Disney`s High School Musical

There was a very excited buzz in the air at Middleton Arena when myself and my guest arrived to see Disney`s High School Musical. The stage was bathed in the easily recognisible red colour associated with The Wildcats basketball uniforms, two sets of four tiered bleacher style seating was the fixed set with a double door sized opening in between them. The orchestra were were positioned right in front of the stage and were very ably conducted by Musical Director Ceri Graves. Unfortunately the sound balance between the orchestra and the cast on stage was way off kilter the night that I attended, it did however improve for the second half though. The lighting plot was well constructed and thought out, I liked the way they were able to split the stage with lighting to provide a different, smaller acting space eg. the classroom (desks were provided by stage crew).

The choreography by Rebecca Flemming was quite intricate in parts, the musical numbers that the cast knew best stood out and certain members of the cast were definitely looked towards to lead the way in the other dance numbers but it was fantastic to see a society try something new and to see the cast really trying. I particularly enjoyed the cheerleader sections and the cafeteria section. Joseph Gooding as Ryan Evans really brought his character to life, he made him big, dramatic, very memorable, his timing on his lines was good and his facial expressions were super exaggerated and perfectly on point. He used his stage space wisely and interacted well with the rest of the cast. Sophie Doran as Sharpay Evans was every inch the diva, complete with hair flicks. She had some good chemistry on stage with Joseph and Courtney (Gabriella Montez).  Courtney (Gabriella) gave us some good vocals throughout the show but she really came into her own in her solo "When There Was You and Me", she was strong and confident, her tone was pleasant and note sustainability was good. She worked well on stage with George Ireland (Troy Bolton). He also gave us some nice vocals throughout  and they sounded well together during "Breaking Free". George and Nate Lord-Vayro (Chad Danforth) had some great dialogue which also included the very unpredictable prop a basketball - well done for keeping it under control. Sarah Davey directed this production assisted by Hannah Gent - personally I would have liked to have observed a bit more definite direction from the cast in the bigger crowd scenes, quite a few of the cast started to do something and then just stopped and looked awkward and lost, it could have been nerves or performing in a different venue but it did draw my eye a little, however, it was definitely a team working together on that stage, they had some good energy and gusto, they were definitely enjoying themselves up there. 

The costumes and make up all looked great and in keeping with the show.
 

Thank you for inviting me. Myself and my guest enjoyed your performance. See you all again very soon. 

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