Disney Channel’s hit movie musical will come to life at North Montgomery High School with the North Montgomery Middle School production of Disney’s High School Musical JR.
A cast of 91 students will sing and dance their way telling the story of Troy (Colin York), Gabriella (Courtney Ratliff) and students of East High. The students must deal with issues of love, friends and family while balancing their classes and extracurricular activities.
The classic battle between sports and the arts comes to life when Troy, a star basketball player, starts to realize he enjoys singing. With the encouragement of twins Sharpay (Hanna Barnes) and Ryan (Chris Jara) the story takes an interesting twist when Troy must decide to either play in the championship basketball game or go to the school musical auditions.
Ratliff believes the plot is interesting and very realistic including her part as Gabriella.
“I like that Gabriella and Troy are shy at first and then start to gain confidence,” Ratliff said. “They finally find their true selves and the truth.”
“I love singing and dancing and the more I do it, the more confidence I have,” Ratliff added. “That plays out in the musical with several of the characters.”
York also can see himself in his character Troy.
“I was in the school talent show last year and decided to sing a song just for fun, almost as a joke,” York said. “But, I found out that I do enjoy singing and that is what makes playing Troy real to me.”
All four of the cast members, who are in the middle school choir 8th-grade choir, are excited for the public to see the production. They all mentioned the upbeat music and dancing as some of their favorite parts of the show.
“I believe the show is going to be good and people will enjoy it,” Jara said. “Our directors are very good and fun to work with.”
Barnes said the production is entertaining and believes the cast and special affects enhance the production.
“I love the music and all the big dance scenes,” Barnes said. “We have some cool lighting and other a great cast. I am looking forward to seeing it all come together this weekend.”
Show times are 7 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets are only available online at https://bit.ly/nmhsperformingarts.
