“Tarzan: The Musical,” June 7 through 16

Friday, June 7, through Sunday, June 16

Spotlight Theatre, 1800 Seventh Avenue, Moline IL

Praised by USA Today as a Broadway hit of "uncynical warmth and charm," the Tony-nominated Tarzan: The Musical swings into Moline's Spotlight Theatre for an area-debut run from June 7 through 16, this theatrical adaptation of Disney's Oscar-winning animated film boasting magical stagecraft and delightful tunes including "Two Worlds," "Strangers Like Me," and 1999's Academy Award champion ""You'll Be In My Heart."

With its book by Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang and music by the legendary Phil Collins, Tarzan: The Musical opens on the shores of West Africa, where a baby boy is orphaned when his shipwrecked parents become the victims of a fierce leopard. He is subsequently taken in and raised by a family of gorillas who have recently lost their own baby to the same predator. They name the child Tarzan, and he grows up as one of the pack. However, his foster father Kerchak remains wary of having a human in the jungle. When an expedition of human explorers and naturalists enter the jungle, Tarzan encounters creatures like himself for the first time. As he learns about human life and grows increasingly enamored of Jane, a young naturalist, Tarzan begins to realize that they are not so different. However, Tarzan and Jane’s relationship threatens the safety of the gorillas, and the couple must eventually decide where they truly belong.

Directing Tarzan: The Musical is Spotlight Theatre co-founder and -owner Brent Tubbs, who previously helmed such productions as School of Rock: The Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, and Big: The Musial, and also co-directed 2022's The Producers alongside his wife sara Tubbs, who co-stars in the show as Kara. With Tarzan played by Tommy Ratkiewicz-Stierwalt (the Black Box Theatre's Company, St. Ambrose University's [title of show]) and Jane portrayed by fellow Spotlight Theatre veteran Kirsten Sindelar (Oliver!, The Producers), nearly two dozen additional talents appear among the Tarzan cast: Brittney Anderson; Casey Bergthold; Dalton Carls; Bruce Duling; Madison Duling; Maesi Geigle; Jackson Grubbs; Noa Hewlett; Olivia Hoft;Addie Jorgensen; Natalynn Kabel; Robert Kennedy; Addison Kopp;Jorge Mendez; Valerie Moore; Breileigh Moran; Marlo Reed; Owen Steen; Cooper Tubbs; Joel Vanderbush; and Grace Wiborg.

Christine Rogers serves as Tarzan's music director, and with director Tubbs also designing the set and lights, additional members of his creative team include: choreographer Kylie Wise; stage manager Sarah Greim; costume, hair, and makeup designers Heather Blair and Sara Wegener; and props master Heather Leuder.

Tarzan: The Musical runs in Moline from June 7 through 16, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $20-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)912-7647 and visiting TheSpotlightTheatreQC.com.