Maybe you just have to be a student to fully appreciate the attraction to “High School Musical.” The stage version of the highly successful Disney Channel movie is currently playing at the Hippodrome in Baltimore.
If you have kids, you?ve probably been wondering what all the hype is about. You?ve heard your tween daughter utter the name Troy Bolton in the same tone you used to utter the name Jake Ryan. Your son has been singing a song called “Get?cha Head in the Game.” And they?ve both expressed a desire to be a Wildcat.
Unfortunately, watching the excitement about ?HSM? is lot more entertaining than watching the musical.
Troy Bolton, played by John Jeffrey Martin, is the basketball captain, and Gabriella Montez, played byArielle Jacobs, is the math/science brainiac. In real life, these two most likely wouldn?t cross paths, let alone fall in love after singing karaoke on their winter break. But in the world of ?HSM,? they do, and they face numerous obstacles (peer pressure and bullying) while struggling to follow their dreams.
Unfortunately, the stage version of ?HSM? is so filled with cliches, you?ll be rolling your eyes. It almost feels as if the writers were so bored with the story that they decided to pick lines from cheesy romance movies (e.g., “When I?m with you, I feel like I can do anything”). The plot isn?t clever or original (ever heard of a little movie called “Grease”?), and halfway through you might feel as though the performance has been going on a little too long.
Nevertheless, there were hundreds of kids in the audience who were absolutely captivated by the sight of Wildcats cheerleaders shaking their pom-poms, amused by the antics of the crazy brother-sister duo Sharpay and Ryan, and swooning at the lovey-dovey duets between Troy and Gabriella. Disney must be doing something right.
Martin has a strong singing voice ? much more so than that of his co-star Jacobs ? and he occasionally goes into rock-star mode, growling or shouting words rather than actually singing them (which isn?t necessarily bad.)
Jacobs plays Gabriella so sickeningly sweet, it?s a wonder Troy didn?t run away from her to the much funnier, albeit much snobbier Sharpay, played beautifully by Helene Yorke. And Ellen Harvey as the kooky drama teacher Ms. Darbus provides some genuine comic relief.
IF YOU GO
“High School Musical”
WHERE: The Hippodrome, 12 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore
WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday
TICKETS: $25 to $70
INFO: 410-547-7328
