By Scott Timpano
The Disney channel made-for-tv smash hit “Highschool Musical” hopes to translate that success into a nationwide arena tour beginning tonight. The movie tracks two high school students, Troy the jock, and Gabriella the math whiz. This approach to the high school genre is hardly novel, yet still manages to captivate a wide spectrum of fans.
Tryouts for their high school musical set the story into motion, but music and drama keep it afloat for 90 minutes. The stage show remains true to the original movie while making it surprisingly appealing to the concert-going-crowd.
The live show also adds a few new surprise features including pyrotechnics, a live band, and 30 foot high screens displaying scenes from the movie. According to Lucas Grabeel, who plays Ryan Evans in the movie, “It’s a pop show, it’s a rock show, it’s a musical-theater show. It’s got everything.” The show moves all over the place but the energy level remains high. “It’s just real high-energy stuff,” said Corbin Bleu, who plays Chad Danforth in the movie/stage show. “We have drums, we have jump-ropes, we have basketballs, we have just about every kind of prop you can think of.”
According to VH1.com, “The show will feature every song from “High School Musical” “pizzazzed up a little bit” (Grabeel’s words), along with the bonus track on the soundtrack, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” and solo tracks from Tisdale, Bleu, Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Monique Coleman.”
Tickets for the monster tour are on sale now. High School Musical: The Concert starts tonight in California but will weave its way throughout the country in a Rolling Stone-esque tour that will take them all the way until mid-July.
