"High School Musical On Stage" is coming to O-Town
The show, which spawned two wildly popular movies on the Disney Channel, has become a phenomenon for Generation Y.
"I'm obsessed with 'High School Musical.' I own a 'High School Musical' brush, a bag and a shirt and people think I'm crazy," said Jodi Melendez, who plays Gabriella in "High Shool Musical On Stage! "I think it's the 'Grease' of today's generation."
Disney's mega hit has a similar message to "Grease," a message nearly all generations strive for.
"Just finding yourself and being comfortable with who you are and not letting anybody stop you from reaching your dreams," Jodi said.
"I kind of think of it as an update on shows like 'Grease.' It's the same type of story. You don't have to be what everyone thinks you are. You can be who you want to be. You can do whatever you want to do," said Justin Sergent, who plays Gabrielle's high school sweetheart, Troy.
Striving for those dreams is what helped Justin and Jodi Melendez land two of the most coveted roles in entertainment.
"It's like, it's overwhelming, it's like falling in love and you get that tingling feeling," Jodi said.
"I have never, ever done a role like this before ever," Justin said.
Before "High School Musical," Justin fell into character roles, such as playing Grandpa in Universal's Grinchmas, and Riff Raff during Halloween Horror Nights' "Rocky Horror Picture Show."
"I have never played the straight man, the boy-next-door kind of role, and that is actually the type of role my professors have always told me to go out for," Justin said.
Now it's the start of something new, playing one of the cool kids.
"I wasn't the most popular kid in high school. I was a lot heavier and I never got a whole lot of attention. This is kind of cool. I get to kind of relive my high school experience and make it a better one," Justin said.
Now, as one of the "it" kids, he is taking on another role as a teacher and role model.
"He's like a mentor for me. He teaches me so much. I am only 17 and I still have so much to learn," Jodi said.
Working side by side, Jodi is using this opportunity to achieve her dreams. The high school senior at East Ridge High in Clermont is ready to bop to the top.
"We work really hard, really hard, we constantly keep going over and over and over everything to get it right. We want the show to be perfect," Jodi said
The "we" is not just Jodi and Justin. It is a big cast. There are nearly 40 cast members and they are all getting the experience of a lifetime working with Hollywood choreographer Paul Becker.
"Oh yeah, he's awful. No, he's great. Really laid back. A really nice guy," Justin said. "Before the audition I went on IMDB and looked up both Dan and Paul and I was pretty amazed. It made it a little more nerve racking to up and sing for them."
Becker has a long list of credits, and most recently he trained the Jonas Brothers on the recent Hannah Montana "Best of Both Worlds" tour.
"I don't remember half of the credits. I just move on to the next," Becker said.
Becker has also worked on the feature films " Hot Rod," "RV," "Deck The Halls" and "Wicker Man," just to name a few. But, still, he keeps it all in perspective.
"I've had to struggle to get to where I am," Becker said.
"I know how hard it is. I know everyone is disposable, including me," Becker said.
So, needless to say, he's got his head in the game, and apparently so does O-Town.
"I was surprised when we held auditions in Orlando that we got such a talented cast, but we have really talented dancers, really talented singers and really good actors on stage. Some of them are ready for Broadway," Becker said.
Becker was ready for his new role as choreographer and director of "High School Musical."
"I've been following it. I have a 4-year-old daughter, so I knew all of the songs coming into it," Becker said.
Becker knows how are, but he was ready to work with them on stage.
"It's easier to work with the Hollywood stars than the high school kids, No I am just joking," Beker said.
One thing that is not a joke is the performance and the high-flying dance.
"The dancing in 'High School Musical' is a mixture between hip hop, jazz, there's break dancing, acrobatics. There's all sorts of styles going on in here," Becker said.
Of course, there is also the message.
"There's a line in the show -- 'Don't stick to the status quo.' It's in one of the songs, and I think the entire show can be summed up in that one line," Justin said.
They are definitely all in this together.
"You should come see 'High School Musical' because it's fabulous," Jodi said.
You can catch High School Musical on stage at the Orlando Science Center through the end of february.