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High School
Musical
Presented by:
Whitehorse
Musical Theatre
Venue:
Besen Centre
Reviewer:
Chris Hughes
Date Reviewed:
Saturday
10th October, 2009
High School Musical
is the third consecutive family friendly musical Whitehorse has
produced and it sure seems to be paying off. Families flocked to
the opening night of what is possibly the most popular musical for
kids aged five to thirteen in history.
Director Scott Hili
states in his programme notes that unlike the movie, the stage
version isn’t “Cheesy Disney”. Sorry Scott... I disagree. The
musical is every bit as cheesy as the movie. The script is naff,
the score is naff, it’s not a concert, it’s not a panto but it’s
barely a musical. The script is woeful and littered with
predictably inane tween talk. The HSM franchise is far from deep,
but it gels well with kids of a certain age and it managed to rise
to the top of the Disney showcase, all on it’s own. Disney never
expected HSM to be such a massive hit. Sometimes all the marketing
know-how that money can buy still can’t predict a fad. Like the
yo-yo or the Hula Hoop, HSM has little too it, but it’s something
every kid can enjoy.
I’m looking at this
show through a theatre person’s eyes. It’s important to recognise
that the audience of this website is not in the age bracket of
people likely to see this show. The overwhelming majority of the
audience on opening night were children and parents. I’m sure that
like me, many theatre people are not intimately familiar with High
School Musical and I’d hate for them to arrive at the theatre,
thinking they were going to see a show that is in line with the rest
of the Disney attaché, which includes Beauty and The Beast and The
Lion King. Compared to other Disney musicals, The High School
Musical franchise feels cheap, but not nasty. For those of you who
saw the movie and loved it, you will not be disappointed.
High School Musical
can best be described as – a modern day version of Grease, without
the grit. No teen pregnancies here. That’s just not Disney. The
storyline is thin... really thin and the watery dialogue does little
to help prop it up. The jokes are obvious and the songs are user
friendly and easy to digest. HSM has a little snap, sprinklings of
crackle... and lots, and lots, and lots of pop!
Performances by
Kyhal Anderson and Gina Mets as the show’s romantic leads were
delightful. Both Kyhal and Gina have a cute kind of awkwardness on
stage that fits perfectly with their characters and they were
enjoyable to watch. They also looked a lot like their on screen
counterparts, which added to the overall authenticity of the show.
Both actors did a commendable job of making the most of some fluffy
dialogue and I have no doubt we’ll be seeing more of these two in
the years to come.
Stand-out
performances were given by Cathy Brocklehurst and David Miles as the
scheming brother and sister duo Sharpay and Ryan. Both Brocklehurst
and Miles were suitably upbeat and did their utmost to milk every
gag.
Playing the roles
of teacher and coach were Brigid DeNeefe and Steve Simmons,
respectively. Their stage presence was strong and their stagecraft
was sound. A commendable performance was also delivered by Diana
Perini as Taylor McKessie who was consistently funny and likeable.
Direction by Scott
Hili was commendable, given the quality of the script, however it
was his choreography that most impressed. Creative and clever, it
was brilliantly executed by an enthusiastic and energetic cast.
Hili did his best to breathe as much life into the script as
possible and injected his own brand of humour, I refer especially to
his satirical references to A Chorus Line and Billy Elliott.
Unfortunately, many of the gags weren’t obvious enough for the kids
to understand and as such, laughs were limited. The big belly
laughs came from the audience late into the depths of act two with
the more physical comedy, which seemed to travel well with the
younger audience. Costumes, also by Scott Hili were absolutely
fantastic and the entire cast looked like they had just stepped out
of a Gap catalogue.
The sound was a
major concern. Inconsistent throughout, a great number of the lines
were without amplification, and the frequent echo sound quality made
the cast sound like they were performing in a bathroom. I’m not
sure if it got any better, or I just got used to it, but I believe
it improved somewhat as the show progressed.
In terms of family entertainment, High School Musical
ticks all the boxes and I have no doubt that this will be one of the
best versions of the show you’ll see on a professional or
non-professional stage. The cool costumes, quirky choreography
and exuberant youngsters combine to bring HSM to life. A fun night
out for the family and well worth the ticket price.
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