High School Musical March 10, 2009

.comLincolnshire, IL — HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, the theatrical version of Disney’s Emmy Award-winning mega-hit, sings and dances its way onto Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences’ stage from March 10th through May 9th and is expected to be the hottest ticket in the Chicago-land area for families and young audiences. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is directed and choreographed by Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences favorite, Rachel Rockwell (Disney’s Aladdin, Seussical, Wizard of Oz, and Princess and the Pea).



“The show is a hip, modern mixture of Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET and GREASE and has gained an unbelievable following worldwide” notes Andy Hite, Marriott’s Lead Artistic Director. “We could not be more excited to bring this fun, fast paced, one-hour version of the show to our young audiences. Adults and children alike will be dancing in their seats.”



HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, based on the wildly popular Disney Channel Original movie, follows Gabriella, a shy, brainy transfer student, and Troy, the hunky captain of the basketball team as they discover their secret passion for singing. East High’s well established social structure is rocked to its core when Troy and Gabriella no longer “Stick to the Status Quo,” and audition for the school’s winter musical. The culmination of the resulting twists and turns is a singing and dancing extravaganza where the students of East High proudly proclaim, “We’re All in This Together!” HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL boasts a quadruple platinum soundtrack filled with hits like: “Breaking Free,” “What I’ve Been Looking For,” and “Start of Something New.”



HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is the most successful movie that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced. The film’s DVD release sold 1.2 million copies in its first six days, making it the fastest selling television movie of all time. In 2007, the soundtrack made it into the Guinness World Records for "Most hits from a soundtrack in the U.S. Chart simultaneously.” Nine tracks were in the U.S. Hot 100 at the same time, a world first. High School Musical 2 was the highest-rated Disney Channel Movie to date at the time of its airing and High School Musical 3: Senior Year currently holds the record for the highest-grossing movie musical in its opening weekend, earning over $80,000,000 worldwide.



HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL stars Max Quinlan as Troy Bolton and Cat Davis as Gabriella Montez. The cast also includes Elana Ernst as Sharpay Evans, Sean Hunt as Ryan Evans, Brandon Koller as Chad Danforth, Melanie Brezill as Taylor McKessie, Tim Gregory as Coach Bolton, Laura Scheinbaum as Kelsi Neilson, Robin Childress as Martha Cox, Jackson Evans as Jack Scott, Travis Turner as Zeke Baylor, and Zach Zube as Ripper.



Roberta Duchak will serve as Musical Director with Patti Garwood as the Music Supervisor. Sound Design is by Bob Gilmartin, Lighting Design by Jesse Klug, Costume Design by Nancy Missimi, Properties Design by Rob Rahn and Set Design by Alan Schwanke. Jeff Bell conducts the Marriott Theatre orchestra.



The performance schedule for HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL is as follows: Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 10 am and Saturdays at 11 am. Please call 847.634.0200 or visit www.MarriottTheatre.com for the exact schedule, as some show times and dates may vary. Tickets for all shows are $12, excluding tax and handling fees. Groups of 15 or more receive a discount by calling 847.634.5909. Free parking is available at all performances. To reserve tickets with a major credit card, call the Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or visit www.marriotttheatre.com.

Official Website: http://www.marriotttheatre.com