard Willow tree. Yes, this is a story which has stood the test of time in any format with no mobile phones needed (they don’t work in the jungle anyway).

Oh – and hold out for that distinctive Tarzan jungle call, how does one describe that?

Congratulations to all the cast and the James Terry Collective creative team, you have all done yourselves proud!

Playing: August 29- September 14, 2025
Venue: The National Theatre, St Kilda
Website: www.tarzanstagemusical.com.au

CAST
Tarzan- Joshua Russell
Jane – Emily Robinson
Kala – Sara Murr
Kerchak – Devon Braithwaite (alt. Joti Van Carlos Gore)
Terk – Emma Wilby
Prof. Porter – Drew Holmes
Clayton – Nick Eynaud
Young Tarzan – Daniel Lim & Sebastian Dovey Cribbes
Ensemble – Simon Fairweather, Brittany Ford, Josephine Lopes, Sammy Allsop, Matilda Simmons, Ollie Pearce, Liimei Lim, Adriana Pannuzzo Emma Wilby, Gabriel Marsilli, Ayril Borce, Arjun Tiwari, Patrick Friedlander, Nicholas Dugdale.

TARZAN The Musical is Directed by Alister Smith (Elvis a Revolution, The Boys in the Band), Choreographed by Michael Ralph (The Wedding Singer, Legally Blonde), and Musical Direction by Claire Healy (SIX the Musical)

Adapted from the story “Tarzan of the Apes” by Edgar Rice Burroughs and originally Produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions. TARZAN ® owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Licensed exclusively by Music Theatre International (Australasia).

To book tickets to Tarzan: The Stage Musical, please visit https://nationaltheatre.org.au/tarzan/.

For information on further shows see: https://www.jamesterrycollective.com.au/

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Shrek: The Musical ‘Inclusical’ by STaM

31/08/2025 Debra Campbell🥈

Shrek: The Musical Rating

★★★★★

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Set in a mythical “once upon a time” sort of land, this is the story of a hulking green ogre who, after being mocked and feared his entire life by anything that crosses his path, retreats to an ugly green swamp to exist in happy isolation. Suddenly, a gang of homeless fairy-tale characters (Pinocchio, Cinderella, the Three Pigs, you name it) raid his sanctuary, saying they’ve been evicted by the vertically challenged Lord Farquaad. So Shrek strikes a deal: I’ll get your homes back, if you give me my home back! But when Shrek and Farquaad meet, the Lord strikes a deal of his own: He’ll give the fairy-tale characters their homes back, if Shrek rescues Princess Fiona. Shrek obliges, yet finds something appealing–something strange and different–about this pretty princess. He likes her a lot, but why does she always run off when the sun sets?

We arrive in the Alexander Theatre foyer to see a swamp hut setting the feel of Shrek’s humble abode, a queue in the merch line entices us to buy some support cookies in theme and a spotlighted ‘green’ carpet for pics with our program.

This show is no ordinary version; an ‘inclusical’ by the one and only Stars and The Moon theatre company for all abilities known as “STaM” in Melbourne – with care they pair up kind ‘castmates’ and those having a special need to give them more confidence to perform; though you envisage it might, it does not detract from the show’s appeal or amazingness having two people play the one character. In fact, it definitely adds to the fun!! The sets, costuming and lighting are also nothing short of professional and the packed audience agrees with constant cheering. If you’ve read enough, you actually only have a slim chance to currently secure tickets as most shows are sold out!

We sit down in our ‘green’ tonight to hear firstly a comical introduction over the mic saying no gingerbread men have been harmed in making the show haha and that everyone can get up and dance and wiggle in their seats. Then ‘The Magic Mirror’ above us featuring Paralympic gold medalist Dylan Alcott entertains us with his one-liners and opens the show in Clayton where we are about to see a journey of embracing who you are.

We know this is going to be a good night as ‘Big Bright Beautiful World’ hits us very big and very bright! I’m already a bit emotional at watching the castmates carefully coax some of the performers onto the stage and within seconds they are all quite at home, many excited doing their second or third show with STaM.

Shrek played by Cameron Miller and Zac Parkes is larger than life as always and they have him down true to the Shrek we all know from the movie, even his speaking voice is almost identical.

Princess Fiona played by Chelsea Dawson and Lottie Coombes is just gorgeous, they both smash every song with their vocal ability and certainly a duet to long remember.

Two of my faves were Asher Stanton and Jordan French playing ‘Pinocchio’ and Eitan Meyerowitz and Zac Chester playing Big Bad Wolf, but really, ALL of the fairytale characters are FANTASTIC to watch and they do lots of funny quirky things on the side.

My eldest daughter, an avid musical theatre lover and regular performer in shows herself, came with me to this show and she was saying all the way through ‘he’s good’ ‘she’s good’ ‘they’re good’ in every scene. She was super impressed by the ‘Dragon’ singers but particularly loves to watch the ensemble, so never think you aren’t noticed if that’s you, because you surely are. e.g. the dancing mice feet behind the curtain (how cuuute), the girls with the ‘Awww’ ‘Gasp’ ‘Laugh’ signs (instructions for us viewers), everyone under that enormous red creature (you made us love watching her every move), and the Humpties who picked up the bricks to carry them all off without dropping them – well done!!!

Shout out to Gabe Harari and Evan Lever for their kneeling, knee walking ‘Lord Farquaad’ – both were absolutely hilarious!! Equally hilarious were Guillaume Gentil & Daniel Geng as ‘Donkey’ – I don’t think I have laughed so much from one character in any show I’ve ever enjoyed.

Dance timing in straight lines you might not expect to be exact in a show with limited abilities for some of the performers, but they were fabulous and every smile at each other and movement showed how much they loved being up there together. So many beautiful costumes too brought the whole live energetic picture together. We were so close to the stage as well we could feel the excited enthusiasm and nothing could beat the flag waving by all – even all of us in the audience got that green flag stuck on our seat and flipped it around like crazy!

All in all, a swamp load of serious talent in this show – you all deserved that full standing ovation and I’m sure there were plenty of proud tears from family and friends too, CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!

Lauren McKenna – Director
Michaela Raitman – Producer
Campbell Borello – Production Manager
SHREK – Cameron Miller & Zac Parkes
PRINCESS FIONA – Chelsea Dawson & Lottie Coomes (Covers – Jessica Mond, Lizzie Locke)
DONKEY – Guillaume Gentil & Daniel Geng
LORD FARQUAAD – Gabe Harari & Evan Lever
DRAGON – Dylan Don Paul (Dilonce) & Thanh-Tuok Autran

FAIRYTALE ENSEMBLE – Asher Stanton & Jordan French (Pinocchio), Ruth Ben-Danan & Alanna Baschera (Sugarplum Fairy/Gingy), Eitan Meyerowitz & Zac Chester (Big Bad Wolf), Teige Cordiner, Aidyn Patrzalek & Devin Goralsky (three Pigs), Mark J Rintoull, Zoe Better, Mia Decleva (The Bears), Ebony May & Katie McMillan (Fairy Godmother), Georgia Ellen & Danni Miller (Wicked Witch), Sarahbell Turvey & Tahli McLean (Duckling/Teen Fiona), Sayer Delves & Caomhe McCooey (White Rabbit/Baby Fiona), Alexander Gilbert & Jack Taylor (Peter Pan/Pied Piper), Jaimie Chapman & Tamara Stanton (Goldilocks), Jackson Harris & Mark Polonsky (Mad Hatter), Natasha Freiberg & Ellie Goldenberg (Humpty), Dani Filip & Shira Etzion (Hansel & Gretel), Jessica Mond & Jemima Scerri (Little Red)

DULOC ENSEMBLE – Tahlia Mandile, Charli Cantoni-Bud, Amy Tapp, Noah Prendergast, Adrian Salvatore, Lexi Kelsall, Ruby Alford, Alice Johnston, Carly Gauci, Lexie Goldenberg, Michaela Sacho, Kahli Anquetil-Kneale, Nineveh Dewhurst, Noa Godsell, Joshua Yip

GUARDS & DRAGON ENSEMBLE – Benji Kalkopf, Harry Stott, Brendan Saffer, Gilbert Esse, Tarus Fiu, Chris Patrzalek, Daniel Kraus, Sue Lesnjak, Lilly Lawrence, Lyndall Peachman, Jakob Demirel, Dan Don, Sienna Boorer, Savannah Mandile, Hayley Walsh, Raechelle Sibbing.

To find out more how you or someone you know with special needs and perhaps limited abilities can be involved with this very special theatre group see https://www.starsandthemoon.org/

Duration: Approx. 2 hours and 30 minutes including a 20 minute intermission. The show is easy access for all including assisted hearing, seeing-eye-dog friendly and wheelchairs of all sizes welcome. Wheelchairs on stage too with the performers loving every minute acting it up in this inclusical!

Venue: Alexander Theatre, Monash University Clayton Campus, 48 Exhibition Walk, Clayton. Free parking is available on site (more info). Please allow adequate time when planning your visit to find parking and the venue. Sometimes it is a 10minute walk from the car into the theatre.

To book tickets to Shrek: The Musical, please visit https://www.starsandthemoon.org/shrek.

Photographer: Matthew Chen

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Here You Come Again

25/08/2025 Peri Watson🆕

Here You Come Again Rating

★★★★★

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“Are you a Dolly fan?” The man beside us asks before the show starts, but I’m not sure how to respond. Admittedly, I only know her three big songs (I’ll let you guess which), but never have classified myself as a fan. However, after this evening, I think I may have changed my tune.

‘Here You Come Again’ is an uplifting story about love, music, joy, and hope, set in a time many of us would like to forget. Yes, the ‘unprecedented times’ of early COVID lockdowns. Dash Kruck plays Kevin, an aspiring (and struggling) comedian, forced to social distance in his parents’ attic. Without work, a partner, or any hope for the future, he turns to his record collection and asks, “What Would Dolly Do?” As if by magic, Dolly herself, played by the show’s co-creator Tricia Paoluccio, manifests from a life-sized poster, breaking out into the titular number Here You Come Again, and guiding him along a journey of self-love and realisation.

Kruck’s portrayal of Kevin’s self-worth issues was extremely resonant, particularly as a creative. The struggle of not feeling worthwhile as a person seeping into your creative output is something I, and many others, could understand. Kruck brought a vulnerability and earnestness to the role that was deeply sympathetic, while also playing off Paoluccio’s comedic energy and shining in his musical performances.

Paoluccio’s performance was more than an impression of Dolly – it was an embodiment. Her vocals stunned, not only in quality and style, but also in likeness. Her cheeky comedic timing and infectious positivity was well-received, as she played into the less-serious components of the Parton persona (“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap!”).

Despite the story not being centred on Dolly, Paoluccio sprinkled the occasional tidbit throughout her chats with Kevin, such as her losing a Dolly Parton look-a-like contest. The mention of her marriage to Carl Dean was touched with a layer of sadness, given his recent passing in March 2025, yet the 60-year-long relationship was honoured with grace and love.

The ensemble was fantastic, not only contributing as minor characters throughout, but also singing, dancing, and playing alongside the live band. Kellie Rode was lovely as Kevin’s germophobic but well-meaning mother and was a great contrast to the gruff (but also well-meaning) Andrew Worboys as Kevin’s dad, who additionally led the band as the musical director and keys player. Rode was joined by fellow WAAPA graduate Bailey Dunnage, who played Kevin’s ex-boyfriend Jeremy. Dunnage also demonstrated some Magic-Mike level dancing (choreographed by James Maxfield) during the number Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That, in which we are also treated to a performance from Kevin’s drag persona, Polly Darton. Rounding off the ensemble was Laura Joy Bunting, who played the abrupt and bitter Tish, Kevin’s boss, as well as accompanying the band with acoustic guitar and lovely backing vocals.

Despite the singular location, the detail of the set kept you interested, with posters, stickers, toys and junk spread across the stage, making for an authentically lived-in environment. The Australian Adaption team (Fiona Harris & Mike McLeish) did a wonderful job in collaboration with designer Paul Willis in adding Australian iconography throughout, such as Humphrey B. Bear, a Milo tin vase, and kookaburra song over the eucalyptus backdrop. The lighting, by Jason Bovaird, was also fantastic, particularly during musical numbers and special effects moments.

The only detractor from the evening was during the finale, in which an overly enthusiastic audience member hopped on stage for an impromptu dance. While certainly indicative of the energy and vivacity in the room, it was a moment that should’ve been for the musicians to receive their flowers, and was disrespectful to the band, stage crew, and theatre staff. Congratulations to Tina Harris, Luke Herbert and Ash Murdica for handling the situation with such professionalism, while making the rest of us dance in our seats.

Whether you’re a huge Dolly fan, barely know her, or are somewhere in between, ‘Here You Come Again’ is an inspiringly joyous show that is sure to leave you smiling, and your toes tapping. I, for one, am certainly inspired to spend more time with Dolly myself.

Recommended: Dress in true Dolly fashion – however you like! (Though rhinestones, cowboy hats, and denim are strongly encouraged!).

To book tickets to Here You Come Again, please visit https://hereyoucomeagain.com.au/.

Photographer: Cameron Grant

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Girl of the Frozen North

16/08/202516/08/2025 Rob McKinnon🥉

Girl of the Frozen North Rating

★★★★★

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The Tea Tree Players, under director Barry Hill, transports the audience to the freezing Yukon for this very amusing sing-a-long melodrama full of merriment and entertainment well worth attending as Adelaide’s own wintery conditions draw to a close.

The fun begins as the MC (Tim Cousins) introduces the play and the cast as they burst into song. The story proper begins during a day in June 1890 in the lobby of a dingy hotel in the Yukon Territory owned by the story’s villain, J Harrington Cesspool (Brian Godfrey). Cesspool is ordering around his employee Nanook (Georgia Gustard) as a fur trader Klaxon (Joel Strauss) enters with a bag of furs and haggles with Cesspool about their purchase price. After Trader Klaxon leaves, Cesspool tries to grab Nanook but she screams and the story’s hero, Corporal Dashiell H Goforth (Clinton Nitschke) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, enters the lobby to save her. Goforth then leaves but soon returns with Nettie Neetfoot (Charlie Klose), as she tries to evade the clutches of Cesspool, she explains that she is looking for her mother who has become lost in a blizzard as they searched for her kidnapped little brother. Nettie leaves the hotel to continue her quest.

As the story progresses, hotel guests Cleopatra Pannitt (Cathie Oldfield) the self-proclaimed “America’s gift to the Shakespearean stage” and her daughter Hyacinth Klutz (Selena Britz) both stuck at the hotel because the “touring troupe went broke at the local opera house”, are introduced. Goforth re-enters with the missing Mrs Neetfoot (Elizabeth Ferguson) and later Professor Fredrik Pjoole (John Hudson) from Washington DC arrives to study the local First Nations people’s “time-reversing experiments”. Goforth is accused of theft and tries to clear his name as the search for the missing continues.

Along the way, the MC emboldens the audience to “aaw”, “ooh”, “boo” and “cheer” but often the engaged audience is ahead of his prompting. Between scenes the audience is encouraged to sing along with the classics, “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”, “Roll Out the Barrell”, “Knees Up Mother Brown” and “I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside”.

Additionally, between a scene change in Act 1, the audience is entertained by the dancing Harry the Hippy Horse (Ashlee Brown as the head and Lachlan Blackwell as the other end). In a scene change in Act 2, ballerinas Tatiana Orlovski (Lachlan Blackwood) and Olga Ripsacorsetoff (Ashlee Brown) perform “The World Famous Balloon Dance”, which is one of the hilarious highlights of the whole performance.

The production team including Beth Venning for props and set dressing, Barry Hill for set design, Damon Hill for scenic artwork, Merci Thompson for costumes and Robert Andrews and Mike Phillips for lighting and sound design and operation, are to be congratulated for producing an excellent set, costumes and a near faultless technical performance.

The cast all perform superbly, Tim Cousins is warm and enthusiastic as the MC binding the performance and the audience participation skilfully together. Brian Godfrey, with his Riff Raff like appearance, makes a first-rate villain and is outstandingly juxtaposed by the brilliantly often over-the-top performance of Clinton Nitschke. Selena Britz is also commended for her performance and her song and dance routine. The rest of the talented cast also deliver outstanding performances.

The Tea Tree Players’ Girl of the Frozen North is great fun and is full of melodrama and audience participation. Barry Hill, the cast and crew are to be congratulated for this exuberant and splendid production.

Girl from the Frozen North runs from Wednesday 13 August 2025 – Saturday 23 August 2025

Venue: Tea Tree Players Theatre

Cnr Yatala Vale Road and Hancock Road, Surrey Downs SA 5126

To book tickets to Girl of the Frozen North, please visit https://teatreeplayers.com/production/girl-of-the-frozen-north/.

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