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Monday, January 15, 2007
‘High School Musical’ @ Fox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Grade: B.
Go ahead. Call me a freak. I’m a 46-year-old theater critic for a major metropolitan newspaper, and I’m feeling the pure bubble-gum joy of Disney’s “High School Musical.”
In spirit, I’m right up there with the vibrating balcony of cheering tween-agers who rocked the Fox Theatre last night, as Atlanta witnessed the unveiling of the first professional stage treatment of the unstoppable pop phenomenon.
As directed by Jeff Calhoun for Atlanta’s Theater of the Stars, the tale of East High School’s colliding cliques of basketball players, thespians and brainiacs may not be a slam dunk, Broadway-ready, A+ production. (We’ll get to the demerits in just a sec.) But it’s a strongly acted, brightly designed, adrenalin-soaked celebration of the triumph of all things good and true.
And for a story based on such thread-bare plot material, stitched together by so much light-weight musical thread, it’s a surprisingly moving experience.
After Troy Bolton (John Jeffrey Martin) and Gabriella Montez (Arielle Jacobs) have a last-minute karaoke encounter during the final moments of their summer vacation (“Start of Something New”), fate brings them together again when Gabriella’s family moves to Troy’s hometown of Albuquerque. Before you can say “star-crossed lovers,” they find themselves reluctantly trying out for their high-school musical, “Juliet and Romeo.”
The only thing standing in their way are twin drama demons Sharpay (Patti Murin) and Ryan Evans (Bobby List), who have always gotten the lead roles and aren’t about to let these fresh-faced upstarts stand in their way. As the callbacks come down to the wire, Troy gets distracted by a big game, Gabriella gets recruited for a science competition, and arch-villainess Sharpay pulls the strings of drama teacher Ms. Darbus (Alison Fraser) to try to engineer their defeat.
Original writer Peter Barsocchini deserves low marks for the wretched plot. New librettist David Simpatico hasn’t done much to improve it. And with some 60 characters portrayed by 28 actors, a 14-member ensemble of “underclassmen” played by Atlanta youth, a marching band from Marietta’s Pope High School, a couple of Coke ads (the soft-drink giant is official sponsor) and a strained reference to Juliet’s balcony scene, the show is way too busy for it’s own good.
There are times when the stage is so full it takes a while to figure out just who is singing, and it’s a miracle that choreographer Lisa Stevens keeps the action from turning into a series of hit-and-run collisions. (I spotted at least one near-miss.) One major disappointment is that the snappy “Get’cha Head in the Game” fails to match the thumping, bass-driven hook of the movie and concert versions.
But what redeems this effort are the first-rate performances and, believe it or not, sheer catchiness of the pop, rock and soft-core hiphop tunes — written by a compendium of authors and adapted by musical director Bryan Louiselle.
The statuesque Martin is a triple threat: a sweetly likeable actor with a pure reedy tenor voice and, though he doesn’t dance much, a sense of elegant self-possession and grace. Jacobs nails the studiousness and vulnerability of Gabriella, and sings like an angel. The couple’s duet, “What I’ve Been Looking For,” will give you goosebumps. And after a lot of limp hand-holding and less-than-steamy eye contact, they finally get one big heartfelt kiss toward the end. Shocking!
One of the funniest things about “High School Musical” is that everyone has a crush on Troy, including Ryan (delightfully played by List) and Sharpay. New to this telling is an emcee character named Jack Scott (Michael Mahany), who makes up-to-the-minute dispatches over the school’s P.A. system. This velvet-toned “voice of East High” seems a little superfluous, but Mahany’s vivid, bespecacled treatment is imminently fun.
As basketball giant Zeke Baylor, who has a secret passion for baking pastries, Ben Thompson gets good mileage out of his character’s pursuit of the perfect creme brulee — and Sharpay. As Kelsi Neilsen, composer of the musical-within-a-musical “Juliet and Romeo,” Olivia Oguma is another adorably welcome addition.
One slight disappointment here is the way Murin underplays the venomous Sharpay. Murin sings gorgeously, but her demeanor is perhaps a tad too nice. This drippy-sweet show cries out for a little wickedness and outsize camp. On the other hand, Fraser’s wonderfully quirky Ms. Darbus is superb. If Fraser is going for Ruth Gordon, she gets it just right; and that, Diva Darbus, is a major compliment.
Also excellent are set designer Kenneth Foy’s bright approximations of the East High facade, locker room, cafeteria, gym, etc. — and Ken Billington’s nicely flattering lighting.
All in all, Theater of the Stars has done a knock-out job of putting this ambitious, overly complicated production into place. Should Disney ever decide to take “High School Musical” to Broadway, it has found a marvelous template. To quote one of the show’s hokey-sounding songs, “it feels so right.”
Now go ahead: Shoot me.
THE VERDICT: Good tween fun.
THE 411: $25-$66. Through Jan. 28. Fox Theatre. 404-817-8700. ticketmaster.com
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