 The wildly popular Disney movie High School Musical is now
available live on stage. And in Young Actors’ Theatre’s production, Director Jean
Isaac begins the show by having her younger ensemble decide to spend the
afternoon popping in a DVD of their favorite Disney movie, which in turn starts
the play as the kids watch on from along the sides of the theatre.
The story follows a guy and girl from different cliques
falling for each other. Troy is the star basketball player. Gabriella is a math
wiz. Their respective cliques of jocks and brainiacs try to keep them apart.
But can their unlikely participation in the upcoming school musical bring them,
and all the other cliques, together?
Donovan Hurst stars as Troy who both sings and
handles the basketball very well. Stephanie Schmidt plays Gabriella with
a smart, sweet, confident but not overly confident style. Together they share a
couple nice duets including I Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You and Start
of Something New.
The efforts to tear them apart are led by their best
friends, jock Chad and brainiac Taylor, here played with good personality by
talented real-life brother-and-sister duo Andrew and Anne Squier. More
than happy to help in those efforts are the talented stage-life brother-and-sister
duo – the outrageous twins Sharpay and Ryan – prima donna thespians who
dominate the school drama club. Megan Martin looks, acts, and walks like
the conceited, conniving villain that you love to hate, and Seejay Lewis
is a riot as her 8-minute-younger brother who tries his best to follow his
elder sister’s lead – to a point. Both use great body language throughout, and
they razzle dazzle in their hilarious duets including What I’ve Been Looking
For filled with the hip and funny choreography of Sarah Roberts.
 Other standouts include last-minute addition Ian Lewis
who creates a most memorable school radio announcer as Jack Scott (aka The
Velvet Fog of East High), a nerd who grows cool when he gets on the microphone,
starting each announcement with a unique way of getting himself in the mood.
The microphone also gives him a way of announcing his big crush on the clutzy,
modest student playwright Kelsi (Juliann Friel). Adult actors Melissa
Hurst and Jeff Isaac portray the competing teachers of basketball
and drama who are both more than a little lost in their own respective worlds.
Young Actors put this show up on the large stage at La Jolla’s Sherwood
Auditorium, and the cast worked through some early opening night sound
problems to deliver some high-energy musical numbers like Breaking Free
and the show’s biggest hit – We’re All in This Together. The younger
cast is nicely woven into the show between the two acts, with nine-year-old Kenzie
Wallace and eleven-year-old Danny Drysdale playing Mini-Me versions
of Gabriella and Troy in Start of Something New, while fifth-grader Brooke
Laver and sixth-grader Corey Hable do a Ryan-and-Sharpay replay of What
I’ve Been Looking For, all done with great poise and style. The whole cast
gives us a remix of the show to send us off with a big finale of the catchy pop
tunes that will continue to remix in your head for hours to come.
Performed March 15-25, 2007.
Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre
~ Cast ~
 Troy: Donovan Hurst
Gabriella: Stephanie Schmidt
Ryan: Seejay Lewis
Sharpay: Megan Martin
Chad: Andrew Squier
Taylor: Anne Squier
Zeke: Alex Sanchez
Martha: Jessica Isaac
Jack Scott: Ian Lewis
Kelsi: Juliann Friel
Coach Bolton: Jeff Isaac
Ms. Darbus: Melissa Hurst
Brainiacs:
Jean Caliso
Amanda Friel
Jacob Gardenswartz
Rachel Hansen
Jessica Isaac
Emily La Fargue
Elyse La Fargue
Sydney Schumsky
Anne Squier
Jocks:
Rickey Calixto
Dominic Capoocia
Marc Caro
Tanner Knorr
Marcos Melero
Alex Sanchez
Andrew Squier
Cheerleaders:
Kaylyn Hopkins
Lauren Krieger
Danielle Madsen
Emily Mathison
Sarah Mathison
Chelsea Mullen
Kaleo Ruggiero-Orban
Kara Zimmer
ASB:
Hope Brown
Lenora Dougherty
Megan Green
Katie Kern
Whitney Lamb
Isabella Lenhoff
Dominique Madsen
Crystal McClellan
Thespians:
Hope Brown
Jean Caliso
Rickey Calixto
Dominic Capoocia
Rebecca Espinoza
Danae Goward
Rachel Hansen
Bristyl Hartwell
Marcos Melero
Megan Moller
Beth Mullert
Alyssa Reinicke
Chloe Turenne des Pres
Skater Dudes & Gals:
Tanner Knorr
Marcos Melero
Sara Hansen
Emily Greenblatt
Chloe Turenne des Pres
Alyssa Reinicke
Juniors:
Josh: Danny Drysdale
Jonathan: Corey Hable
Molly: Sierra Goldstein
Blake: Julian Turenne des Pres
Jake: Robbie Squier
Faith: Sophia Gardenswartz
Claire: Sydney Moen
Monica: Kenzie Wallace
Georgina: Brooke Laver
Jade: Kate Drysdale
Gracie: Kristina Pena
Lizzie: Samantha Moen
Lisa: Alex Cohen
Jen: Breanna Stolnack
Director: Jean M. Isaac
Musical Director: Shane Simmons
Choreographer: Sarah Roberts
Costume Designer: Terri Martin
Lighting Designer: Chris Martin
Sound: Samantha Mandel
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