I can still see it like it was yesterday. A scrawny second grade Courtney sitting in a non-reclining seat in the movie theater hypnotized by the harmonies and heart of High School Musical 3. An hour and fifty-two minutes of singing, dancing and romancing later, the final shot of the movie displayed curtains swinging closed, signaling the inevitable end of the iconic trilogy. Or so I thought. After 11 long years of the High School Musical loyal fanbase chanting for an encore, Disney has reopened its curtains, but the production revealed isn’t exactly what you’d expect. Here’s the “Status Quo” of this new Disney+ show.
Right off the “I Don’t Dance” bat, this new branch of the High School Musical franchise initially sparked confusion with the series’ less-than-concise title: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. To clear the air, let’s “Work This Out” and dissect this lengthy label. The show has decided to keep it’s maiden name of High School Musical as it’s married to Disney’s extension of the franchise, both as a way to draw in its nostalgic fan base as well as relate the original movie to its take on a new ensemble musically gifted high schoolers. The Musical element refers to the central plot of the show where fictional students at East High School in Salt Lake City attempt to reproduce the original movie that was filmed at their school in 2006 as their school’s fall musical, drama being equally prevalent on and off stage. What differentiates this product from the original trilogy is that it’s formatted into a series. The Series, specifically. Ten episodes compose the show’s first season with each episode being between 30 and 40 minutes long with just enough time for a few musical numbers, including new songs as well as a few bops from the past, and PLENTY of teenage tea.
A connecting theme between the originals and the new series is the DRAMA, so let me attempt a quick synopsis “Right Here, Right Now.” Nini Salazar-Roberts’s theatre-loving, ukulele playing heart is broken when she’s blindsided by her now ex-boyfriend, curly-haired, heart-melting Ricky Bowen when he suddenly breaks up with her amid her very public proclamation of her love for him through an original song posted via Instagram. What she didn’t know was Ricky’s relationship with love had been damaged given that his parents didn’t say that to each other anymore amid their pending divorce. Nini bounces back fast as she’s swept off her feet by fellow East High attendee and self-proclaimed Troy Bolton, EJ Caswell, at summer theatre camp. By the time school is back in session, Nini glued to EJ’s arm, Ricky, now filled with regret and jealousy, decides to audition for the school’s fall musical which is none other than High School Musical, directed by a new and naive teacher, Miss Jen. Throughout the audition process, Nini struggles to avoid stepping on new girl Gina’s very talented toes as they compete for the coveted role of Gabriella. Meanwhile, EJ is shaking in his boots as he, along with the whole theatre department, is blown away by the vocal chops on theatre rookie Ricky.
So who’s “the Troy?” “The Gabriella?” “The Chad?” In all honesty, while many characters draw inspiration from these childhood icons, no new character is a carbon copy of one from the nostalgia-wrenching originals. For example, the new character EJ draws inspiration from our boy Troy, being that he’s a co-captain of the East High Jaguars (yes I typed that right, not the Wildcats) water polo team while also being active in the school’s theatre department, but his narcissistic tendencies have big Chad Danforth energy. As for Gina, she’s a more calculated Sharpay Evan minus the frills and feathers with moves like Martha Cox. Other smaller characters, such as Ashlyn Caswell, composer, and cousin to EJ, whose interest in music is seemingly inspired by Kelsi Nielson partnered with the confidence of Taylor McKessie. All in all, while the originals are a solid source of inspiration, the newly created cast have their own unique personality.
The show makes great strides in representation through many characters. The show features two same-sex couples, including main character Nini’s moms as well as the apparent fling between the director’s assistant, Carlos Rodriguez, and the school musical’s modern take on Sharpay, Joe Serafini. Also, in one of the episodes, Ricky dons a Salt Lake City Pride shirt. The HSMTMTS’s cast also features actors of varying races, ethnicities, and body types. Even the shows inclusion of Ricky’s parent’s divorce while he also deals with the woes of being an onstage Wildcat are an all-too-common struggle for many teenagers dealing with divorced parents.
The layout of the show is also noteworthy as it’s filmed documentary style and is a PG hybrid of “The Office” and “Glee”, featuring many “Jim looking at the camera glances” from heartthrob Ricky which I personally appreciated. That, along with scattered cameos and references to the original trilogy being paired with this new franchise extension is just enough to entice any Disney lover to binge the whole series within a day. Or, if you’re already caught up with the series like me, you can “Scream” with joy as the show is being picked up for a second season. So, in case you’re “Wondering”, this show is exactly “What I’ve Been Looking For”.