You’d have had to be living under a rock for the past few years to not have heard of High School Musical – a brand which has spawned 3 hit films, a concert tour, an ice production and now a stage show.
Based on a Disney Channel original move of the same name, High School Musical’s story is a simple one. Basketball jock Troy Bolton meets Maths club geek Gabriella Montez and both discover that they have a mutual love of singing. Not cool for the kids of East High, who’s school rules means that students shouldn’t leave the security of their cliques. They eventually break free and win the leading roles in the schools talent show, making an enemy along the way in the form of drama queen Sharpay Evans.
After a small technical delay, the show started well enough, but seemed to lack some of the charisma of the film. The dialogue is weak and lost the attention of some of the younger children in the audience. It is further devalued when a lot of on stage distractions occur. One such example is a boy who is pretending to be an earthworm travelling across the stage. Whilst incredibly funny, it is impossible to pay attention to him and to the dialogue taking place. For the majority of the children the worm took preference.
The final twenty minutes of the second act show why High School Musical is such a phenomenon, and is where the show really finds its feet. The singing, the dancing and the energy dispel any memories from earlier parts of the show and the audience ate it up. This was what they came for and boy do they enjoy it! Particular highlights included “We’re all in this Together” and “Breaking Free”, both of which had the audience cheering and singing along.
The leads in Ashley Day as Troy and Claire-Marie Hall as Gabrielle are excellent, and credit must be given to them for remaining in character and not being distracted by a very enthusiastic audience. The rest of the cast were also very good, playing students from different peer groups very well. The high-octane choreography was outstanding, and everyone worked well with it.
The set is exceptional for a touring production – slick in its design and exuberant in colour. Set pieces move swiftly across the stage meaning that scene changes can occur in a matter of seconds – very important when being watched by over 1000 young children.
Whilst this show isn’t ground breaking in any way (think Grease without the filth), it does what it sets out to do very well. It has a good message that everyone doesn’t have to conform to succeed, it has an excellent cast and it has catchy songs which you’ll be humming for a good few hours after the show.
For many children across the region, this will be their first theatrical experience, and if they enjoyed it as much as they seemed to, then the future of the theatre is in very safe hands indeed.
Based on a Disney Channel original move of the same name, High School Musical’s story is a simple one. Basketball jock Troy Bolton meets Maths club geek Gabriella Montez and both discover that they have a mutual love of singing. Not cool for the kids of East High, who’s school rules means that students shouldn’t leave the security of their cliques. They eventually break free and win the leading roles in the schools talent show, making an enemy along the way in the form of drama queen Sharpay Evans.
After a small technical delay, the show started well enough, but seemed to lack some of the charisma of the film. The dialogue is weak and lost the attention of some of the younger children in the audience. It is further devalued when a lot of on stage distractions occur. One such example is a boy who is pretending to be an earthworm travelling across the stage. Whilst incredibly funny, it is impossible to pay attention to him and to the dialogue taking place. For the majority of the children the worm took preference.
The final twenty minutes of the second act show why High School Musical is such a phenomenon, and is where the show really finds its feet. The singing, the dancing and the energy dispel any memories from earlier parts of the show and the audience ate it up. This was what they came for and boy do they enjoy it! Particular highlights included “We’re all in this Together” and “Breaking Free”, both of which had the audience cheering and singing along.
The leads in Ashley Day as Troy and Claire-Marie Hall as Gabrielle are excellent, and credit must be given to them for remaining in character and not being distracted by a very enthusiastic audience. The rest of the cast were also very good, playing students from different peer groups very well. The high-octane choreography was outstanding, and everyone worked well with it.
The set is exceptional for a touring production – slick in its design and exuberant in colour. Set pieces move swiftly across the stage meaning that scene changes can occur in a matter of seconds – very important when being watched by over 1000 young children.
Whilst this show isn’t ground breaking in any way (think Grease without the filth), it does what it sets out to do very well. It has a good message that everyone doesn’t have to conform to succeed, it has an excellent cast and it has catchy songs which you’ll be humming for a good few hours after the show.
For many children across the region, this will be their first theatrical experience, and if they enjoyed it as much as they seemed to, then the future of the theatre is in very safe hands indeed.
7/10
High School Musical is at the Liverpool Empire until Saturday 13th June 2009
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