REVIEW: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL | LOWRY | 27/08/2026
- Sarah Monaghan
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: A SPECTACULAR, HIGH-ENERGY CELEBRATION AT THE LOWRY
It has been 20 years since High School Musical first introduced audiences to East High, Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay and the Wildcats. Now the Disney musical has arrived at The Lowry in a brand-new production from Hope Mill Theatre and Chris Harper Productions with Lowry.
Directed by Joseph Houston and William Whelton, this new production brings the familiar story and songs to the stage while creating something designed specifically for a live theatre audience.
There is also a lovely connection to the original films, with KayCee Stroh, who played Martha Cox, returning to East High in the very different role of drama teacher Ms Darbus.
I was 23 when the original High School Musical was released, so unlike many people in the audience, it wasn't a film I grew up with. I have always enjoyed it, though, and still have my original DVD. What I wasn't expecting was to come away from The Lowry having enjoyed this stage production even more than the film.
Troy Bolton is the star player of East High's basketball team, while Gabriella Montez is a talented student who excels academically. After meeting during the holidays and unexpectedly singing karaoke together, they discover that they both enjoy performing.
They are reunited when Gabriella transfers to East High, and their shared love of singing leads them to audition together for the school musical.
There is just one problem: everyone at East High already seems to have decided where they belong.
Troy is a basketball player, Gabriella is one of the brainiacs and Sharpay and Ryan Evans are the school's theatre stars. Troy and Gabriella stepping outside those expected roles soon causes problems, but it also encourages some of the other students to admit that there is more to them than everyone thinks.
It is easy to see why the story still works 20 years later. Beneath the romance, basketball and big musical numbers is a simple message about not allowing other people to decide what you can and cannot be.
The staging was one of my favourite things about this production.
From the moment I entered the Lyric Theatre, the stage immediately caught my attention. Andrew Exeter's design transforms the space into East High's basketball court, complete with court markings, lockers, scoreboards and screens. There are even audience members seated at the sides of the court.
It genuinely feels as though you have arrived to watch a basketball game.
That atmosphere begins before the musical itself. There is activity on the court, different areas of the audience appear on the screens and the East High cheerleaders come out to teach everyone a Wildcats cheer. By the time the show actually begins, the audience is already involved and excited.
The clever part is that the basketball court doesn't restrict what the production can do. Different sections of the set open and change as the story moves around East High, while George Reeve's video design allows the screens and projections to help establish different locations.
The screens are also used for live footage at various points, which fits particularly well with the sporting theme. Combined with the different levels of the set, there is always something interesting to look at without losing the feeling that we are inside East High.
One particularly beautiful moment sees Troy and Gabriella sitting together on a crescent moon suspended high above the stage, surrounded by glowing stars. It is a simple but very effective image and feels completely different from the busy basketball scenes below.
Rory Beaton's lighting is a big part of those changes in atmosphere. Bright reds and strong lighting make the basketball sequences feel huge, while blues and purples give Troy and Gabriella's quieter scenes a much softer feel.
Sophia Pardon's costumes also give each of the East High groups a clear identity, but I particularly enjoyed Sharpay's costumes. Her outfits are everything you would expect from the character, with plenty of pink, sparkle and glamour, and some of her entrances are made even more memorable by what she is wearing. Ryan's colourful, theatrical style works perfectly alongside hers.
The costumes make the characters immediately recognisable while still giving this production its own look.
If you already know High School Musical, there are plenty of songs you will be waiting to hear, including Breaking Free, Stick to the Status Quo, Get'cha Head in the Game and, of course, We're All in This Together.
They are songs I already knew well, but hearing them performed live gives them a completely different feel.
For me, however, Aaron Renfree's choreography is what really makes the musical numbers stand out.
The larger ensemble numbers fill the Lyric stage with movement, while the choreography remains incredibly tight. There are moments when so much is happening across the stage that your eyes don't quite know where to look, but the routines never lose their precision.
Get'cha Head in the Game is one of the highlights. The basketballs are incorporated directly into the choreography as the cast bounce, pass and move with them in time with the music. With so many basketballs moving around the stage at once, the coordination involved is impressive.
Stick to the Status Quo is another fantastic company number and gives the ensemble a real opportunity to shine.
The big group numbers were some of my favourite moments of the entire production. I attended with my eight-year-old daughter Alice, who hadn't seen the High School Musical film before, and she absolutely loved them. She sat completely absorbed watching the dancing and came away excited to watch the film for the first time.
I think that says a lot about how well the production works as a family musical. There is plenty here for adults who already know and love High School Musical, but children don't need any previous connection to the Wildcats to get caught up in the story, music and spectacle.
By the time the company reaches We're All in This Together, it feels like the perfect way to bring everything together, and it is difficult not to get caught up in the excitement.
The casting is excellent throughout, and one of the strengths of the production is that the familiar characters don't feel like performers simply trying to imitate their film counterparts.
Tobias Turley makes a very likeable Troy Bolton. He is confident and convincing during the basketball scenes but also brings out Troy's uncertainty as he begins questioning whether basketball has to be the only thing that defines him. Vocally, he is equally strong and handles the familiar songs extremely well.
Leonor Correia brings a lovely warmth to Gabriella. Her performance feels natural, and there is an immediate ease between her and Turley which makes Troy and Gabriella's relationship believable. Their voices also work beautifully together.
Caitlin Tipping was one of my standouts as Sharpay Evans.
She has the confidence and huge personality the character needs, but there is more to the performance than simply making Sharpay loud and demanding. Tipping also allows us to see some of the insecurity beneath all that pink and sparkle, making her more interesting than a straightforward villain.
Luke Bayer works brilliantly alongside her as Ryan. His performance has plenty of humour and personality, and Ryan never feels as though he is simply following his sister around. Together, Bayer and Tipping are great fun to watch.
Another major standout for me was KayCee Stroh as Ms Darbus.
She is wonderfully over-the-top as East High's drama teacher and gets some of the biggest laughs of the evening. There is something particularly enjoyable about seeing someone with such a strong connection to the original High School Musical films returning in a completely different role, but her performance works regardless of that connection. She is genuinely very funny and makes Ms Darbus one of the show's most memorable characters.
Jason Donovan has plenty of presence as Coach Bolton, a father and basketball coach who is initially so focused on Troy's sporting future that he struggles to understand why singing is important to him. As the story progresses, his eventual change of heart gives us a warmer side to the character.
The ensemble also deserves a huge amount of credit. This is a very physical production, with big dance routines and basketball choreography, and the amount of coordination needed to make it all look so effortless is impressive. The strength of the ensemble is a major part of why the large company numbers work so well.
I went into High School Musical at The Lowry already liking the film, but I came out having enjoyed this production even more.
For me, the difference is seeing everything happening live. The basketball court fills the Lyric stage, the ensemble numbers are huge, the choreography is fantastic and the audience becomes part of the East High atmosphere before the story has even begun.
It also has real cross-generational appeal. I already knew the characters and songs, while Alice went in having never seen the film, yet we both came away having thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a lovely way to introduce a new generation to High School Musical while still giving existing fans plenty to enjoy.
Most importantly, all that spectacle doesn't take away from the simple story at the centre of the musical. Troy and Gabriella are both being told, in different ways, who they are supposed to be, and their decision to try something different encourages everyone around them to do the same.
Twenty years after the film was released, that message hasn't lost its relevance.
With an excellent cast, clever staging, fantastic choreography and some genuinely memorable moments, this is a spectacular, high-energy celebration of High School Musical. It gives fans everything they would hope to see while making the story work brilliantly on stage.
High School Musical at The Lowry doesn't just bring East High to the stage – it makes you feel part of the Wildcats.
High School Musical will be at The Lowry until Saturday 19th September 2026. Tickets are available using the link below.
For more information about the production, including tour dates and show details, visit the official website below.
Photo Credit - Matt Crockett
*Our tickets for this show were kindly gifted in exchange for an honest review.
Comments