Even if you cringe at those chipper Disney shows, 'Musical 2' has listenable tunes and is very good, not annoying

August 17, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic

I'm usually allergic to musicals made for kids by Disney, which I refer to as the Circle of Death, for all the dying mothers and lions and tigers and bears. Disney is known in some circles as "The Rat." Marvel, as it scurries.

And yet, "High School Musical 2" is very good. It's more than listenable. The music is surprisingly catchy, smartly penned and not annoying. Maybe Disney finally built a better mousetrap.

And yet, "High School Musical 2" is very good. It's more than listenable. The music is surprisingly catchy, smartly penned and not annoying. Maybe Disney finally built a better mousetrap.

If you're not a parent or a Disney-obsessed perv (I'm neither), then you may not know last year's "High School Musical" was, like, oh, my God, the biggest musical in a generation. It's being staged at high schools around the country, and it's drawing more kids to theater than anything in two decades, supposedly.

If you're not a parent or a Disney-obsessed perv (I'm neither), then you may not know last year's "High School Musical" was, like, oh, my God, the biggest musical in a generation. It's being staged at high schools around the country, and it's drawing more kids to theater than anything in two decades, supposedly.

The sequel, debuting tonight, follows the boys and girls of the original as they begin summer break. Heartthrob Troy (Zac Efron, perhaps the first human who looks exactly like the anime Speed Racer) wants to play with his brunette girlfriend Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens). But they get love-blocked by blond villain Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale).

It's a basic, moral plot. Sharpay snidely chips away at Troy's heart and loyalties. Will he buck Sharpay just in time to join his friends for the big talent show?

The strengths of "Musical 2" are the songs and performances, directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega, who did the same jobs for the first "Musical"; he also choreographed "Dirty Dancing."

It's remarkable that the songwriters -- the same stable who wrote for the first "Musical" -- brightly fuse together the diametrically opposed styles of vapid dance-pop and harmonic, storytelling musical theater, both of which can be quite terrible individually when composed by many other musicians in the world.

Just to let you know where I'm coming from, my favorite musicals are "All That Jazz" (about death), "Dancer in the Dark" (death) and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (weirdos). And I despised Michael Jackson's idiotic "Thriller" video.

All I'm saying is I am not an easy sell for chipper choreography starring Disney teens. But I have watched this thing twice, and I love the ballad versions of "You Are the Music in Me," and I really like the spirit of other melodies.

Rest assured there are a few sappy parts, goofy dances and predictable lines. ("You know I never wanted to hurt you.") But even weak sections serve as "so bad, they're good" moments to laugh at between fine music numbers.

How often can you say that about a production -- that it works both as a high-quality event and as mockable cheese? Of course, "High School Musical 3" is already in the works. The Rat knows good Gouda when it smells it.


THE STARS SPEAK

Zac Efron, 19, on the first movie's success: "Hopefully, in the future it won't be such a bad thing to be part of the drama club in high school. In my ideal world, I'd love to see everyone auditioning for plays and doing musical theater and singing."

Ashley Tisdale, 22, on paying dues: "We worked really hard. I mean, we've done tons of acting classes, you know, singing lessons. ... When I was in high school, I worked at clothing stores, anything to be able to do this. ... It hasn't been an overnight success."

Lucas Grabeel, 22, on eschewing the L.A. party scene: "I don't like people surrounding me and telling me I'm great. ... I'm not going to overextend myself or whore myself out just so I can let everybody know what kind of person I am."

Vanessa Anne Hudgens, 18, on being a star: "The whole thing is so weird to me. I'm the same person I was before 'High School Musical' came along. I feel the same, I act the same -- and I'm still looking for another job."

Monique Coleman, 26, on her time at DePaul: "There's a different work ethic in Chicago than anyplace else. People really do respect theater and art. ... You are immersed in a really authentic, artistic scene in Chicago. Authentic music. Authentic art. Amazing, innovative, forward-thinking theater, and some good films come out of there, too."