Review: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL at Shanley High School

Shortly after Patrick told me what show they were doing, I was in Salt Lake City and happened to drive by East High, where High School Musical was filmed. A sign? Maybe... I know I haven't seen a stage production of this in over a decade, so I was excited! The show has great music and lots of dancing.

The show is based on the 2006 Disney hit movie musical starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. The production made it's stage premiere in August of 2006.

The basic premise of the show is about a jock that wants to try out for the high school musical because of a girl. Of course he tries hiding this from his friends, which never goes well.

A huge shout out to the production staff. Director and Choreographer Patrick Kasper continues his success at Shanley. Sandy Thiel is along as Producer, Costume Design and Prop Master. Scenic concept by Patrick Kasper and Steve Kostecke. Vocal Director April Aamold and so many more that helped bring this project to life.

Onto the cast...

First up we have Jacob Mayo as Troy giving us another great performance. Jacob is back after his turn last year playing Percy Jackson. I talked to Jacob after the show and was told he plans on attending college for Voice, and we get to hear his wonderful voice throughout the show. He really shines on "Start of Something New", "What I've Been Looking For (Reprise), "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and "Breaking Free" all performed beautifully with Rachel Seefeldt (as Gabriella). Of course one of my favorites with Jacob was "Get'cha Head in the Game". I do hope that Jacob continues to make theatre part of his life, he has so much talent.

Rachel Seefeldt as Gabriella gives us a wonderful performance. Rachel is only a Junior so we will hopefully get to see her on stage a few more times. Her and Jacob have some great scenes together and really work well together on stage. Their voices blend wonderfully on every song they performed. Rachel gets to really shine on "Start of Something New", "What I've Been Looking For (Reprise) and "Breaking Free". I also have to mention "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" at the beginning of Act Two. Rachel's mic had issues for this song, but most people would never have noticed. She handled it like a true professional and projected her voice perfectly.

Next up we have Josie Paul and Hannah Jennings as Sharpay and Ryan. You could tell these two really had fun with these roles. Josie played the "villain" very well and Hannah as the one with the conscience trying to set her straight. They really worked well and were very believable as siblings. They got to show off their vocals and dancing skills on "What I've Been Looking For" and "Bop to the Top". Both are Juniors so keep an eye out for more from them.

The rest of the supporting cast all did a great job and helped to put on a fun show. A few more stand out numbers for me were "Stick to the Status Quo" featuring Grace Roeber, Scott Nester and Jadyn Frey. Also"Counting on You" and "We're All in This Together" both featuring Allison Ries, Scott Nester and Mark McLaughlin.

I should also mention Emily Gietzen as Ms. Darbus and Max Sornsin as Coach Bolton who both had some really fun moments in the show.

Also a huge mention to Olivia Jones as Kelsi, the character who writes "Juliet and Romeo". Olivia is the only other senior in the cast with Jacob. Great job Olivia!

Most likely by the time you read this the run will be over, but if you read this before 2pm on Sunday then you can still try to get tickets!

Congrats again to the whole cast and crew and a great job!

Photo Credit: Renegade Photography

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