Let the Disney music play on

Oh, Walt… what would we have done had you not drawn those sketches of that mouse in your farmyard and catapulted that idea into creating your gregarious empire? Our childhood experiences would have most likely been reduced to nothing short of languid and utterly boring. After the box-office success of many a cartoon movie and Broadway musical on the Great White Way, Disney has effectively imprinted its mark on a worldwide audience – a mark so compelling that anyone who hasn’t heard of Mickey and his magical clique must be living under a rock, or worse, has probably never lived at all.

Time after time, Disney has proven itself worthy of parrying its movie contemporaries at Universal and Fox. With a worthy collection of hits such as Finding Nemo and The Incredibles through its partnership with Pixar, Lion King and Beauty and the Beast through their celebrated incarnations in musical theater, and cartoon classics such as Mulan and Peter Pan, the well-loved empire has conquered the world by storm and continues to send wave upon wave of warmth and magic out to its devoted clientele. And just when you thought that they couldn’t do anything more, Disney delivers yet again – coming up with something so totally awesome and unique that it leaves the kid in each of us gaily satisfied, and eventually wanting more. This year, Disney did just that in the form of two very new and prominent members of its ever-expanding family. And it just so happens to suit the musical inklings of every audio-syncratic Juan de la Cruz.

First up is a little something called High School Musical. You know, that quirky Disney Original Movie that has most people nowadays going gaga over the hit soundtrack and singing along to its catchy, upbeat tunes. It first premiered here in Manila a couple of months ago, meriting a promotional countdown timer below the station logo of the Disney Channel. I admit, waiting is not something I’m very good at doing; however, rather than being a tease, it has only built up my excitement and that of other Disney aficionados out there even more.

High School Musical is about basketball star Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), the brainy Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) and their magical New Year’s Eve encounter that eventually leads to school-wide identity crises and the shattering of status quos. Prior to their next encounter, the attraction between the two is piqued by a karaoke challenge wherein they discover a mutual love for singing, despite Troy’s Varsity Blues and Gabriella’s Einstein inclinations. Returning from his New Year’s Eve vacation, Troy learns that Gabriella is the new gal in his school. Impulsively, they both decide to audition for the upcoming school musical. In the process, they receive a hefty amount of disapproval from Chad (Corbin Bleu) and Taylor (Monique Coleman) who are Troy and Gabriela’s bosom buddies from the Varsity and Science team respectively; Troy’s dad who also happens to be his basketball coach set on winning the championship; and reigning musical duo Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan Evans (Lucas Grabeel) who will stop at nothing to bag the leads. Despite the adverse reactions to Troy and Gabriella’s shocking decision, the two are able to "break free" from the dogmatic realities of teenage life and commence a shattering of the usual stereotypes that befall the typical high school community.

High School Musical also features an astounding soundtrack with hits like Start of Something New, Breaking Free, and We’re All in this Together climbing the Billboard charts. Out of Disney’s love for the Asian Market, a special edition of the soundtrack has been made available to us in which Nikki Gil and a bunch of other Asian artists deliver a special rendition of the hit single Breaking Free. Nikki, an admitted Disney-phile like myself, shares this about what the song means to her: "I feel really blessed to have been chosen to sing a song that speaks about believing in yourself and going after your dreams. After all, you need to believe in yourself before people can believe in you."

Before moving on to Disney’s second offering of the season, here’s a little trivia about the cartoon empire’s entry to the Great White Way. Viewing my copy of Broadway: The American Musical, Julie Andrews fondly relates that in a time when Broadway was unsafe for younger audiences due to a heavy concentration of drugs, seedy bars and prostitution in the Big Apple, Disney bravely marched into Broadway’s sinful atmosphere with a quest of transforming the area into a place where the whole family could simply enjoy the magic of theater. With the help of then Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Disney was able to clean the streets of NYC and generate an atmosphere of warmth with the opening of The Lion King in 1998. The feat has since led to a rebirth of popular 42nd street, allowing young audiences to experience the magic of Broadway and Disney of course, to place its Mickey-shaped mark on the theatrical world. And so, after dispensing many a hit such as The Lion King that bagged the Tony for Best Musical in 1998 and Beauty and the Beast’s subsequent triumph, Disney comes up with yet another remarkable new musical that will surely touch the kid in each one of us. Move over Belle and Simba: Tarzan has arrived.

Opening on Broadway last March 24, Tarzan is the stage adaptation of Disney’s award-winning animated feature that explores the tale of an infant boy left orphaned on the shores of West Africa. He is taken into custody and saved by the maternal Kala (Merle Dandridge of Rent) despite the disapproval of her silverback bull-ape mate Kerchak (Shuler Hensley of Oklahoma!). The boy is eventually oriented to the ways of the gorilla tribe and ultimately becomes part of their family. While Tarzan (Josh Strickland, American Idol) is able to get along with several members of the tribe, especially Terk (Chester Gregory II), his humanity is met with suspicion from Kerchak, who views the boy as a threat to the tribe. Kerchak exiles the boy when he instinctively fashions a spear out of his innocent ingenuity, further reinforcing the gorilla’s fear that the boy will bring the tribe to harm. Kala finds Tarzan by the waterfall and convinces him to stay. Tarzan eventually grows up to be an athletic man who has become attuned to nature and is able to utilize its resources to his advantage.

A chance encounter with naturalist Jane Porter (Jenn Gambatese, All Shook Up), a curious young explorer, realigns his stars and brings the two together despite being so many worlds apart. The two develop a friendship, which in time grows into affection, wherein Jane is able to peer inside the humanity of this savage man to see his emotional link to the gorilla tribe. She relays her profound discovery to her father Professor Porter and their mercenary guide Mr. Clayton, not knowing of the latter’s evil intentions to poach Tarzan’s furry family. Clayton deceptively tricks the boy into leading him into his tribe and wickedly kills Kerchak in the process. From there on, Tarzan is left with the task of deciding on his identity, on his love for Jane, and just how important family really is.

Tarzan features a beautiful score by Phil Collins including You’ll Be In My Heart and Worlds Apart, which bagged a number of Academy and Grammy Awards when the movie first came out, direction and set design by two-time Tony Award-winning director Bob Crowley, and David Hwang’s adaptation of the animated feature to the stage. Currently making waves at Broadway’s box office, Tarzan is a must-see for all you Disney aficionados out there.

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Catch your breath and let me know what you think at chasingtoff@yahoo.com