MY children love High School Musical so an invite to see the HSM2 live stage show was, well, fabulous, writes Helen Moffat.
But they are also purists, and like many youngsters, more than a little averse to change.
When they replaced the actress playing Josie Jump in Balamory there was outrage in our sitting room. Don’t kid a kidder, and definitely don’t try and kid my kids. So I got the feeling it might be more than a little upsetting that Zac Efron was not going to be the one skipping around stage as Troy Bolton (and not just for the scores of little girls in the audience…)
So driving to the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton, I tried to prepare them for the inevitable shock that – wait for it – this was going to be a bit different, and the people would not look exactly like they do on the film.
It’s a show, don’t think about the film and enjoy it for what it is. Silence from the back seat, before a speculative request for more sweets, which I took as an acceptance, of sorts.
But once in the theatre, with the lights down and the “unfamiliar” cast on stage, fears were soon allayed.
There was barely time to think about the differences, thanks to the practically non-stop singing and dancing that heralded a very slick transition from screen to stage.
If I was stunned by the energy of the dancing, it was nothing compared to my admiration at their being able to do this AND sing so well. Maybe it is only to be expected of a professional team, but I was genuinely impressed by all the cast members.
GMTV viewers would recognise Liam Doyle, from the programme’s search for Troy, and I felt he really was a natural in the role, likeable, and with an obvious passion for what he was doing.
Nikki Mae deserves praise too, for her role as Gabriella, particularly for her rendition of “I gotta go my own way”, not the easiest of songs, and she carried it off really well.
And just as she should have been, Lauren Hall as Sharpay Evans was a great scene-stealer (the whole point of the plot really) and persuasive as a sassy, spoilt rich kid – thanks goodness she sees the light at the end eh?
Les Dennis in the midst of all these tanned and talented twenty-somethings was probably the most surreal part of the night, and an obvious attempt to inject a little humour for us grown-ups, but the children seemed to appreciate him anyway. My daughter thought he was “good and a bit silly” – which seemed like fair comment.
A big thumbs up then. The crowd, who were a little quiet I thought for the best part of the performance, seemed to come more to life as the show reached its finale, and the biggest screams of the night were reserved for the last number, All for One, which had lots of little people off their seats rocking out.
Driving back I asked the girls for their thoughts. “Write that my children loved it, and especially the bit where the girl was thrown up into the air and nearly touched the roof,” said my six-year-old. She liked the dancing best, I think, and appreciated, watching this live and up close, just how impressive the moves were.
So you enjoyed it? “Of course we did Mummy,” she replied. “But … Troy didn’t look anything like Troy and neither did Gabriella. And Chad was bald – I couldn’t believe it!”
Nothing like the Balamory rebellion then – HSM2 was most definitely a hit with my youngsters, and is set to win many more fans as it tours the country, I’m sure. Even the purists …
The show is currently on a nationwide run, which ends in February.
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