Top 9 reasons to see High School Musical 2 this weekend

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2010 has been a bit of a dower. Between the economy and a great big crappy oil spill, couldn’t we all use a little escape? Springfield’s Little Theater is providing just that with its production of Disney’s High School Musical 2. I’ll admit that as a child-free household, I couldn’t exactly convince my husband to join me for the a play based on a Disney franchise, but luckily I found a fan of the theater to share my balcony seats, allowing me to forget about the worries of the world for a few hours, laugh, clap and admire the footwear of Sharpay Evans.

I don’t want to give much away (and if you have kids at home you’ve already seen the Disney channel version several hundred times), but let’s just say that High School Musical 2 is set in the summer (start whispering it now kids: “summer, summer, summer…”) and involves the once evil, turned good, turned evil again Sharpay Evans’s (Cecilia Schudy) plot to get her crush Troy Bolton (Evan Pollock) a job at the country club her father owns, and thus a little one-on-one time. The whole plan gets messed up when Gabrielle Montez (Imari Stout), Troy’s current girlfriend, and the Wildcat crew are hired, too.

The show didn’t disappoint and I was pleasantly surprised to find my seats surrounded by other 20-somethings (sans children) who had come out for the opening night to simply enjoy watching dozens of teenagers dance around on stage.

So, whether you have a house full of aspiring iCarly’s or not, here are my top nine reasons why you should see HSM2:

9. Easy to Follow: There is no complicated theater here, people. It’s quick-witted with jokes for adults and kids (think Shrek without the weird green guy). And don’t worry if you haven’t seen the original High School Musical. They fill you in very quickly on what you missed. I mean, it’s high school… set to a musical. There. You’re filled in.

Courtesy Springfield Little Theatre

8. The Brandons: Two characters completely stole the show for me. Brandon Looney, who plays Zeke Baylor, is no stranger to the stage or to this role. Zeke is Troy’s best friend who somehow loves villain Sharpay Evans. In the movie this isn’t very convincing, but Brandon’s delivery of one-liners and baked goods on stage had me laughing all night. Ryan Evans, played by James Brandon Martin, was also hilarious and knew how to work the stage better than some actors three times his age. And though name isn’t Brandon, special mention should be given to Cody Collier who plays Jack Scott, announcer for East High who had some of the biggest laughs of the night.

7. The Voices: A musical is only as good as the music and the music is only as good as the voices of those on stage. With musical directing by Alberta Smith, the leads and the ensemble were full of energy and emotion throughout the production. I have to say that my only critique of the show is that I wanted to hear the voices more. The music track was a little too loud at times. Granted, it was opening night so hopefully some of that will get worked out over time.

6. Costumes: Aside from a few striped shirts and a kicking baseball uniform, I’m sure much of the wardrobe came from the performers own closets, but it was nice to see teenagers look like… well, teenagers. But it wouldn’t be right of me not to mention a certain fish head designed by Stephanie Judkins. It’s hilarious.

5. Set Changes: I love a production where you don’t have time to read the program. I swear the set changes every 90 seconds. Literally. Set designer Chuck Rogers kept the backdrops simple and the colors bold. I liked watching the cast move the pieces around as the show was going on. Forget end-scene, go to black, curtain drop set changes. Half the fun of the show is watching it all morph in front of your eyes.

4. Direction and Choreography: Shout-out to director Beth Domann and choreographer Lorianne Dunn. Seriously. If you have teenagers or are ever around teenagers or heck, were a teenager, you get it. Getting that many on stage to dance, slide, turn and deliver lines with a smile on their face, well, let’s just say it: these ladies deserve your attendance to witness in person their amazing accomplishment.

3. Rated PG: There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, in this musical that you couldn’t show to a kid of any age. Even the well-meaning (albeit way dorky) country club manager Mr. Fulton (Chuck Rogers) is treated with respect by the students. And the kiss…. THE KISS is so PG I was almost disappointed. Come on, didn’t Troy and Gabrielle deserve some soft lighting and alone time on stage for the big moment? Alas, you almost have to look for it as they are surrounded by a smiling, dancing, nodding cast. Grandmas everywhere approve.

2. Audience Participation: My favorite part of the production may not have even been what was happening on stage. I loved watching the little kids seated near me. They were clapping and singing along and standing in their historical Lander’s Theater chairs. Do yourself, and your kids if you are blessed enough to have them, a favor and let them have a little fun watching live theater. And if you are bored with the show, just watch your kids.

1. Future Pros: As I sat through intermission I had a moment where I realized why I was enjoying the show. The cast was good. REALLY good. Granted, many of the leads had played the roles before either in High School Musical or in the Vandivort’s production of HSM2 last summer, but I felt that they were poised, great singers and dancers. I can see several of these kids playing on bigger stages some day (a la Lucas Grabeel). And we can all say we knew them when. You wouldn’t want to miss that, now would you?

High School Musical 2 continues through June 27, Wednesday–Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15–$25, available by calling 417-869-1334 or at springfieldlittletheatre.org, or at a reduced price the day of the show via D-Tix, at the Coffee Ethic. Landers Theatre is located at 311 E. Walnut St., in Springfield.

Nichole Lemmon

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