THEATER REVIEW: Basketball star, bookworm to highlight ‘High School Musical’ adaptation

When the Laguna Playhouse decided to stage “High School Musical,” based on the Disney Channel movie, director Donna Inglima knew she’d have an abundance of performers vying for show roles.

“We had over 200 young people come out to audition, and the level of talent was very high,” she said. “I am thrilled with our cast.”

“High School Musical,” which opens Oct. 26, seems like a perfect fit for a youth theater with the size and support of the playhouse. “The play version offers wonderful creative challenges, as there are a huge amount of musical numbers to choreograph and stage,” Inglima said. “Every time we finished one, there was the next big one to tackle. The physical and vocal demands on the cast are tremendous.”

The director pointed out that since the show is adapted from a movie, the technical needs in terms of scene change locations are difficult “” especially since the playhouse doesn’t have a “fly” house to whisk backdrops on and off stage.

The show focuses on Troy, a basketball star, and Gabriella, a brainy student “” two teens who are worlds apart “” who discover their mutual love for singing and their interest in each other. Both try out for the upcoming high school musical. But they’re thwarted by Ryan and Sharpay, the school’s top musical talents.

Noah Plomgren, a Laguna Beach High School senior who plays Troy, recalls that “my mom signed me up for children’s theater when I was 4, and I liked it and continued to do it.”

Chassey Bennett (Gabriella) has a similar background. “I have been in theater my whole life,” she says. “When I was 5 or 6, my mom signed me up for a show at a little community theater she founded, then I did shows at my high school.”

For Darius Rose (Ryan), it’ll be a return visit to the playhouse, where he played a squirrel in “The Great Squirrel Uprising.”

“I called Donna when I heard about the auditions and said I want to be a part of it,” he said.

Ivana Agnic (Sharpay) has been doing children’s theater for 12 years.

“I wanted to do something a little different. This show came along at the right time,” she says.

For Noah, one of the biggest challenges is learning to play basketball. “I haven’t played since third grade,” he said. “Hopefully, there will be no hoops on stage.”

Rose, who at 22 is one of the young veterans, noted that, “In this version of the story, the relationships between the characters has more depth to it, and working with Donna, she has been able to make those characters real people.”

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.