August 26, 2008
This is a musical that grown-ups take their moppets to, probably without any huge expectations of enjoying it themselves – but this was such a blast, I think I enjoyed it more than my daughter, and ended up bopping away and mouthing along with the best of them. It would of course be difficult for a cast to fail to please the audience of this theatrical phenomenon. The New Theatre was packed to the rafters for the opening night of High School Musical last night, including the newly air-conditioned Balcony (and it was noticeably cooler up there than in the rather sweaty Circle), largely by committed fans wearing their spangly HSM tee-shirts and clutching their HSM teddies.
I am very happy to report that last night’s cast were outstanding in an excellent production, and did not for one second rest on the laurels of their predecessors. The innovative and challenging choreography and the first-rate, magnificent songs were tackled with effervescent energy and enthusiasm by a cast of very young, and not at all well-known, lads and lasses. They were all powerfully athletic dancers and superb singers, and the audience to judge by their response was delighted by their sheer joyousness and the very high quality of the production. From its ingenious multi-purpose set to the latest in amplification technology (you can’t even see blobs in people’s ears now, let alone little mikes anywhere on their bodies; only a slight bulge in the small of their backs betrays the presence of kit), to the splendid live orchestra, it was all tip-top stuff.
Ashley Day is a tall, built, handsome Troy, and Lorna Want an extremely pretty, delightfully petite Gabriella; their voices chimed beautifully together in their several gorgeously harmonized duets, and they touchingly evoked moments of quiet intimacy in between the high-energy all-cast big set-pieces. Helen George is a very beautiful and delightfully bitchy Sharpay with amazingly long and shapely legs – she was matched by her Ryan (played last night by the understudy, Richard Vincent) who was a truly outstanding dancer and brought a lively charisma to his character’s efforts to emerge from the shadow of his evil twin. Chad (also played by the understudy, Buchi Osuji) and Taylor were also splendid – they were all splendid, there wasn’t a weak performance in the bunch. The said set-pieces – very much the crowning glory of the musical – were knock-out, and drove the audience to foot-stomping, seat-shaking screams of approval. It’s inspiring to be caught up in such waves of feel-good energy.
If there’s a small girl in your family, or heck, even if there isn’t, you should try to get tickets if you can (just tell yourself they would cost twice as much if you were seeing it in London) – it’s a top evening’s entertainment and you will leave with a smile, and a spring in your step.
I am very happy to report that last night’s cast were outstanding in an excellent production, and did not for one second rest on the laurels of their predecessors. The innovative and challenging choreography and the first-rate, magnificent songs were tackled with effervescent energy and enthusiasm by a cast of very young, and not at all well-known, lads and lasses. They were all powerfully athletic dancers and superb singers, and the audience to judge by their response was delighted by their sheer joyousness and the very high quality of the production. From its ingenious multi-purpose set to the latest in amplification technology (you can’t even see blobs in people’s ears now, let alone little mikes anywhere on their bodies; only a slight bulge in the small of their backs betrays the presence of kit), to the splendid live orchestra, it was all tip-top stuff.
Ashley Day is a tall, built, handsome Troy, and Lorna Want an extremely pretty, delightfully petite Gabriella; their voices chimed beautifully together in their several gorgeously harmonized duets, and they touchingly evoked moments of quiet intimacy in between the high-energy all-cast big set-pieces. Helen George is a very beautiful and delightfully bitchy Sharpay with amazingly long and shapely legs – she was matched by her Ryan (played last night by the understudy, Richard Vincent) who was a truly outstanding dancer and brought a lively charisma to his character’s efforts to emerge from the shadow of his evil twin. Chad (also played by the understudy, Buchi Osuji) and Taylor were also splendid – they were all splendid, there wasn’t a weak performance in the bunch. The said set-pieces – very much the crowning glory of the musical – were knock-out, and drove the audience to foot-stomping, seat-shaking screams of approval. It’s inspiring to be caught up in such waves of feel-good energy.
If there’s a small girl in your family, or heck, even if there isn’t, you should try to get tickets if you can (just tell yourself they would cost twice as much if you were seeing it in London) – it’s a top evening’s entertainment and you will leave with a smile, and a spring in your step.