I first read about it on ypulse, the marketing website geared at helping adults of all walks (marketers, teachers, coaches, youth ministers) understand the contemporary youth culture. There I found out that High School Musical was one of the hottest soundtracks of the year and a casual survey of a few middle schoolers informed me that this was indeed a phenomenon! Tammy had heard about the film as well, so we put it at the top of our Netflix queue. Last night, after the girls were in bed, curled up on the couch to enjoy.
First, a few things you need to know. This follows the conventions of old fashoned musical comedy: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy must regain girl. People break into huge song and dance numbers in odd places: on the basketball court, in the school cafeteria. It even shares that genre's mania for self absorbtion (how many musical comedies deal with the the main characters "putting on a show"?). However, the genre is wed with Disney Channel production values, themes, and writing. So what we get is a squeaky clean story in which the romantic leads barely kiss, and then it is just on the cheek. There's no raunchy humor or double entendre at all (thus breaking at least one convention of musical comedy).
The gist of the tale is that jock Troy and Brainiac Gabriella both discover they have a love of singing. They decide to audition for the school "winter musicale", and they are so good, that they threaten the brother and sister team who had starred in the previous 17 musicals. However, because Troy and Gabriella are breaking out of their social roles to do something different, the whole social stratification falls into chaos. The other basketball players team up with the academic decathaolon team to break up Troy and Gabriella and restore order to the school. Misunderstanding and deception lead to pain and sorrow. Then the friends all realize their error, repent, and find a way to get Troy and Gabriella back to the last auditions. It ends with a great musical number with everyone (even the villans) happy and singing and dancing together.
Now, here's the tough part -- the film is really bad art. It deals with cardboard characters, broad stereotypes, cheesy dialogue, unrealistic situations, and largeley forgettable songs (save the two big song and dance numbers, that I'll come back to later). I found myself rolling my eyes through this until the very end (and I must admit, the last number hooked me). However, realize, this film wasn't made for me. It was made for pre-teens -- and in that respect, it's a great film. The Washington Post did a great article on this film in which they interview producer Dan Schnieder (who produces films and TV just like this for the "tween" market)
Schneider says his watchword in creating his shows is " 'Kids win, kids rule.' What I try to do is create a world where the kids are in charge. Real kids are always being told what to do. Parents and teachers run things and kids are subject to their rules and whims." Not on tween TV: "The adults are silly and buffoonish," Schneider says, "because it's fun [for children] to see someone making fun of authority. It's the same for adults when someone makes fun of the president."
There's also kid-wish fulfillment and aspirational fantasy. "Zoey 101's" title character boards at the impossibly lush Pacific Coast Academy (actually, Pepperdine University in Malibu), while Drake and Josh share a bachelor pad-like room above their family's garage. Says Schneider: "People tell me the shows aren't realistic, but who wants that? I want ice cream and roller coasters. I want fun."
This is good old fashoned escapist fantasy, designed to appeal to kids, and if adults come along for the ride, all the better. Now we can go back and forth on the values of escapist fantasy and the particular values espoused in this film. However one of the nice themes (that is generally common to musical comedy, but explicit here) is the longing for a reconciled community. Notice how at the end of musical comedies, there's always a big song and dance number where all the conflicts are reconciled and everyone is in step together. In this film, we even see the villans get in on the act and take the lead dance role toward the end -- the song lyrics reinforce that theme of everyone being together and being a part of the great final number:
Together, together, together everyone
Together, together, come on lets have some fun
Together, were there for each other every time
Together together come on lets do this right
Troy:Here and now its time for celebration
To finally figure it out(yeah, yeah)
That all our dreams have no limitations
That's what its all about!!
Gabriella:Everyone is special in their own way
We make each other strong(we make each other strong)
We're not the same
3 girls: We're different in a good way
Gabriella:Together's where we belong!!
We're all in this together
Once we know
That we are
we're all stars
And we see that
We're all in this together
And it shows
When we stand
Hand in hand
Make our dreams come true (ooo..)
Gabriella:Everybody now!
Together, together, together everyone
Together, together, come on lets have some fun
Together, were there for each other every time
Together together come on lets do this right
Ryan:We're all here
and speaking out in one voice
we're going to rock the house(yeah-yeah!!!)
the party's on now everybody make some noise
come on scream and shout
Sharpay:We've arrived (arrived) because we stand together
champions one and all
We're all in this together (together)
Once we know
That we are (that we are)
we're all stars
And we see that
We're all in this together (Ahh-oo)
And it shows
When we stand
Hand in hand
Make our dreams come
We're all in this together (together)
When we reach
We can fly
Know inside (ahh)
We can make it
We're all in this together
Once we see
Theres a chance
That we have
And we take it ......
Shakespeare it isn't, but it does catch some of the themes of Shakespeare's comedies -- the longing for restoration of relationships, unity, recognition and celebration of individuality. These are themes that Christians find fulfilled in Christ. In Christ we have union together. In Christ, we see history as coming together in a great climactic song and dance number at the end of the ages where we all will be together, wrongs will be reconciled (though, not all villans will be included -- in some musical comedies, the villan is notoriously excluded from the final number), and a new society will be inaugurated centered on Christ. And if this film plants some seeds while having some great fun -- then all to the good.
Soli Deo Gloria
Russell
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