CITY GUIDE >Culture and Events
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CITY GUIDE >Culture and Events
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Old school performance has audience on its feet
By Liu Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-07 10:17 Some say reticent Chinese audiences are the hardest to please but maybe High School Musical, a Shanghai stage show based on the hit film, has broken this myth.
It seems local audiences just needed a dose of that old-fashioned theatrical trick of actors singing and dancing in the aisles. High School Musical's storyline is the same as the trilogy's first installation, which follows basketball player Troy, math-whiz Gabriella and their high school fellows, who chase their dreams. All the songs from the original film were performed, as well as two new tunes, Counting on You and Cellular Fusion. The cast is totally new and although heartthrob Zac Efron was not there, the new actors did a brilliant job. Marlee Van Der Merwe performed a perfect Sharpay; that rich, mean and hysterical supporting character audiences love to hate. With a wonderfully exaggerated walk and weird voice, Merwe's performance stole the show. Ms. Darbus was as emotional as can be, Gabriella was sweet, and David Schlachter was much taller than Troy, adding authenticity to his role as a student on a basketball scholarship to college. The cast and crew also made a strong effort to connect to the audience and some local touches were added with good effect. The line "Do you think LeBron James or Shaquille O'Neal auditioned for their school musical?", was changed into "You think Yao Ming or Shaquille O'Neal auditioned for their school musical?". |
