Doug Fordyce’s Kids On Stage did it again. Two years after their award-winning production of Disney’s High School Musical, they’ve moved onto the following summer with their production of High School Musical 2. But for the kids at East High, summer vacation isn’t all fun and games and putting on shows. These high school kids need jobs. And when prima donna Sharpay gets Troy a job at her daddy’s posh country club, and Troy gets his girlfriend Gabriella and all of his other friends jobs there, it’s a mixed blessing. Can the budding relationship of Troy and Gabriella survive Sharpay’s antics???

As usual, Doug Fordyce puts on a quality show with impressive production values (the set in this one includes a Sharpay-inspired tricked-out golf cart). Each character was cast well for their part, and their friendships, alliances, disloyalties, and tantrums (namely Sharpay’s tantrums) were very realistically portrayed. Andy Cleminshaw makes for an ever-optimistic Troy who always thinks that the challenges can be overcome, even pleading everyone, asking if they can’t all get along. “No!” is the amusing rebuke from the rest of the cast. Alyson Snyder is a sweet Gabriella with a great singing voice, which we really see in the song You Are the Music in Me. The school’s playwright Kelsi (Audrey Ballard) starts it beautifully with her gorgeous voice, and as Gabriella joins in their voices blend wonderfully. As the rest of the Wildcats chime in, the song explodes in terrific harmonies.

Then there are the Evans twins. Allie Hoyt is Sharpay, leading her minion Sharpettes in an amusing and well-choreographed Fabulous. Ryan (Stuart Coulston) stole the show with his fabulous dancing, singing, and acting, completely shining as he leads the big Humuhumunukunukuapua to end the first act, and impressing throughout the play with his natural and dynamic dancing moves, not to mention one of the best singing voices I’ve heard for a guy his age.

Scott Burnett is another real standout as a flustered Fulton, the poor man in charge of the keeping the country club running and keeping Sharpay happy, wiping his brow with a handkerchief from the stress, sure to end up with an ulcer as he mostly tries to keep his frustration under control (while uttering his real thoughts about Sharpay under his breath). Elsewhere, Toni Priebe knocks out her vocals as Gabriella’s friend Taylor McKessie, Chad Danforth (Mitch Conrad) shows good dancing prowess, Zeke Baylor (Nicholas Jewell) is totally food obsessed, and the cast of 96 actors featuring a wide age range from 1st to 12th grade, are culled from 36 different schools, and includes many other performers with awesome stage presence and great voices, combining to bring great energy and enthusiasm to the big numbers at the end of each act.

Performed March 6 - 8, 2009

Roshelle Hall