At first glance, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” seems like a shameless cannibalization of a Disney property as required by a streaming service that relies on nostalgia. At second glance, well, that's completely accurate. To its credit, though, the show is candid about it, providing its smooth spin on an aggressively harmless franchise with a not-so-sly wink.
The new series, which premieres November 12 alongside Disney Plus in its entirety, is neither a reboot, nor a revival, nor a sequel to the "High School Musical" film trilogy. (The first two aired on the Disney Channel in 2006 and 2007 before the third opened theatrically in 2008, grossing $252 million worldwide.) School Musical” was filmed putting on his own interpretation of the musical itself, treating it with the kind of reverence that usually belongs to an unimpeachable classic like “West Side Story.” It feels less like "High School Musical" than a sweet, very silly version of "Glee," best exemplified by the meta character of overzealous theater manager Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders doing her best with Kristin Chenoweth), is exactly where the show seems to be going.
Creator: Tim Federle
Stars: Joshua Bassett, Julia Lester, Frankie A. Rodriguez
To keep the show grounded, or at least a little less confusing than its cheeky title suggests, "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" makes sure its main characters don't stray too far from the property that inspired them. . Where Zac Efron once played Troy, a frustrated basketball player with a secret musical talent, Joshua Bassett stars as Ricky, a frustrated skateboarder with a secret musical talent.
Where Vanessa Hudgens once played Gabriella, a sweet and determined singer, Olivia Rodrigo plays Nini, a sweet and determined singer. The complication the series presents to them is that they are very recent exes, and Nini had hoped to star in the musical alongside her new boyfriend E.J. (Matt Cornett) before Ricky crashes the audition with a surprise serenade.
With hardly any time spent on them as a couple, it's hard to know exactly how hard it is to support them getting back together, especially with E.J. giving Nini the support and devotion that Ricky couldn't. But they're our Troy and Gabriella, so if the season doesn't end with them getting back together to rousing applause, that wouldn't be very "High School Musical" of them. Disney Plus can't have that.
In the first two episodes screened for critics, the series tries to make some adjustments to shake up the light-hearted clichés of the original. E.J. he's a popular jock without any of the usual macho complexes that often accompany that role. The scene-stealing role of the fiercely ambitious Sharpay (originally played by Ashley Tisdale) goes to an equally ambitious, if quieter, guy. Nini has two mothers. And there's a genuinely moving scene in which Nini finds Ashlyn (Julia Lester) rehearsing her own original song and joins in with her, her voices opening up to fill the cavernous auditorium with palpable longing for her. These moments, however, tend to highlight the fact that other aspects of the show remain frustratingly similar to the film's overwhelmingly two-dimensional approach, such as the fact that Nini's best friend (Dara Renee) is a cautious black girl without a much discernible interiority of her. own.
That complaint also applies to the fact that "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" is, like its source material, strangely suspended in a timeless place. Beyond an Instagram reference here and there, its first two episodes just don't do much to reflect that the show is set over a decade since Efron and Hudgens first took the stage, or make the case for why this story could be interesting. to tell now beyond that "people know what 'High School Musical' is and Disney Plus needed content." To be fair, that may be the only significant bar you need to clear.
“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” premieres November 12 on Disney Plus.
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