As Disney's High School Musical sweeps its way through the youth theatre of America, it is also sweeping away box office records. And Valley Youth Theatre’s big, splashy production at the large, 700-seat Herberger Theatre in Phoenix is doing it in a huge way, extending for almost a full two weeks in June. And they may have been able to do that all summer if the theatre had been available.

Director Bobb Kooper and his company, celebrating its recent alumni success in American Idol (Jordin Sparks) and You’re the One That I Want (Max Crumm), continue to stage some great singers for their shows. This time they’re breaking in Nate Doonan for his theatrical debut in the lead role of Troy Bolton, the star basketball player of East High. And Nate has a very successful debut with some great singing and a good performance highlighted by his reactions to scary theatre director Mrs. Darbus (he completely collapses into his chair when Darbus catches him using his phone and confiscates his cell, and later jumping when Darbus startles him from behind). Stephanie Stamos is a sweet and shy Gabriella with a terrific voice that can be gentle or belt. Together their duets command the inside of the Herberger like a pop music concert.

And then there are the many amusing supporting characters that give this show its comedy, beginning with fraternal twins Sharpay and Ryan Evans – the school’s perennial theatrical stars who are in danger of losing their positions at the top of the stage firmament when jock Troy and brainiac Gabriella break out of their cliques by trying out for the upcoming school musical. Both Katie Wilson and Brian Wible are reprising their National Youth Theatre Award-winning performances from Greasepaint’s production earlier this year. But this reprise is not merely regurgitating what they did before, as VYT is doing the other High School Musical version that has Ryan being annoyed by his sister rather than idolizing her. They are terrific again, this time with Sharpay being an outward bully (and a pretty intimidating one at that) with a fragile inner-self hiding beneath, and Ryan showing more backbone early on. And they nail their different but still amusing and perfectly executed musical numbers. The director and crew had some extra fun with What I’ve Been Looking For. Not only do the twins bring their own taped accompaniment – they also get their own mini-sparkly curtain and a tall staircase that they nimbly dance up and down.

Adults play the roles of the melodramatic drama teacher Mrs. Darbus and the basketball-obsessed Coach Bolton (Troy’s father). And both are hilarious, with Toni Jourdan using intonation and body language to great effect, and Bolton (Cory McCloskey) adlibbing to become even more obsessed with clichés than he is with his basketball. Their arguments are a hoot – especially the day I attended when Bolton accidentally calls Zeke “Jeke,” then goes on to explain how sometimes he calls him “Zeke” and other times “Jeke,” with Mrs. Darbus following up on the Zeke/Jeke duality.

Performs June 8 - 29, 2007.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre

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