This April, the John Jay Proscenium will be performing Disney’s High School Musical: On Stage! The Patriot sat down with Bobby Kleinertz, who will play the male lead, Troy Bolton.
So Bobby, you’re basically Zac Efron now, right? I mean, he played the same role as I’m playing now in High School Musical, but I’m still working on getting my physique up to his level.
At least you have your charm. Now, with the school doing such a well-known and beloved show, especially amongst our generation, what obstacles does Proscenium run into? Are you trying to replicate the original movie or are you doing a whole new interpretation? Well, the On Stage version of the show does deviate a bit from the movie: there are new lines, new characters, and even a few new songs. So we pick and pluck from the movie but at the end of the day, everyone bring their own light and interpretation to each character.
I’m certainly excited to see the similarities and differences between the two shows. Now High School Musical originally premiered ten years ago, and times have certainly changed. Will you incorporate this into your production? We’ve decided to set the show in 2006 when it first came out, with flip phones, catchphrases and everything. However, we’ve hidden various modern jokes and dances within the show. For example, at least one person “whips” during a song.
Speaking of songs and dances, how has the cast overall adapted to such iconic music? In the beginning, it was weird because everyone knew the melodies but had to learn the harmonies, which are pretty musically creative. It was a struggle for awhile but we’re growing ever closer to success.
And you certainly have some stellar costars. Tell me about them. Well, my counterpart, Jeana Alfano, is amazing. She’s playing Gabriella, and at first, I didn’t think I’d be able to match her awesome vocal talent, but thank goodness I’ve worked so hard. The entire cast is just a riot. There’s constant giggling, but somehow we’ve accomplished everything we need to.
Now let’s talk about you and your character for a bit. How do you get into playing Troy Bolton? What similarities do the two of you have? Actually, it was hard to create Troy. We’re not very similar, with his athletic background and my musical background, so I had to create from scratch the way he holds himself, walks, talks, interacts with friends and classmates, and especially his chemistry with Gabriella. Troy is very confident; he knows the school like the back of his hand. Everyone wants to be his friend, and he tries to stay humble, but it often goes to his head—especially during a basketball game. But then he goes on winter break and everything changes when he meets Gabriella. He starts to sing, something he had never done until then, and he suddenly falls in love with this girl. She is able to look at him with no expectations or prejudice, and he’s never had this happen before. Troy realizes now that there is more to life than just high school and basketball.
Lastly, a question for the students: why should we go see High School Musical? Well I think it’s going to be great. Hopefully, at the end, you’ll feel as if you were sent back ten years ago, watching the movie for the first time, and you’ll become re-acquainted with the story and the characters we all grew up with.
Disney’s High School Musical: On Stage! will be on our auditorium stage on April 8th and 9th at 7:30 pm, and on April 10th at 2:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.seatyourself.biz/johnjayhs at $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens. Come out to support John Jay Proscenium!
© 2016 Emma Y. All rights reserved.
So Bobby, you’re basically Zac Efron now, right? I mean, he played the same role as I’m playing now in High School Musical, but I’m still working on getting my physique up to his level.
At least you have your charm. Now, with the school doing such a well-known and beloved show, especially amongst our generation, what obstacles does Proscenium run into? Are you trying to replicate the original movie or are you doing a whole new interpretation? Well, the On Stage version of the show does deviate a bit from the movie: there are new lines, new characters, and even a few new songs. So we pick and pluck from the movie but at the end of the day, everyone bring their own light and interpretation to each character.
I’m certainly excited to see the similarities and differences between the two shows. Now High School Musical originally premiered ten years ago, and times have certainly changed. Will you incorporate this into your production? We’ve decided to set the show in 2006 when it first came out, with flip phones, catchphrases and everything. However, we’ve hidden various modern jokes and dances within the show. For example, at least one person “whips” during a song.
Speaking of songs and dances, how has the cast overall adapted to such iconic music? In the beginning, it was weird because everyone knew the melodies but had to learn the harmonies, which are pretty musically creative. It was a struggle for awhile but we’re growing ever closer to success.
And you certainly have some stellar costars. Tell me about them. Well, my counterpart, Jeana Alfano, is amazing. She’s playing Gabriella, and at first, I didn’t think I’d be able to match her awesome vocal talent, but thank goodness I’ve worked so hard. The entire cast is just a riot. There’s constant giggling, but somehow we’ve accomplished everything we need to.
Now let’s talk about you and your character for a bit. How do you get into playing Troy Bolton? What similarities do the two of you have? Actually, it was hard to create Troy. We’re not very similar, with his athletic background and my musical background, so I had to create from scratch the way he holds himself, walks, talks, interacts with friends and classmates, and especially his chemistry with Gabriella. Troy is very confident; he knows the school like the back of his hand. Everyone wants to be his friend, and he tries to stay humble, but it often goes to his head—especially during a basketball game. But then he goes on winter break and everything changes when he meets Gabriella. He starts to sing, something he had never done until then, and he suddenly falls in love with this girl. She is able to look at him with no expectations or prejudice, and he’s never had this happen before. Troy realizes now that there is more to life than just high school and basketball.
Disney’s High School Musical: On Stage! will be on our auditorium stage on April 8th and 9th at 7:30 pm, and on April 10th at 2:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.seatyourself.biz/johnjayhs at $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens. Come out to support John Jay Proscenium!
© 2016 Emma Y. All rights reserved.