An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
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
Afternoon:
14°c
