The characters are singing songs that they don't mean, they are saying lines that they wouldn't say and the story flows in a way that makes very little logical sense at all. I short, utter tripe.
Now, if the focus of the show was put on the rivalry between the cliques and it featured Gabriella having to choose between the various social groups at the school - a la 'Ten Things I Hate About You' or 'Clueless' - and then you added in the blossoming romance between Troy and her, coupled with Sharpay's jealousy of Troy's affection and his own desire to be a performer, and THEN...you could have a decent musical.
But there's a number of songs that are not necessary. For example, every time the characters are not singing a song relative to the plot - like 'Bop to the Top', the audition song that Ryan and Sharpay sing, and the karaoke song that Gabriella and Troy meet with - the entire song should be cut and described, rather than actually done. Barring possibly Sharpay and Ryan's duet because I like the vanity, arrogance and disdain Sharpay shows towards Kelsy's music followed by the real duet being sung - with the appropriate subtext - by the romantic leads. Also, using the pop style for a musical works only (in my opinion) if you vary it a little bit. For example, not every effing song HAS to be a full ensemble fast paced nightmare. But that's more a matter of opinion than prescription.
After rewriting the songs, the dialogue needs a lot of work too. The characters too often state their emotional obviousness without actually saying what they would really say. If that makes any sense at all, which it probably doesn't.
So, like I said, it could be so much better than it is if somebody - not me because I'm not that good - revamped the plot and music.
-S.
One thing I don't think people remeber is that it was originally a Disney Channel Original Movie that has flown completely out of control. I think there was a lot of hype about originally because their expectations for it were so low, and that, coupled with the very rapidly falling standard of excellence and ever more atrocious taste of your average American tween/teen/young adult, it was wildly successful where it ought not to have been.
ReplyDeleteBut, as you say, that's more a matter of apinion that prescription.
Wow, my spelling today was almost as atrocious as the taste I was describing.
ReplyDelete