A silverback mountain gorilla walks in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. Alexander Hamilton High School in Elmsford, New York, cancelled plans for a stage production of Tarzans after parents expressed fears that black pupils would portray apes in the play. File picture: Felipe Dana/AP

New York – 
The audition date was set.

On December 4, students at Alexander Hamilton High School in Elmsford, New York, would have the chance to flaunt their vocal chops with the hopes of landing a role in the drama club’s highly anticipated spring musical: Disney’s “Tarzan.”

But just days before the scheduled tryouts, administrators announced a change of plans. Instead of “Tarzan,” the Westchester County high school would be putting on a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”