Complete Cast Announced for New Broadway Musical Tarzan

Complete casting has been announced for the upcoming Broadway production of Tarzan. Josh Strickland will play the title role in the tuner, which will also star Jenn Gambatese as Jane, Merle Dandridge as Kala, Shuler Hensley as Kerchak, Chester Gregory II as Terk, Timothy Jerome as Professor Porter and Donnie Keshawarz as Clayton. Daniel Manche and Alex Rutherford will alternate in the role of Young Tarzan.

Strickland, who appeared in Rent on tour, was seen on television in both Star Search 2004 and American Idol. Gambatese's Broadway credits include All Shook Up, Hairspray, A Year with Frog and Toad and Footloose. Dandridge has been seen on Broadway in Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar and Aida. Hensley, who recently appeared off-Broadway in The Great American Trailer Park Musical, won the the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards for his performance as Jud Fry in Oklahoma!. Gregory is currently playing Seaweed J. Stubbs in Hairspray. Jerome received a Tony nomination for his work in Me and My Girl and has also appeared on the Great White Way in Grand Hotel, The Phantom of the Opera, La Boheme and Beauty and the Beast. Keshawarz was featured on Broadway in Taboo. Manche made his Broadway debut in Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Nine. Rutherford appeared as Chip in Beauty and the Beast both on tour and in New York.

Tarzan will also feature Darrin Baker, Marcus Bellamy, Celina Carvajal, Dwayne Clark, Veronica deSoyza, Kearran Giovanni, Michael Hollick, Joshua Kobak, Kara Madrid, Kevin Massey, Anastasia McCleskey, Rika Okamoto, Marlyn Ortiz, Whitney Ostenoski, John Oyzon, Andy Pellick, Angela Phillips, Stefan Raulston, Horace V. Rogers, Sean Samuels, Nick Sanchez, Niki Scalera, Natalie Silverlieb, J.D. Aubrey Smith and Rachel Stern.

More than 90 years ago, Edgar Rice Burroughs introduced the character of Tarzan to the world in the October 1912 issue of All Story Magazine. Disney released the animated film version of Tarzan in 1999. The musical will feature a book by David Henry Hwang adapted from the film's screenplay by Tab Murphy, Bob Tzudiker and Noni White and based on the novel, Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Phil Collins, who provided songs for the film, has written eight new songs for the stage Tarzan.

Tarzan is scheduled to begin previews at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on March 24 in preparation for a May 10 opening.