Theater review: '1776' is history with a good beat and humor OnStage: Success is no illusion OnStage: Parallel construction in 'Two for the Seesaw' Theater review: Scaled-down 'Les Miz' soars just the same After all the buzz, I felt bad about missing Peter Rothstein's sold-out production of "Disney's High School Musical" earlier this year on the Children's Theatre's Cargill Stage. So I was glad to hear that it would have an encore mounting at the venue's Mainstage. The bubbly, bouncy production, which opened Saturday, is a tight, snazzy piece of theater about events that many of us can remember.
The narrative, based on the Disney Channel movie and written by David Simpatico with a village's worth of songwriters, is about the cliques (and claques) of high school. This feel-good after-school special shows that you can cross those boundaries and, in the process, liberate not just yourself, but also your community. The show centers on the unlikely pair of basketball team leader Troy Bolton (gifted singer and dancer Ben Bakken) and academic smartypants Gabriella Montez (sweetly affecting Katie Allen).
Troy secretly likes to sing but has to uphold his rep as a jock. Gabriella is a new kid, so she has to get the lay of the land before showing that she's not just a pretty face with a brain. The two audition for the East High musical.
Written by fellow student Kelsi (Isabella Dawis as a sweet dweeb coming into her power), it is a feminist take on Shakespeare. But there are complicating characters, including Troy's father (played with hectoring authority by Steve Sweere) who wants his son to live out the old man's dreams, pretty ice queen Sharpay (Laura Otremba) who pads around with her twin, Ryan (Chris Kempainen), and teacher Ms. "High School Musical" is a formulaic show that crimps from musicals that have come before.
But what makes it stand out is the polish and energy that this young cast brings to bear. And they have strong, commendable voices, singing poignantly with a live band, even with a few technical glitches on opening night. I was particularly impressed with Bakken and Allen; both offered a lot of emotion and color in their voices.
After seeing the show, I understand, viscerally, why "High School Musical" rocks.
News RSS