Some say reticent Chinese audiences are the hardest to please but maybe High School Musical, a Shanghai stage show based on the hit film, has broken this myth.
It seems local audiences just needed a dose of that old-fashioned theatrical trick of actors singing and dancing in the aisles.
High School Musical's storyline is the same as the trilogy's first installation, which follows basketball player Troy, math-whiz Gabriella and their high school fellows, who chase their dreams.
All the songs from the original film were performed, as well as two new tunes, Counting on You and Cellular Fusion.
The cast is totally new and although heartthrob Zac Efron was not there, the new actors did a brilliant job.
Marlee Van Der Merwe performed a perfect Sharpay; that rich, mean and hysterical supporting character audiences love to hate. With a wonderfully exaggerated walk and weird voice, Merwe's performance stole the show.
Ms. Darbus was as emotional as can be, Gabriella was sweet, and David Schlachter was much taller than Troy, adding authenticity to his role as a student on a basketball scholarship to college.
The cast and crew also made a strong effort to connect to the audience and some local touches were added with good effect.
The line "Do you think LeBron James or Shaquille O'Neal auditioned for their school musical?", was changed into "You think Yao Ming or Shaquille O'Neal auditioned for their school musical?".
Taylor McKessie also said "thank you" in Shanghai dialect, making the audience burst into laughter.
And in Ms. Darbus' winter musical named Juliet and Romeo, the couple even escape to Shanghai.
But all these nice local touches did not work immediately to arouse the crowd.
For a show bursting with such intense and passionate American energy, the audience maintained their traditional Chinese reticence and manners most of the time.
In the opening third of the two-hour show, most theatergoers just swayed to the music.
But by the end of the show, the audience was hooked and standing in their seats, thanks to a dramatic finale.
A surprise kiss between Troy and Gabriella that was not featured in the film raised the roof, and in the heat of the moment the cast suddenly rushed into the audience, sang and danced among them.
The exciting move opened the audience to the melody and rhythms. One teenage member of the audience, who was dressed like Kelsi, one of the show's characters, stood up with her companion, and those around them, and everybody.
In the melody of We're All in This Together, the audience finally mingled with the actors.
Regrettably, the language barrier meant most of the Chinese audience couldn't sing along. And it was tiring for non-English speakers to switch between the subtitles and the central stage.
The show will play in Shanghai Grand Theater until July 19.
(China Daily July 7, 2009)
