Tarzan

I slept for almost 10 hours and then woke up with a sore throat and cough that stayed with my for the rest of the trip, which I blame on waiting 20 minutes in the freezing cold to get a cab at LaGuardia. I looked out the window and saw everything outside covered in snow, which did not put me in any more of a mood to get up and get going. I lounged in bed until almost noon and finally got myself ready to go. I walked to the theatre, although it was more like sliding along the slick sidewalks (and whatever you do, don't step on a subway grate after a snowfall, you'll be lucky to keep your balance without grabbing onto the nearest passer-by). I picked up my ticket at the Richard Rogers and went to a nearby pizza place on 8th for lunch. I stayed there about half an hour and at 1:30 went back to the theatre. I had to stand outside for about another 10 minutes and then they let us in. Despite the modern looking facade, it is a very small theatre inside, and there were kids crawling everywhere. I found my seat and was thrilled to find myself in the 5th row, the very center seat of the center section. The pre-show show was cool, with maps and pictures of the ship projected onto the curtain and the sound of creaking timber and wind coming through the speakers. Then the show started. The first act didn't really wow me. It was a lot of spectacle, but the story was thin. The first 15 minutes of the movie are heartwrenching, and they really glossed over the loss of Kala's cub and her adoption of Tarzan. In fact, when the cheetah stole her cub, it happened so fast it was hard to tell what had just happened, and it really lessened the emotional impact. Then, as the first act progressed, they really lightened up on Kerchek's rejection of Tarzan, which I thought was the heart of the movie. The best line from the movie "He is not my son" wasn't even in the show. Come on, that line endeared every theatre queen in the audience to young Tarzan and helped create an emotional bond. The actor playing young Tarzan seemed to miss his cues frequently which created a feeling of the show lagging, and then the shadow puppet show really seemed out of place. Fortunately, just as I was wondering if I had wasted $65, young Tarzan was out and Josh Strickland was in. My oh my, what I wouldn't give to be stranded on a jungle island with him. Most of the rest of the first act was spectacle, particularly when Jane first showed up and was wowed by Africa, but Strickland helped to finally create some connection with the story. He did a fantastic job, throughout the entire show of being the outsider; human when he was around apes and ape-like when he was around the humans. It was a fantastic performance. The second act really focused on the story and was much more enjoyable. A lot of the emotional conflict finally came to the forefront, and although "Strangers Like Me" is no "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," "Beauty and the Beast," or even "Written In The Stars," the love story really took hold and I really enjoyed the second act and ended up very glad I had seen the show. Once it was over, I had to fight my way past all the kids milling around aimlessly, and was pleased to find most of the snow had melted. I made my way back to the hotel to meet my companion and begin the rest of the evening.