I think the opening sequence of the Tarzan movie was the best Disney animation opening sequence since Lion King and Hunchback of Notre Dame. I know the stage of the musical is basically a green box... but I can't for the life of me imagine how they would stage a shipwreck and show the two narrative threads of the shipwrecked parents, and the baby gorilla being eaten by the leopard.

Has anybody here seen the show, and could they try to briefly explain it to me? Thanks, in advance!

Apparently the Dutch stage adaption differs a bit compared to the Broadway version, but I'll explain what the Dutch one is like....

The audience is let into the hall and the doors are closed. The lights are not yet dimmed, so everyone is still watching around to see all the green stuff and the nice Tarzan-things Then, all of a sudden, lights go out, you hear thunder and the lights imitate lightning, which is really cool. You see a decor with on the top the blue sea and at the bottom the beach colours. Tarzan's parents float against this decor trying to "swim" (they make swimming movements) to the coast, so a little lower. The ropes that they're attached to let them go to the beach. Then they get safely downstairs/on the beach and you see the hut in the tree and Tarzan and his parents are there.
The leopard jumps out of the side and lands on the hut, where struggling a bit with the parents (you can not see this, the lights are flickering in this bit). Then you only see little Tarzan crying.
The hut disappears and you see Korchak and Kala with their child and several other gorrila's. Then the leopard comes here as well and fights with them, Kala remains crying. Then you hear the baby Tarzan crying and Kala goes looking for it. She finds it and Korchak disapproves it. Kala wants to care for the baby and sings You'll Be In My Heart.

I hope it's a bit clear like this?

That was a quick response! I'd figured it would involve wire work, but I just wasn't sure how, or how the staging would fit with the music. Thank you so much.

When you see the hut + Tarzan's parents, you hear Tarzan (the man) singing Two Worlds, but you can't see him. Forgot to tell that
If you live anywhere near the Netherlands: COME AND SEE THIS SHOW! It's amazing! Much better than the Broadway version..

Let's hope...

It defenititely is I've seen Broadway on a dvd and Dutch in real (twice). It's good. It's amazing!

I just read an article that said that "Two Worlds" was sung by Terk and a girl from the ensemble in the Dutch production, not by Tarzan. It seems a bit random - a "why" change that attempts to do something cosmetic instead of tackling the more important problems in the show - but was this actually the case when the production opened?

Later days
David