Just a heads up for anyone who wants to see Josh while swinging....my scanners on the blink, so I can't scan it in. According to Todd Haimes, the artistic director of the Roundabout, the Van Dyke-Rivera strategy — casting a couple of talented no-names and crossing your fingers — is really a second choice these days. “Your first choice,” he said, “is to get a star who’s also great.” --Charles McGrath for The New York Times

Thats it... Is not Tarzan a big hunk of muscle, sorry gay man fantasy coming out.. Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

Here... http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/theater/16mcki.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Looks like the cable is hooked to his um . . . "branch" "They're eating her and then they're going to eat me. OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!" -Troll 2

Here's more

Sorry, mabye its just the picture, but he looks NOTHING like Tarzan should. He looks more like a skinny emo kid rather that an ape-man. Heres hoping thats just a really bad picture... On another note, is it just me or does it seem like Tarzan would have worked better with a skin colored muscle suit. I mean, the ammount of muscles he is supposed to have is pretty unrealistic for a Broadway actor, but Tarzan is Tarzan, and he needs to be huge. I think it might work well, unless they really wanted to go realistic and felt it would look too cartoonish. "The hallmark of aristocracy is responsibility. Oh brother, that got me, that did me in!"

What? Cartoonish with apes covered in torn rags. OH!

Interesting overall article. I see they went with the hairy dude. "I'm learning to dig deep down inside and find the truth within myself and put that out. I think what we identify with in popular music more than anything else is when someone just shares a truth that we can relate to. That's what I'm searching for in my music." - Ron Bohmer "I broke the boundaries. It wasn't cool to be in plays- especially if you were in sports & I was in both." - Ashton Kutcher

I'm really mad I paid full price for this.

IS that really their set and swing effect?.....once again disney oh how you've let me down "If There's One Thing to Learn it's You Just Can't Go Wrong If You Follow Your Heart, and End With A Song"

No, No skin colored muscle suit please... This is a Broadway show and not a christian theatre. Give me real skin either muscle or not.

Yah, he pretty much looks just like that picture. Not at all a Tarzan in my book. Sure he has a beautiful voice and can kinda act, but Disney dropped the ball on this. Its the difference between Josh trying to be a Tarzan and Josh embodying the role. Look at John Lloyd Young in Jersey Boys. He IS Frankie Valli. Whomever plays Tarzan has to 'be' Tarzan in every aspect of their performance, and in their life. The funny thing is, that after reading that article, I'm wondering who the other 5 guys were. So you are telling me that out of the hundreds of people they saw, NO ONE had a good body and could sing? No one walked in and just 'looked like a Tazan'? I find that hard to believe. Even if their acting wasn't first rate, if you look the part and sing the part, and can move the part, its not hard to coach someone into a role with 6 months lead-time. I know line-readings are looked down upon, but just as Schumacher was helping tighten dialogue, a director 'can' help an actor create a performance.

I'm thinking that maybe he doesn't look like YOUR version of Tarzan should. But you didn't cast this musical. Think about it, would a man who grew up in the jungle with no access to steroids, creatine, and tons of steak really be that beefy? I know for a FACT that the creators wanted a Tarzan with a swimmer's build, not Mr. Olympia. Try to be a little more open minded.

Last time I recall seing a major spring piece about the remarkable skill necessary to get the sets right was in April of 1990 before "Aspects of Love" opened. When the Times invests three pages on set design rather than music, book, or cast, you know you 're in trouble.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii think he looks great ::bust a move::

See!!!!! HOW SHITTY DOES THAT LOOK! "If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson

Pretty... um... what you said. "Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."

so like the wind, and I, the tree; my leaves astir, who, come to me...........in spring

To try and justify what might not be, in some people's opinions, an "ideal looking Tarzan," I present the following "techincal" support to the look of the Tarzan in this production. 1. Musculature Why should the guy be cut with rippling muscles? The kind of exercise he gets (lots of running, swinging around on vines, climbing trees, etc) suggests that he'd be a lean individual, with with very little body fat. He'd be toned (which Josh appears to be), but there'd be no reason for him to look like a professional body builder. Tarzan wasn't doing clean and jerks with tree trunks. Heck, to be historically significant, just google Johnny Weissmuller and check out some of his pics from when he did Tarzan. Looks a bit flabby if you ask me. 2. The Hair Of course he's gonna be hairy. If not simply because most men are quite hairy all over their bodies, but also because he's the "ape-man!" Now, that's not to say this is some support of Lamarckian Inheritance (Inheritance of acquired traits) or anything. He didn't become hairy because he hung around with apes or anything, but if a guy is known as an "ape-man" I'd be surprised if he was anything other than hairy. If Tarzan was some metrosexual who's glistening body didn't have one stray hair on it, we'd have to assume the plane that crashed was also carrying a lifetime supply of Nair and Baby Oil. Which is more realistic? Now, about 10 minutes after I began typing this, I laugh at how I began this post as a joke, but by the time I started the "Hair" paragraph, I was getting into it, thinking, "Yeah, yeah! Of course this is what Tarzan would look like!" lol. Sometimes you just let yourself get carried away, I guess. **EDIT: UPDATE** 3. Personal Hygiene Not to mention the fact that this guy would be dirty and stink. He hangs out with apes all day! And wearing the same loin cloth day in and day out? Geez. Jane must like it dirrty (or however Christina Aguilera spells it.) 4. Hair, con'td And who the hell gave him dreadlocks??!!! You're telling me monkeys know how to dreadlock hair? Oh come on! Talking, okay, I can buy talking, but hair maintainance? Pleeeeease. Willful suspension of disbelief accounted for, but geez. I mean, does Disney really expect us to buy this???? *The preceding comments to do necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of the poster. He was just trying to be funny. "Trying" being the operative word. Thank you.*

I hate the dreadlocks. It just looks incredibley chesy. And who said he can't be a bodybuilder? Obviously Disney isn't going for realism. If they were they wouldn't be so obvious about the flying tools. I think he should be bigger and cut more. That's what people are expecting with the movie and whatnot. I don't know. That picture just reeks of cheesiness to me.

you kids are being quoted on just jared (a gossip site) broadwayworlders quoted on website XING PED

First off, I'm with CJ on this one. Although I can understand the dreadlocks. I mean, it's not like he knows what a brush is, so of course the hair is going to be wild. And except for the fact it covers his face too much, it's appropriate. Take a look at other actors that have played Tarzan. They've always been trim people, not heavily muscular. Also, if you've seen the show, you see that he spends a lot of time doing rolls and crawling around the floor. In this respect, he has to be limber, a gymnast's body. Of course, a little more muscle is asthetically pleasing. But it's not necessary here. In fact, I think he's probably more relatable to younger audiences if they try to play up the young love angle. Look at the love for Orlando Bloom! Young, fair, not overly muscular. I can see why they went this route. Now to be fair, Josh is definitely an asset, very surprisingly. Singing is extremely good, acting is good enough and getting better. That said, he's hardly the reason to complain about this show. Because this show is a really a trainwreck. And I'm just afraid the blame will be put on Josh. 2009-2010 Season attendance: New York: The Toxic Avenger Musical; Altar Boyz (repeat visit); Next Fall; Chicago (repeat visit); How Now Dow Jones (NYC Fringe); Burn the Floor; Far Out: The New Sci-Fi Musical Comedy (NYC Fringe); Bye Bye Birdie; Memphis; The Understudy; Wishful Drinking; Finian's Rainbow; Ragtime.West End: Blood Brothers; Oliver!; War Horse; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Breakfast at Tiffany's; Mother Courage and Her Children; Love's Labour's Lost (Shakespeare's Globe); Sister Act "Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008

i don't think any blame will be put on Josh. from everything people have said about how he performs, he's great. from what people are saying about the show, it sounds like they went about visualizing it all wrong. i don't know yet, and i'll be able to judge it for myself in 2 weeks. ignoring what people are saying, i really can't wait to see it. but i still think he looks fine! ::bust a move::

I think he looks fine. Sure, Tarzan should have more muscles, but whatever. I haven't seen the show, but hopefully his performance is what matters.

Save for the dreads, I think he looks fine, too.