First aired as a movie in 2006, "High School Musical" soared to popularity unseen by previous Disney Channel Original Movies. Then came the sing-along and dance-along versions so that fans could trip over their preadolescent limbs while learning the moves to "We're All In This Together." Then the album, with those sugar sweet but oh-so-catchy lyrics, climbed to the top of the charts, becoming the top-selling album of 2006.
The live tour version of "HSM," now showing at The National Theatre until Feb. 17, was inevitable. Its hopeful message-told through high-energy, acrobatic choreography and music you'll hum to yourself on the Metro-seems to have struck a powerful chord at a cynical time. It's an affirmative antidote to the morning's headlines.
Save for a few necessary tweaks, the live musical sticks closely to the plot of its parent cinematic version. Leads Gabriella Montez (Arielle Jacobs) and Troy Bolton (John Jeffrey Martin) fall in like (this is a Disney creation, after all) at a ski resort over winter break. But their affection-so simple when crooning together in a vacation karaoke contest-becomes challenging when Montez discovers she's transferred to Bolton's New Mexico high school.
In their high school, where cliques rule, science-nerd Montez and all-star basketball boy Bolton cannot date. When they audition together for East High's production of "Romeo and Juliet," their high school's social structure devolves into chaos.
Musical number after musical number try to instill in the leads the inexorable reality of high school: You need to stick to what you know. But the characters follow their hearts, accomplishing their dreams with teamwork.
What a relief for preteens everywhere! You are finally free to be the beautiful, freakishly smart, musically talented and athletic person you are! Middle school would've been so much easier if this movie had been part of our Zeitgeist.
While the acclaimed "revolutionary" message of "HSM" might sound stomach-churning, even the most cynical of college students can appreciate how it goes about selling it.
Similar to the movie, the choreography is high-energy and vibrant. The physicality of the story on screen only intensifies on stage. Without cinematic finesse, the dance sequences must rely on raw energy to create and sustain their famous electricity.
In the lunchroom scene, "Stick to the Status Quo," the revolution started by Bolton and Montez prompts characters to share their secret passions. Set amid a pop-art background of enormous hamburgers, cliques bounce and groove around the cafeteria. A big-boned nerd confesses that she dances hip-hop and proceeds to pop and roll on the lunch table. This central scene unfolds always one pirouette away from total chaos. But it is electric and alive.
The music, what arguably made "Musical" famous in the first place, does not disappoint. With strong voices from the cast, the songs become that particular breed of pop music that strums giddiness to a beat.
This production, however, is far from perfect. Occasionally, unbearable cheesiness pervades the plot. When Bolton and Montez sneak up to the school's greenhouse for a romantic moment, Bolton confesses that he hates being known as the "basketball guy." Montez admits that she was the "freaky math girl" at her former school. What could be a poignant scene if played subtly comes across in this rendition too sweet to stomach, especially once the singing starts.
Additionally, it is clear that this movie takes place in some alternate, Disney universe, not reality. Can you answer the winning question in the academic decathlon, get the lead in the school musical and score the decisive point in the basketball play-off game, all on the same night? Of course! All it takes is teamwork! Dialogue fumbles a bit as well, trying too hard to sound like high school.
However, strong acting performances make the show enjoyable, despite its schmaltz. Jacobs, who played Montez in the world premiere Atlanta production, made the character likeable and compelling. Martin, who performed in "Hairspray" and "Rocky Horror" on Broadway, brought believable schoolboy charm to Bolton as a cuter-and less freakishly tan- version of the infamous Zac Efron. The supporting cast also brought humor to their characters' quirks.
Above all, this production demands that you quiet your inner cynic for a few hours and enjoy the show. The music, dancing and audience full of smiling kids in Wildcat apparel creates an atmosphere of magical contentedness unseen elsewhere in Washington. Uptight D.C. dads, with their 8-year-old daughters in tow, will burst out in song, a feat worth the price of admission itself.
