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SINGAPORE: How did a squeaky-clean television movie-musical about high school life that has none of the saucy ingredients found in Beverly Hills 90210 become a US$600-million (S$824-million) global phenomenon that has spawned a sequel, live stage musical, concert tour, book series, video game, reality TV series, worldwide ice tour, mountains of merchandise and a highly anticipated cinematic release in a mere 31 months?
If you don’t have a clue, you’re probably not between the ages of six and 16.
Neither are you a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle who has used the TV set as a nanny so you can have some “quiet time”.
You’re also probably not a participatory observer of popular culture, either. In fact, you might want to think about getting out of the house more.
It’s been near impossible to ignore the singing and dancing juggernaut that is the High School Musical (HSM) franchise, all based around the simple sweet story of a basketball captain and the shy brainiac who overcome peer pressure to follow their passion for music and audition for their high school’s musical, and eventually fall in love.
What started as Disney’s low-budget venture for the small screen back in January 2006 has since clocked incredible records.
The first HSM movie captured an astounding 250 million viewers in more than 100 countries in 20 languages. Its sequel became the most watched basic-cable telecast in US television history the following year.
The first soundtrack went quadruple-platinum with 4 million copies sold and became the year’s No 1 selling album in the US. The second soundtrack sold 3 million copies and was the second best-selling album last year.
This wholesome pie, served with a side of moral integrity, has captured the hearts of tweens and a few reluctant parents.
It has even has its share of 20-something fans who have no problem coming out of the HSM closet.
“I like HSM because it’s a simple fun thing to watch. With HSM, it’s all in front of me in song and dance. I am lazy to imagine how life can be perfect and uncomplicated,” said Johnson Tan, a 28-year-old salesman.
He added: “I love the songs. I know all the lyrics by heart because they are so catchy!”
One can then only imagine the delight of Tan and the legions of tween devotees and their accompanying parents at Tuesday's debut of the ice version of this Emmy-winning cultural phenomenon in Singapore.
“It’s amazing! The parents are watching the movie every day with their kids, over and over again,” Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour performance director Jackie Soames told TODAY.
“When they bring their kids to the show, we realised that they know the songs better than the kids! They sing along as well!”
Running at the Singapore Expo till August 10, the ice-skating extravaganza features the exact same songs and energetic dance moves from the movies.
“We used all the moves from the actual movie and had Chucky Klapow, who was the choreographer for both movies, work very closely with Cindy Stuart, the ice-skating choreographer, to translate it perfectly onto the ice,” added Soames.
The ice show is performed by world-class skaters performing two fast-paced acts taken from the first and second TV movie respectively.
“Doing the show on ice added a whole new dynamic to it. In the movie, everything is in one spot. On the ice, you can add speed and power behind it. It makes it more thrilling,” said choreographer Klapow.
It also increases the building momentum towards HSM’s big-screen debut. High School Musical 3: Senior Year is scheduled for release on October 23 this year.
All the principal cast members — Zac Efron (Troy), Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella), Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay), Lucas Grabeel (Ryan), Corbin Bleu (Chad) and Monique Coleman (Taylor) — will be reprising their characters on the silver screen.
And why wouldn’t they? Being part of the HSM phenomenon propelled then-unknowns Efron, Hudgens, Tisdale and Bleu to teen idol stratosphere status almost instantly.
These young stars have become so powerful in Hollywood that Forbes’ most recent Celebrity 100 list included a tween subcategory for the first time.
Hudgens, 19, rounded up the Top 10, raking in US$3.2 million last year while Tisdale, 23, is at No 6 with US$5.5 million. Efron, however, is the one to look out for.
The 20-year-old hearttrrob is No 5 on the list with US$5.8 million. He parlayed his lead in HSM into a role in last year’s hit movie Hairspray.
Declared the “poster boy for tweenyboppers” by the Rolling Stone magazine, he is primed to rise the rank of bona fide movie star with roles in the upcoming 17 Again, Me and Orson Welles, and Paramount’s musical remake of the ’80s classic Footloose.
That’s a tough act to follow for the performers on ice.
“It’s a big responsibility to play our characters because everybody knows what they are like and how they behave on-screen,” shared Vyacheslav Chiliy, the first Senior Men’s figure skating champion from the Ukraine who plays Ryan in the ice version.
Olympian and two-time Swedish National Champion Helen Grundberg, who plays diva Sharpay, agreed: “You have to know it better than you know yourself. They are, after all, characters that so many fans know inside out and love.”
Perhaps superfan Johnson Tan was right: The idea of a geek trumping the diva and ending up with a jock is an alluring guilty pleasure fantasy in our jaded, complex world. Synchronized dancing on ice really doesn’t hurt, either. - TODAY/sh
Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour runs till August 10 at the Singapore Expo. Ticket Prices: S$59.50 / S$45.50 / S$29.50 from Sistic. www.highschoolmusicaltheicetour-asia.com
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