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Tarzan Swings Into The Woodlawn Theatre

The Woodlawn Theatre has debuted a production that brought with it many challenges. The show is "Tarzan," and as you’d expect, the set is crucial.

"We have a really beautiful, green, luscious jungle built right onto the stage, with two running waterfalls," said Greg Hinojosa, who is the show's director. It follows closely the Disney movie of the same name: Family shipwrecks on African coast, baby raised by apes.

“It is everything you ever thought about 'Tarzan' being, and the music is by Phil Collins," said Hinojosa. "We have a live orchestra that’s seated up in the balcony, and it just fills the theater. There are some great percussion sounds.”

You’re probably wondering, as did I: Does Tarzan fly using vines? Hinojosa said the answer is an emphatic "yes."

“Very much in the style of Cirque du Soleil performers, we actually have four silks onstage that act as vines,” Hinojosa said.

These "silks" are what the characters cling to to make those dramatic airborne moves.

“Once Tarzan is revealed as an adult for the first time, the audience actually gets to see Tarzan fly right over (them) and back onto the stage a couple of times,” Hinojosa said.

The heart of the story is Tarzan discovering Jane, and discovering that in fact, he’s not an ape.

“His world is turned upside down when some expeditioners come to study guerilla gorilla life, and he meets Jane” Hinojosa said.

Their romance doesn’t get too explicit.

“It’s definitely a family-friendly show," said Hinojosa. "We’ve had toddlers through teenagers attending with their parents. It’s just a whole lot of fun for the entire family.”

Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii