REVIEW: High School Musical, The Ice Tour

'High School Musical' takes to ice
Friday, November 16, 2007

By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

Watching "High School Musical: The Ice Tour" as an adult feels like telling a child his or her favorite bedtime story for the umpteenth time: It's the same story, yet again. But, boy, is the kid excited.

Both the original Disney movie and its sequel, "High School Musical 2," are crammed into a two-hour program in two acts. (Three if you count the sideline kids dancing along to the songs from the show played during the 15-minute intermission.) So no one is expecting a detailed reenactment of the Kenny Ortega television films. But between the lip-syncing and the watered-down plot, it feels a little bit like going through the motions in terms of the acting.

The skating is another story. The kids on skates are young champs recruited from the competition circuit, and it shows. The skate choreographers stay as true to the dancing in the movies as possible, a feat in and of itself. When's the last time you saw a figure skater attempt bouncy hip-hop on two blades?

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE ICE TOUR
Izod Center, East Rutherford; Ticketmaster or meadowlands.com.
Schedule: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and next Saturday; 11 a.m. Thursday; 10:30 a.m. next Friday; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25.
Tickets: $15 to $80.

Surprisingly, some of the numbers may even work better on ice than in the movie, like lead character Troy Bolton's soul-searching solo in the second act. The movie version had heartthrob Zac Efron leaping across different terrains, where singing is somewhat out of place -- there isn't a natural stage for him to stand and deliver the musical number. But the skate version plays beautifully as, well, a skate solo for a talented young athlete.

The playful battle between Troy's friend Chad and antagonist Sharpay's brother Ryan in "I Don't Dance" is another highlight of the ice show. Ryan and Chad face off, "West Side Story" style, with their respective teams backing them up. The song is about each boy trying to top the other, and in the skate version this takes the form of escalating stunts. It's hard not to get caught up in the excitement.

By contrast, the ensemble kitchen work number "Work It Out" is a bit busy and hard to follow. It's difficult to figure out which skater to watch. And because this isn't one of the popular singalong pieces, it tends to lose the young audience's attention midway through.

But that's all worth it when young Troy gets stripped down to his waist during a makeover ordered by rich girl Sharpay. Screams fill the stadium like no other moment in the show, and even adults have to catch their breath: Is this allowed in a Disney show?

Apparently, the answer is "yes." It's also definitely OK to consummate the love story with a kiss during the finale, complete with fireworks and a full cast send-off. (Fair warning to those who dislike flashy performances: This isn't the first time fireworks and sparks fly.)

The kids' favorite musical numbers, if you go by the volume of people singing along, are the love songs: "Breaking Free" from the first movie and "You Are the Music in Me" from the second.

Not only did they provide loud choruses behind the recorded music, but the kids were actually struck silent by the wow-factor of the pair skating that accompanied it. And despite the engineered moments of fireworks and lighting antics, that's when the real magic happened.

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Food drive

The ice show and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey are holding a food drive for hungry kids. Patrons can leave donations in one of the marked bins at the box office or any of the arena entrances. Requested items include peanut butter and jelly, stew and soup (pop-top cans), heat-and-eat entrees (pop-top cans), 100 percent fruit juice boxes, 1 percent shelf-stable milk (white and chocolate), fruit cups, applesauce cups and new backpack.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.