Further casting has been announced for the Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC)’s  reimagined production of Tarzan the Broadway musical starring Broadway’s original Tarzan Josh Strickland March 8-17 at THE BLACK BOX in Franklin, MA. Ruby Lewis (Paramour) will star as Jane alongside Tyrick Wiltez Jones (Hairspray, Finian’s Rainbow, Bat Out of Hell) as Terk. Maria Sylvia Norris and P.T. Mahoney will appear as Kala and Kerchak, with Nick Paone as Clayton and Liam Kerrigan as Young Tarzan. Katie Gray and Andrew Scott Holmes will be featured vocalists with the show’s band. 

The ensemble, comprised of NYC and Boston/Providence talent as well as collegiate actors from programs like Dean College, includes Casey Harkness Andrade, April Ball, Gia Chessa, Heather Dorler, Takaaki Matsumoto, Emiliano Morales, DJ Ormond, Julia Ormond, Myranda Rose Silva, Kellie Stamp, Johanna Stipetic, Lindsay Tomas, and Isis Wilson. The cast will be joined by Student Apprentice Performers from the Franklin School for the Performing Arts Elena Baker, Helena Cornwell, Devin Curley, Finley Doherty, Emmett Eastman, John Fitzhenry, Anya Fox, Macie Hoben, Matthew Packard, Ashley Pepin, Mason Sanford, Kate Settle, Angelina Willey, Owen Charles, Grayson Kerrigan, and Colette Lelievre. 

FPAC’s flexible theater space, THE BLACK BOX, will be transformed into a multi-stage rock concert centering the iconic Phil Collins music, while telling the classic story by blending Broadway and concert experience. Conceptualized and directed by Raye Lynn Mercer and  Ali Funkhouser, the show will feature choreography by Broadway’s Clay Rice-Thomson (Moulin Rouge!, King Kong, Newsies, Matilda) and music direction by Hallie Wetzell. Based on Disney’s epic animated musical adventure and Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan features heart-pumping music by rock legend, Phil Collins, and a book by Tony Award-winning playwright, David Henry Hwang. High-flying excitement and hits, like the Academy Award winning “You’ll Be in My Heart,” as well as “Son of Man,” and “Two Worlds,” make Tarzan an unforgettable theatrical experience.

In 2006, Josh Strickland created the leading role of Tarzan in Disney’s musical Tarzan on Broadway. In 2009, he made his starring Las Vegas debut in Peepshow at Planet Hollywood Casino & Resort while concurrently co-starring in the hit E! reality show Holly’s World. Strickland debuted his first single “Report to the Floor,” which skyrocketed to the top-five on the iTunes Dance Charts the first week of its release, followed by “Last Dance.” Ruby Lewis starred as Indigo in Cirque du Soleil’s premiere Broadway show, Paramour. She specializes in biographical roles, having played Betty Hutton & Peggy Lee in Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole at the Geffen Playhouse (Ovation Nomination) and Marilyn Monroe in Marilyn! The New Musical (Best Broadway Performer Las Vegas) at the Paris Theatre in Las Vegas, backed by the Marilyn Monroe Estate. Tyrick Wiltez Jones led the U.S. Tour and Off-Broadway productions of Bat Out of Hell as Jagwire. His Broadway credits include Howard in Finian’s Rainbow and Hairspray as well as the Broadway National Tours of Miss Saigon, Seussical, Fosse, and Show Boat. 

FPAC is an Actors’ Equity Small Professional Theater company based at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin, MA. Each season, FPAC produces musicals, plays, ballets, and more featuring Broadway stars, professional actors, local performers, and emerging artists. Tickets for Tarzan are available at FPAConline.com or by calling the box office at (508) 528-3370.