The Associated Press reports that Vanessa Anne Hudgens (Gabriella), Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay), Lucas Grabeel (Ryan), Corbin Bleu (Chad) and Monique Coleman (Taylor) will all take part in the upcoming tour of High School Musical: The Concert. The role of Troy, originated by Zac Efron, will be played by Andrew Seeley. Efron is currently filming "Hairspray," based on the Tony-winning musical of the same name.
Kenny Ortega, who both directed and choreographed the TV production, will be the creative director for the concert tour, which is scheduled to kick off Nov. 30 in San Diego, CA. The 40-city tour will continue through Jan. 28, 2007, playing its final stop in Las Vegas. Other tour destinations include Long Island's Nassau Coliseum on Dec. 29 and New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena on Jan. 8, 2007.
High School Musical centers on the unlikely friendship that evolves between the jock Troy and brainiac Gabriella at a karaoke contest. Little did the two know that she would be transferring to his school. The duo decide — against their friends' wishes and to the dismay of school stars (a drama queen and her twin brother) — to audition for the high school musical.
High School Musical — the stage version of the popular musical —made its debut on the stage at New York's Stagedoor Manor (in August).
"Disney's High School Musical," the TV musical, has broken records in television viewership and in CD and online sales. The first broadcast on Jan. 20, 2006, garnered more than 7.7 million viewers in five million households. Within 24 hours the show's web site received more than 500,000 hits with visitors downloading lyrics to the song "Breaking Free." The soundtrack climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts in March and the single "Breaking Free" has since been certified platinum, along with five other songs on the soundtrack going gold. Tickets for High School Musical: The Concert are scheduled to go on sale to the public Nov. 4.
