TheatreDate.com Reviews

Honey, put the kids in the minivan, we’re going out to the CTC.

The Chico Theater Company is putting on a show for the whole family. Disney’s “High School Musical” is a high energy, fast-paced look at high school life, Disney style.

The show, directed by CTC owner Marc C. Edson, follows the lives of two high school kids. Not necessarily star crossed lovers, but something along those lines.

High school basketball star Troy Bolton (played by Bryant Jarrard) is drawn into trying out for the school musical, a secret he wants to keep from his macho jock friends.

At the same time the new girl in school Gabreilla Montz (played by Emily Peitz) tries to find her place in her new environment. Before long she exposes herself as a math wiz and falls in with the brainiac crowed.

But the two have a past that none of their friends know about. Over winter break they met at a ski lodge and melted the nights away with hot karaoke. A shame Bolton doesn’t think he can live with if his teammates find out.

The story is as old as time, but the young actors give it new life. The two try to keep their affection for each other a secret from friends, family, and rival lovers. Bad luck, bad timing and bad people spoil all their plans, and just when things look hopeless, everything works out just right.

It’s just the kind of family show Edson likes to put on at the CTC, he said. His daughter turned him on to the project about two years ago, and when the licensing was made available, he put in a bid the same day. Friday night he watched the kids he directed take the stage.

“I was really happy with them,” he said. “They just really came alive tonight. They really wanted to work hard and put on a good show.”

The show itself was robust with multiple full-cast dance numbers and songs that showed the exuberance of the young cast. Their energy kept the show entertaining and interesting. Quick set changes and good pacing kept the audience engaged from the time the curtain went up, until it dropped again.

Anytime you get young actors on a stage there are going to be some rough edges, and this show is no exception. There were some missed notes and some dropped choreography, but nothing that couldn’t happen at any show and certainly nothing that took away from the over all enjoyability of the performance.

The choreographic accomplishments were especially impressive when you consider the limited experience of the majority of the cast.

Choreographer Joe Garrow was more then pleased with the way the performance went.

“These kids just worked really hard to accomplish what they did,” he said. “Believe it or not, none of these kids are dancers.”

All and all I was impressed by the maturity and over all professionalism of the cast. But above them all, Petiz showed like a bright light. To say that she stole the show with her performance would be an understatement. Her voice was crisp, clear, strong, soft, evocative and engaging. It’s hard to believe that at the age of 18, she wasn’t nervous before taking the stage for her first big lead, but she maintains she was the essence of cool.

“I’ve been more nervous before other shows,” she said. And with the kind of talent she has, I think we can believe that she had nothing to worry about. She’s got a lifetime of experience to draw from. “I’ve sung ever since I was young,” she said. If we’re lucky, she’ll still be singing even when she’s old.