New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Derek Malcolm's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Kenny Ortega.
Cast: Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Olesya Rulin, Alyson Reed
Description: The senior class of East High School prepares to graduate and go to different colleges around the country. Troy Bolton and best buddy Chad Danforth are looking forward to playing basketball together, on opposite sides of the country to their respective girlfriends Gabriella Montez and Taylor McKessie. The attention-seeking twins Sharpay and Ryan Evans hope to achieve the fame and adoration they have always craved. As the teenagers prepare to say goodbye to one another, they agreed to take part in one final musical together, inspired by their lives.
Country: US. 2008. 111mins
This is an America where no high school kids are fat or anorexic, where they are all smartly dressed and eager fashion beavers, where there are no drugs and sex is limited to a tiny bit of mouth-to-mouth and where the sun always shines on bright new buildings.
This is teen dreamland, folks, and what’s a cynical old critic doing reviewing it at all? What does he know about the flowing talents of the world’s favourite high school students (Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel among them)?
It can’t be for nothing that Zac won the award for Choice Male Hottie last year and that Ashley was selected as one of the Ten Most Powerful Girls in Hollywood.
Ah well, we can’t all be au fait with such things. But we can look at the film and wonder at the insipid pop songs sprayed around, the acting-by-numbers and the general sense that anything will do by way of a plot, just as long as there’s a school concert at the end. This one wows the parents so much that they keep on jumping from the seats to holler ovations.
Kenny Ortega is the director, and he says: “I just tried to bring it all to life with as much fun and joy and colour and excitement as possible,” later opining that “there’s something about teenage life that is the same all around the world”.
Angst? You’re joking. Pressures about who to take to the prom, final exams, graduation and going away from home to higher education are treated like choosing from a particularly scrumptious box of sweeties. All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.
If you like this sort of thing, go see it. It’s getting a bit thin the third time round, but the general effect is the same. This team has made cable TV’s highest rated show, the two highest rated Disney Channel movies, two multi-platinum soundtracks, a concert tour, an ice show and enough awards to fall off the average fireplace shelf.
I cringed for nearly two hours.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
I hated the movie, but you're wrong about saying there's no fat people. There is a overweight girl in the cast, she's the "brainaiac" mentioned at the end. She only has a few parts, but she's there.
- Miss Moonlight, CT, USA
I disagree. I watched the first High School Musical and found it *very* wanting. After that I didn't watch either sequel. I praise the negative review I found here.
- Osnat, London, England
High School Musical is like so totally awesome and it is like so totally the best thing ever made ever!
Seriously...
- Taxman, York England
Tonight:
9°c
