Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL was a made-for-television
movie. Although well-advertised, nobody anticipated the worldwide
hit it became. Literally overnight it made superstars of its young
cast which included Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin
Bleu and Lucas Grabeel who have all become successful
recording artists. Perhaps the star who has done the best for
himself is Zac Efron who went on to feature in several hit movies,
among them Hairspray.
The story is a simple but effective one - high school sports star
auditions for a musical, then has to put up with critism from all
sides. On top of that, of course there's a girl involved.
Unsurprisingly, a television sequel was soon made, which was
also a huge hit and paved the way for a cinema release of the third
movie in the series. Rumours abound of yet another movie. To
further promote the success of High School Musical, a concert
starring most of the leading cast hit the road as well as a stage
version and an ice show.
While unlikely to play Broadway or the West End, the stage version
has sold out across the United States and Great Britain and
features several new songs.