Tarzan swings into Monrovia High, Literally

Ishika Muchal, playing Kala, mouring the loss of her biolgical child surrounded by the simian chourus. – Photos by / Terry Miller

By Susan Motander

Tarzan will swing into the Taylor Performing Arts Center at Monrovia High School starting tonight, Thursday, March 22 and continues his travel through the trees on Friday and Saturday nights as well. All the performances of this musical based on the Disney version of Edgar Rice Burrough’s famous novel of the man raised by gorillas will begin at 7 pm.

The company includes JoJoCragoe as the adult Tarzan (Joseph Hansen plays the young ape-man), Hallie Molnar as his Jane, Ishika Muchal as his mother-Kala, Juan Aquire as the leader of the gorillas and Kala’s mate, Nachala Waters as Terk (Amanda Eckroth plays the young Terk), Matt Gutierrez as Professor Porter (jane’s father, and Mason Tyler plays Clayton, the guide and gorilla hunter. The other “heavy” of the show is the leopard, Sabor played by Eve Terrill.

In addition to all the named characters, there is an entire ensemble of gorillas, who are amazingly simian in their acting. The show is exciting and moves quickly. It is well worth the advance ticket price of $10 (tickets are available from anyone in the cast. Tickets can also be purchased by going to www.wilcattheater.com, with a small service charge. Tickets at the door will be $15.

More from Arts