TARZAN Opens at NSMT

From the masters of family entertainment, who brought you The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Mary Poppins, Bill Hanney's North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) will present a World Premiere production of the Disney musical, TARZAN, playing from July 12 - 24. Press night is scheduled for tonight, July 13 at 7:30 p.m.

"I am very excited that Disney has allowed North Shore Music Theatre to be the birth place of this new version of their musical, Tarzan. Our audiences will delight in a unique environmental production," says NSMT's owner and producer, Bill Hanney. "Tarzan is a great adventure story, but also beautiful story of family, love and acceptance. The exciting music by Phil Collins sets a jungle beat for this production and will make it the must see show of the summer for audiences of all ages!"

Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, who wrote the musical's book based on both the 1999 Disney film and the original Edgar Rice Burroughs story "Tarzan of the Apes," will be working with NSMT to revise the Broadway script for future productions. NSMT's production will also feature a brand new 14-piece orchestration of the Oscar and Grammy Award-Winning music written by Phil Collins.

TARZAN tells the classic tale of a shipwreck that leaves an infant boy orphaned on the shores of West Africa. The helpless baby is adopted and raised by the mate of the leader of a tribe of gorillas who is grieving the loss of her baby. As he grows and matures, the boy yearns for acceptance from his ape father and to discover the reason for his uniqueness. Eventually he encounters his first human - Jane Porter, a curious young explorer - and all of their worlds are transformed.

The cast of TARZAN will be led by Broadway's Brian Justin Crum as Tarzan. Brian's Broadway credits include 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal, Grease, and the worldwide phenomenon, Wicked. Brian will be joined onstage by Andrea Goss, who will be playing Jane Porter. Andrea was a member of the final cast of Broadway's Rent.

Also featured in TARZAN will be Eric Collins (Clayton), Todd Allen Johnson (Kerchak), Christopher Messina (Terk), Robyn Payne (Kala), and Jay Russell (Professor Porter).

The cast of 18 performers is completed by Matthew Bauman, Kristine Bendul, Ven Daniel, Jessica Dillan, Gregory Haney, Sarah Marie Hicks, Vashty Mompoint, Marcus Shane, and Drew J. Shuler. Two local children are also included in the cast, Gloucester resident Jack Favazza will play Young Tarzan and Lowell resident Sebastian Hoffman will be in the ensemble.

TARZAN will be directed by Bill Castellino, who is making his NSMT directing debut. The show will be choreographed by, Josh Bergasse, who is currently the choreographer of the upcoming NBC series "Smash" produced by Steven Spielberg. The creative team also includes Tim Mackabee (Scenic Designer), David Neville (Lighting Designer), Charles Schoonmaker (Costume Designer), Keith Levenson (Music Supervisor), Anne Shuttlesworth (Music Director), James McCartney and Josh Staines (Co-Sound Designers), Gerard Kelly (Wig Designer), John Godbout (Production Stage Manager), and Natalie A. Lynch (Assistant Stage Manager). Shawn Duan will design projections, and the flying effects will be provided by ZFX, Inc.

Tickets for TARZAN are priced from $35 - $65. Kids 12 & under save 50% at all evening performances. Performances are June 7 - 19, Tue - Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit www.nsmt.org, or visit the box office in person at 62 Dunham Rd. Beverly. 3- Show Trio Packages are available to purchase.

Additional Free Audience Enrichment events: Meet the Theatre: post-show audience discussion with the artists on July 19 after the 7:30 pm performance July 23 after the 2 pm performance; OUT at the North Shore, an evening for the Gay and Lesbian Community with a post-show reception (sponsored in part by Ryan & Wood Inc. Distilleries and Sparkling Soirées) on July 21 after the 7:30 pm performance.

The 2011 season continues with Footloose (August 16 - 28), The King and I (September 27 - October 19), Legally Blonde (November 1 - 13), and concludes with the return of New England's brightest holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, December 2 -23, starring David Coffee as Ebenezer

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