High School Musical

From LoveToKnow Music

A phenomenon has been brewing on the Disney Channel since January 20, 2006 - the oh-so-popular with the young teenage set movie High School Musical. Something like Grease with camera phones and laptops, the film tells the tale of two talented teens who will need to challenge their friends and their perceptions of themselves to find out who they are really meant to be (and, of course, to end up together).

The Personnnel

The film is the brainchild of writer Peter Barsochhini and Emmy Award winning choreographer Kenny Ortega (of Dirty Dancing fame), along with choreographers Charles Klapow and Bonnie Story. The actor list reads like a Disney Channel who’s who:

Zac Efron (playing the part of Troy Bolton)
Vanessa Anne Hudgens (Gabriella Montez)
Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay Evans)
Lucas Grabeel (Ryan Evans)

With the exception of Grabeel, the main characters have all appeared on Disney Channel favorite The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Tisdale, who is a permanent cast member on The Suite Life, has been catapulted to mainstream success through her role in High School Musical.

The Story

Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Montez) meet while on vacation at a ski resort. After a successful round of karaoke together, the two part ways. Little do they know that Gabriella is to begin attending Troy’s high school. After reconnecting at school, an opportunity arises to audition for the school musical. Troy and Gabriella, mindful of their karaoke connection, each want to audition for the musical, but they are hesitant to admit it to each other and to their friends. Eventually they audition, but their progress is threatened my meddling friends and competition in the form of Sharpay (Tisdale) and Ryan (Grabeel) Evans. In the end, Troy and Gabriella’s musical chemistry wins out and they get the parts in their high school musical, as well as their own personal high school romance.

Success

The movie Soundtrack has twice hit the number 1 spot on the Billboard charts, on March 1 and March 20, 2006. The album has since gone triple platinum. At one point in February, a record 9 singles were on the charts at once, with the song “Breaking Free” rising to number 4 from the number 86 in one week - another Billboard record.

The DVD version of High School Musical was released on May 23, 2006, and went straight to number 1 on the Billboard DVD sales charts.

Disney has built on the success of the movie by airing “sing-a-long” and “dance-a-long” versions of the film, in which the actors coach the audience through the songs and dance steps.

The Future

High School Musical 2 is slated for release in Summer 2007. The sequel will feature the original cast. Rumor has it that the creators of the film intend it to be a trilogy.