April 2026
February 6, 2026
2026 Tarzan
Show Information
Cast
Leads
Kala
Kerchak
Leopard
Young Tarzan
Young Terk
Terk
Tarzan
Jane
Porter
Clayton
Ensembles
Apes
Expedition Crew
Synopsis
Based on Disney’s epic animated musical adventure and Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan features heart-pumping music by rock legend, Phil Collins, and a book by Tony Award-winning playwright, David Henry Hwang. High-flying excitement and hits, like the Academy Award winning “You’ll Be in My Heart,” as well as “Son of Man” and “Two Worlds,” make Tarzan an unforgettable theatrical experience.
Washed up on the shores of West Africa, an infant boy is taken in and raised by gorillas who name him Tarzan. Apart from striving for acceptance from his ape father, Tarzan’s life is mostly monkey business until a human expedition treks into his tribe’s territory, and he encounters creatures like himself for the first time. Tarzan struggles to navigate a jungle, thick with emotion, as he discovers his animal upbringing clashing with his human instincts.
Belonging in the Household of God
Will someone tell me where I belong?
Where I should go? . . .Â
When will I find home?
A place where I belong?
Surely there must be more like me
Out there, somewhere
There must be somebody just like me
Out there…
Tarzan is growing up in the jungle with the gorillas and realizing that he is different from the rest of the apes. He just doesn’t quite fit in. And the feelings of not quite belonging, even with a loving family around him, are common to most of us, especially in our coming-of-age years.Â
Tarzan is a coming-of-age story, one in which the young man grapples with understanding his own identity and figuring out what makes family. His experience touches our hearts because his story resonates with us. Growing up can be hard, and sometimes we worry that we don’t fit in.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household . . .
God makes it clear in His Word that our sin has left us alienated from Him, our Creator, but that He sent His Son Jesus to bring us back to Him and restore us into His household.Â
Tarzan, a son of man growing up in a family of apes, has no one to lead him in the ways of man. Terk, Tarzan’s gorilla friend and mentor, and Kala, his gorilla mother, sing “Son of Man” to Tarzan, emphasizing that even though he is a man among apes, he will figure out what it is to be a man:
Oh, the power to be strong
And the wisdom to be wise
All these things will come to you in time
On this journey that you’re making
There’ll be answers that you’ll seek
And it’s you who’ll climb the mountain
It’s you who’ll reach the peak . . .
Though there’s no one there to guide you
No one to take your hand
But with faith and understanding
You will journey from boy to man
Although we can sometimes feel alone in our journey growing up, or as believers in Christ surrounded by those who don’t know Him, we are not left in isolation. God has given us His Word to guide us and His Holy Spirit to take our hand and lead us. When we place our faith in Christ, we are no longer alone. We belong to the household of God.Â
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Meet our Artistic Team​
Musical Numbers
- “Two Worlds” – Tarzan, Mother, Father, Kala, Kerchak, and Ensemble
- “You’ll Be In My Heart” – Kala and Ensemble
- “Ten Years Pass” – Ensemble
- “Who Better Than Me?” – Young Tarzan and Terk
- “No Other Way” – Kerchak
- “I Need to Know” – Young Tarzan
- “Son of Man” – Terk, Kala, Tarzan, and Ensemble
- “Son of Man (Reprise)” – Terk and Ensemble
- “Sure As Sun Turns to Moon” – Kala and Kerchak
- “Waiting for This Moment” – Jane and Ensemble
- “Different (Part 1 & 2)” – Tarzan and Jane
- “Trashin’ the Camp” – Terk and Ensemble
- “Like No Man I’ve Ever Seen” – Jane and Professor Porter
- “Strangers Like Me” – Tarzan, Jane, and Ensemble
- “For the First Time” – Jane and Tarzan
- “Who Better Than Me? (Reprise)” – Terk and Tarzan
- “Everything That I Am” – Tarzan, Kala, Young Tarzan, and Ensemble
- “You’ll Be In My Heart (Reprise)” – Tarzan and Kala
- “Sure As Sun Turns to Moon (Reprise)” – Kala and Tarzan
- “Two Worlds (Finale)” – Tarzan, Jane, and Ensemble
Take a Listen
Tarzan is presented with special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIshows.com
