Academy back for HSM 2
The franchise – set around the friendships of a group of high schoolers – has become something of a phenomenon in recent years.
So when the performing rights became available earlier this year, Hull's Northern Academy of Performing Arts jumped at the chance to stage a version of their own.
"It is a musical franchise – it has got a new generation of people hooked into the same kind of frenzy that Grease created," said Jamie Wilks, of NAPA.
"We staged a production of High School Musical two years ago. The show was such a success, we wanted to repeat it with the second installment."
The show, adapted from the TV film, follows a group of friends as the school breaks up for the summer and they land holiday jobs at the Lava Springs Country Club.
In the film, the lead characters – Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay and Ryan – inspired something akin to mass devotion, with actor Zac Efron launching a film career from his exposure in the movie.
So, when the company staged open auditions it was besieged with applicants.
The final cast of 20, aged between 14 and 22, are a mix of NAPA regulars and those who have never appeared on stage with the company before – including students Bryan Hodgson from The University of Hull and Rachel Clark from Hull College, who are playing Ryan and Sharpay.
In the roles of Troy and Gabriella, Patrick Start and Niki Billany are reprising the roles they played in NAPA's version of High School Musical.
Directed by Chris Holmes and choreographed by Julie Lovewell, Jamie said he hoped the "high energy" of the show would attract a new generation of theatre-goers to the Anlaby Road venue.
"We usually get audiences that are theatre goers," Jamie said.
"This show gives us the opportunity to show what we do to a new audience, maybe those who know the film but have not been to see a theatre show before."
*High School Musical 2 is on Friday, July 3-Sunday, July 5; Friday, July 10-Sunday, July 12; Friday, July 17-Sunday, July 19. All performance times at 7pm, 2pm matinees on July 5, July 12 and July 19.
Where: NAPA, Anlaby Road, Hull
Tickets: £6-£8
Call: (01482) 310690
The cast of High School Musical 2 at the Northern Academy of Performing Arts
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