Casting Announced for Disney’s High School Musical, a New Stage Musical
June 19, 2007
John Jeffrey Martin plays the basketball team captain
Philadelphia’s Limited Premiere Engagement Begins July 11 at Academy of Music
Casting has been announced for the Philadelphia premiere engagement of Disney’s High School Musical. Presented by Disney Theatrical Productions, High School Musical is based on the 2006 Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel Original Movie. High School Musical will arrive in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music on July 11 thorough July 22 as part of the Cadillac Broadway Series. The touring company, which is scheduled to travel to more than 60 cities across the United States and Canada, consists of a live orchestra and a cast of 34 performers. The press opening night is Thursday, July 12 at 7:30pm
Tickets range in price from $28 to $103, and are available by calling (215) 731-3333 or by visiting www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway. Tickets are also available at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Streets (open daily 10 am to 6 pm) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad & Locust Streets (open during performances only). Priority seating for High School Musical is available for groups of 20 or more by calling (215) 790-5883, and to subscribers of the 2007-2008 Cadillac Broadway Series by calling (215) 893-1955.
Performances include: Week of July 9: Wed & Thursday evenings (July 11 & 12) at 7:30pm; Friday and Saturday evenings (July 13 & 14) at 8pm; Sunday evening (July 15) at 6:30pm; matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 1pm. Week of July 16: Tuesday through Thursday evenings (July 17 - 19) at 7:30pm; Friday and Saturday evenings (July 20 & 21) at 8pm; matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday (July 22) at 1pm.
The basketball team captain, "Troy Bolton," will be played by John Jeffrey Martin, whose Broadway credits include Rocky Horror Show, Hairspray and Good Vibrations. He is a graduate of Syracuse University with a BFA in Musical Theater. Starring opposite Martin as the shy, academic student "Gabriella Montez" will be Arielle Jacobs. Jacobs theatre credits include Crazy for You, A Chorus Line and Cinderella, and her film credits include The Stepford Wives and Water Lilies.
Troy’s best friend, "Chad Danforth," will be played by Shakiem Evans who most recently appeared as "Eddie" in Broadway’s Mamma Mia! Evans Off-Broadway credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona and Fame, and he is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. "Taylor McKessie," the leader of the "brainiacs" at East High School, will be played by Shaullanda LaCombe, who was seen as "Shenzi" in Disney’s The Lion King and "Charlane" in Ain’t Misbehavin. Bobby List will play Drama Club enthusiast and brother of Sharpay, "Ryan Evans." List, a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati — Conservatory of Music, played opposite Debby Boone in The Human Comedy at Barrington Stage and in The '60s Project at the Goodspeed Opera House. Young composer "Kelsi Neilson" will be portrayed by Olivia Oguma who has appeared on Broadway in Mamma Mia! and Les Miserables and Off-Broadway in Sarah, Plain and Tall, La Dispute and The Scarlet Letter. Oguma’s film credits include Hallmark Hall of Fame’s The Flamingo Rising and Strangers with Candy: the movie. The scheming Drama Club president, "Sharpay Evans," will be played by Chandra Lee Schwartz, who appeared in the Broadway productions of Gypsy and Hairspray as well a the first national tour of Hairspray. Schwartz regional credits include productions at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and Gateway Playhouse.
Veteran actor, Ron Bohmer, will portray Troy’s father and Wildcat’s basketball coach, "Coach Bolton." Bohmer is known for his Broadway and National tour credits including The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Phantom of the Opera, The Woman in White, Aspects of Love, Fiddler on the Roof and Sunset Boulevard. Ellen Harvey is the drama teacher "Ms. Darbus." Harvey’s Broadway credits include Thou Shalt Not and The Music Man, and her touring credits include Mamma Mia! and Doctor Dolittle.
This new touring stage adaptation of Disney’s High School Musical is directed by Jeff Calhoun (Big River). High School Musical features a book by David Simpatico (adapted from the original movie script by Peter Barsocchini), and a score including all the songs from the original soundtrack plus two new songs.
Commenting on the casting of the National Tour, Thomas Schumacher, President and Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, said, "Bringing these much celebrated characters to life for the audience is a great challenge, and we have just the right cast to do it. By working with the best actors Broadway has to offer, we’ve assembled a cast of fresh, fun and enormously talented performers who are able to make the story come to life at each performance." Schumacher adds, "I couldn’t be more excited about getting them all started."
Disney’s High School Musical is a contemporary musical comedy about a popular high school basketball star and a shy, academically gifted newcomer who discover they share a secret passion for singing. When they sign up together to audition for the lead roles in the school musical, it threatens East High's rigid social order and sends their peers into an uproar. In a desperate effort to maintain the status quo, the "jocks," the "brainiacs" and even the drama club regulars are soon hatching convoluted plots to separate the pair and keep them offstage. By defying expectations and taking a chance on their dreams, however, the couple inspires other students to go public with some surprising hidden talents of their own.
The creative team for this new touring stage production of High School Musical, in addition to aforementioned director Calhoun, will be choreographer Lisa Stevens, scenic designer Kenneth Foy, costume designer Wade Laboissonniere, lighting designer Kenneth Billington, sound designer Duncan Robert Edwards and music supervisor Bryan Louiselle.
"High School Musical" premiered on Disney Channel U.S. on January 20, 2006 and posted the highest ratings for a Disney Channel Original Movie up until that time. It went on to become a smash hit internationally and, in 2006, aired on 26 Disney Channels and free-to-air broadcasters worldwide, reaching over 100 million viewers in over 100 countries. It was also the first TV movie to be offered on the iTunes Music Store. "High School Musical" delivered the #1 album of 2006, the year's #1 TV movie on DVD, licensed amateur and professional touring stage productions, a best-selling junior novel, a popular consumer products franchise at mass retailers, a themed show at Disneyland Parks and Resorts in Anaheim, Orlando and soon, Paris, a sold-out 42 date arena concert tour in North America and soon, Latin America, starring most of the cast, and a touring ice show premiering in late 2007. Adding to its success, it won the two Emmy Awards, a DGA Award, Television Critics Association Award, an Imagen Award, a Director's Guild of America Award and a Humanitas Prize nomination. Its soundtrack received a Billboard Music Award (Soundtrack of the Year) and was nominated for an American Music Award in the Favorite Album (Pop/Rock) category. Walt Disney Studios announced it will develop a feature film based on the movie for release in 2008.
Subscription packages for the 2007-2008 Cadillac Broadway Series season are on sale now by visiting www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway or by calling (215) 893-1955. The new season will include: The Drowsy Chaperone (Nov. 27 – Dec. 2, 2007); My Fair Lady (March 11 – 16, 2008); Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple (June 17 – July 13, 2008), all at the Academy of Music; and Avenue Q (Jan. 29 – Feb. 10, 2008) at the Forrest Theatre. Additional shows will include: WICKED (July 25 – Sept. 9, 2007); Gypsy (May 9 – 11, 2008) and Mamma Mia! (July 15 - 27, 2008). The new Cadillac Broadway Series marks the first full season of cooperation between Kimmel Center, Inc. and Shubert Organization, Inc., where theatrical presentations in Philadelphia will be presented at the Academy of Music and the Forrest Theatre.
All performances of Cadillac Broadway Series are supported by Cadillac, Target, WPVI-TV 6, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Cadillac Broadway Series.
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