Sharpay is a key character in Disney's "High School Musical," which is getting a stage adaptation at the Star Plaza Theatre in July. "She's a really mean drama queen," said Julia St. John, the Valparaiso teen who'll play Sharpay at the Star.
"It is her school, and that's what she wants it to stay as." That's VaNavia Ventura's character in the pop-culture juggernaut. "She's, like, the head of the brainiacs," Ventura, a Merrillville resident, said.
"She's very smart, and she's almost too smart for her own good. She's very above everyone else and has a lot of style to her." Inquiring minds might want to know if VaNavia is anything like Taylor.
"I do think I have style, and I'm pretty smart, but not as smart as she is," the actress said. "I mean, she's like very above everyone else -- speaks a different language and everything." Sassy personalities are a cornerstone of the much-anticipated Star production that's formally known as Disney's "High School Musical .
.. The Musical.
" Three July 13-15 performances have sold out at the 3,400-seat Merrillville venue, prompting the addition of two preview shows to satisfy public demand. Spun from a wildly successful Disney Channel original movie, the stage play is all about youthful cliques, yet it's as much about inclusiveness. "The coolest thing about 'High School Musical' is that it's the most diverse play that I've ever seen -- everyone from big and tall to different races .
.. everything," Ventura, 18, said.
"It's about coming out and being yourself. In high schools, you're trying to find yourself, so you feel that you have to belong to a group, a clique. Sometimes, that's not really the person you are, but you do that just to fit in.
" As it celebrates individual personality, "High School Musical" delivers the message with songs that have a Broadway bent. "It's more like a concert than it is a musical," she said. A 17-year-old student at Valparaiso High School, St.
John was among the 130 or so who recently auditioned for the chance to appear on the Star Plaza stage. St. John was nervous during auditions.
While pretty confident as a singer, she concedes she's "not the strongest dancer in the world." Any shortfalls aside, the teen made the cut -- and is glad: "It's really exciting to be working here. It's at the Star.
" Although the cast is not paid, "High School Musical" is community theater that's produced by the Star Plaza Theatre, meaning those who perform benefit from the venue's considerable muscle. That clout is manifested in everything from lighting and sound to other strong suits like reputation and promotion. There is likewise a solid presence in director Kurt Gillins, who earned regional acclaim as a director and producer at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso.
"Cats" and "The Sound of Music" are among his directing credits there. "I produced and directed at the Memorial Opera House for eight years," he said. For "High School Musical," Gillins said he will be guiding a cast of about 35.
Excluding two older performers, Gillins believes the cast ranges in age from 13 to 23. Complementing the onstage singing will be a group of musicians that adds more of a "rock band feel" to the show's music, according to Gillins. The 29-year-old Valparaiso resident realizes he's responsible for pulling together a gem, using local talent.
"There's such a high expectation 'cause everybody who's gonna come see it knows exactly what they want to see, so we have to deliver what they want to see," Gillins said. Doing her part to keep the customer satisfied is Kyrie Anderson of Hobart. Anderson, 20, plays Gabriella Montez, another brainiac.
Like millions of other young people around the world, Anderson was drawn to "High School Musical" and its buoyancy. "It's so energetic," the singer and dancer said. In some ways, the story line of "High School Musical" is secondary to its potent music.
The musical's sound track was the top-selling album of 2006. But there is a message woven into the teen pop. "The moral is you don't have to stick to your status quo; you don't have to stick to the cliques in high school," Anderson said.
In fact, the concept of living outside the box is addressed in "Stick to the Status Quo," one of the show's tunes. From a pitch standpoint, the songs in "High School Musical" can present a challenge. "Vocally, this is the hardest show I've ever done because it's so high -- it's for kids," said Zachary Gipson, 19.
The graduate of Chesterton High School will play jock Troy Bolton in the Merrillville run. That set of five shows is more evidence that the Walt Disney Co. has a lucrative franchise that even entails a "High School Musical" on-ice tour.
"I heard Disney's coming out with 'Haunted High School Musical,' " Gipson said. Where: Star Plaza Theatre, U.S.
30 and Interstate 65, Merrillville When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, and 7:30 p.
m. Wednesday, July 11 Tickets: $15 (general-admission seating); theater box office or Ticketmaster, 791-1234 Special note: The theater's regular run of this show (July 13-15) is sold out. When the Disney Channel premiered "High School Musical" on Jan.
20, 2006, an entertainment phenomenon was unleashed to viewers. The original movie about the teen scene set a household-ratings record for the Disney Channel, establishing a new benchmark for its television films. By the end of 2006, "High School Musical" had been televised in some 100 countries.
The soundtrack CD, which has sold 7 million copies globally, delivered no less than six certified gold singles. Additionally, the movie's DVD has sold more than 6 million, snaring the title of best-selling TV movie of all time in the DVD format. And if that's not enough, there's a "High School Musical" ice tour that hits the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
, in January, followed by dates in February at Chicago's United Center. On a literary front, a junior novel based on the movie was a smash on The New York Times best-seller list. Not surprisingly, small-stage theaters were antsy to present do-it-yourself versions of Disney's production.
Disney estimates 2,000 schools and community theaters will have performed the stage version of "High School Musical" by the end of the year. To that end, 1,500 licenses have been issued in North America so far. The Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville is producing a three-show run July 13 through 15 that has sold out.
A portion of the proceeds from that Star engagement will benefit St. Jude House, a Crown Point shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Because of public demand, two preview performances have been added at the venue on July 10 and 11.
Those dates allow the theater to tinker with the show prior to the July 13 opening.
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