If you ever get to see a stage version that relies on the show’s original text, you may be surprised just how down-and-dirty “Grease” was when first conceived. While “HSM” has often been cast as a modern-day “Grease,” the comparison is only valid with the John Travolta-Olivia Newton-John film and subsequent stage revivals which, like the movie, filed away the sharp edges. The kids of East High School still are living in a world not far removed from the days of “The Donna Reed Show.” It’s a little more diverse, but the school’s students are apparently the only ones in this country who don’t brush up against premarital sex, drugs or racial conflict. Those perplexed by the original’s success, who found it cringe-inducing vanilla pap with no grip on the realities of high school, won’t find anything to change that opinion in the sequel. Still, as New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood said in a recent (and somewhat snarky) review of the stage version of “HSM,” “new religions do not arise every day, so serious note should be taken when a belief moves from cult status to bona fide faith.” No matter what anyone writes about the sequel to last year’s monster hit, millions of viewers – largely but not entirely ‘tweens – will flock to Friday’s premiere (8 p.m., Disney) and probably to the repeat showings Saturday and Sunday as well.
If ever a television show was totally and utterly critic-proof, it’s “High School Musical 2.” McCollum: `High School Musical 2′ more fun than original – The Mercury News
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