by tony reverditto Tarzan is the story of a boy becoming a man. In a
very short time, he falls in love for the first time, learns of a world completely unlike his own, struggles with acceptance, wrestles with the thought of leaving everything he knows, overcomes extreme loss and ascends to leadership. This musical addresses almost every facet of human emotion. As far as the physical goes…lots of ice baths and ibuprofen! What is your favorite musical number from the production and why? One hundred percent “You’ll Be In My Heart.” No
matter what, we are who we are and we love who we love. Are the actors playing the animals of the jungle? How does that work? The movement in this production is wildly specific.
TARZAN A TRUE SWINGER!
Familiar to families over several generations, Tarzan tells the classic tale of a shipwreck that leaves an infant boy orphaned on the shores of West Africa. He is taken in and raised by a band of gorillas; in par- ticular, by an ape who is grieving the loss of her baby. As the child grows and matures into manhood, he is unaware of the reasons for his “uniqueness.” That is... until the arrival of a hunting expedition. His first human sighting stuns him with the realization of a world beyond his jungle home. The story is set to music through the Oscar and
Grammy Award-winning talents of composer/singer Phil Collins. To tell the musical tale, 3-D Theatrical Company has put together a cast of 34 performers and leading the “pack,” is Devin Archer as Tarzan. Archer is from just outside of St. Louis, Missouri and earned his degree in music at Northwestern University in Chicago. He was most recently seen as Marius in Les Miserables at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach,Mamma Mia!, Follies, Fiddler on the Roof, Twelfth NightandAce.
62 RAGE monthly | JULY 2015
Archer was kind enough to chat with The Rage Monthly about the role: I heard that it was tough to find the perfect Tarzan. 3-DT (3-D Theatricals) did a thorough search for this
cast. I think the real challenge, was piecing together the right personalities. The group is talented from top to bottom, but what’s more, is how generous and careful we are with one another. They say that “you’re only as good as your weakest link…” and we don’t have one. What are you doing physically and emotionally to prepare for the role?
Director Rufus Bonds Jr. and Choreographer Linda Love Simmons, have guided all of us on how to create jungle creatures out of our own human bodies. From leopards to lizards, actors are slithering, leaping and bounding in challenging ways all over the stage, adorned in uniquely original costumes built by Sharell Martin. Describe the feeling you get when you are swinging from vine to vine? The danger factor adds a certain focus and a
distinct excitement to the magic of it. The fact that I get to swing into action, from thirty feet above stage level, is both exhilarating and terrifying. We have all seen a movie version of Tarzan, how does it translate to a musical? It’s perfect. Arguably the most well-known fictional
character of all time, it’s easy to become enthralled by Tarzan’s primitive nature and fall in love with his play- fulness and curiosity. It gives the audience a chance to venture into his jungle to discover all of its offer- ings. And, who doesn’t love the music of Phil Collins? What do you consider the true message from the show? We are so spoiled by plumbing, electricity, air
conditioning, transportation, restaurants, pillows, Netflix, Starbucks and our awful nine-to-five lives… the list goes on. We have so many distractions from what is most important—each other and our family. I would like audiences to leave with more respect for the beauty of life, happening all around them and to never take it for granted.
devin archer
Tarzan swings intoFullerton’s Plummer Auditorium, 201 East Chapman Avenue in Fullerton, fromSaturday, July 11 through Sunday, July 26.
It swings next to theRedondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 East Manhattan Boulevard in Redondo Beach fromSatur- day, August 1 through Sunday, August
9.For tickets and more information call 714.589.2770, or go
to3dtshows.com.
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