by Lorie Lewis Ham
When the High School Musical movie came out in 2006 on the Disney Channel my 13-year-old daughter was obsessed with it, and I enjoyed it too! We even eventually talked her brother into watching it. Through the years we watched all three movies many times, and even now she and I are big fans of Zach Efron and Lucas Grabeel, two of the stars of the movies. So when we heard that the Selma Arts Center’s Teen theatre company was doing a production of the stage version, well of course we were going to be there.
For anyone who doesn’t know the basic plot it is a little bit like Grease, minus some of the more troublesome aspects of Grease. Two teenagers meet during break, have some fun together, sing together, and exchange phone numbers. Then they end up at the same high school-but things are different there. He’s a jock named Troy (Nico Colado) who doesn’t want to sing, and seems different than he did on break. She is a brainiac named Gabriella (Alyssa Martin) at a new school just wanting to be invisible, and definitely not wanting to sing. However, despite their original protests they both end up auditioning for the school’s musical. Throw in a couple of over dramatic twins named Sharpay (Katie Greene) and Ryan (Jordan Martinez) who rule the drama club and cause all sorts of trouble, and you have the basic plot of the show.
Front left to right-Gabriella (Alyssa Martin) and Troy (Nico Colado)
I felt like this show was filled with nostalgia for much of the show’s audience when we went on Sunday afternoon. We knew all the songs and were transported back to the past-it was wonderful, nostalgic fun. If you have never seen the movie, you will enjoy the show as well, as it is filled with fun songs, great dancing, a message about being yourself, and the kids all do a great job! And coming from Disney, it is also very family friendly.
Ryan (Jordan Martinez) and Sharpay (Katie Greene)
Katie is perfectly over the top as Sharpay and has a powerful voice. She and Jordan make a fun duo and I very much enjoyed their numbers together-they also provide much of the show’s comedy. Alyssa was sweet as Gabriela with a lovely voice, and Nico did a really good job juggling singing, dancing, and dribbling a basketball in “Get Your Head in the Game.” He too has a lovely voice and I really hope to see him in more shows in the future. I had the pleasure of seeing Alyssa as Dorothy in RCTC’s production of Wizard of Oz a couple of years ago. All of these kids did a great job and I hope to see them all on stage again in the future.
Troy (Nico) and the team singing “Get Your Head in the Game”
Co-directors Adam Chavez and Ben Deghand did a wonderful job of putting all the pieces together and getting the best out of all of these teens. High School Musical is on stage through January 19 at the Selma Arts Center, 1935 High St. in Selma, CA. don’t miss it. And if you or your kids were fans of the movie, it makes the experience even more fun! Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 559.891.2238.
If you love local theatre, be sure to check out our new Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast, which features mysteries read by local actors. The first 11 episodes are now up! You can check the podcast out on iTunes and Google Play, and also on podbean. Also check out our other theatre articles and reviews in our Arts and Entertainment section.
0 Comments