Trinitytoday 16 Residential College A great college musical must have good singing, committed acting, smooth direction, sensible sets, a well-rehearsed band and an up-beat atmosphere. This year’s »ÆÉ«app musical, High School Musical – the stage show based on Disney’s hit 2006 movie of the same name – had all that and more. The plot is an old one – the Romeo and Juliet story – and will be familiar to anyone who knows West Side Story, but musically is more accessible than Bernstein’s complex score. It’s classic boy meets girl, but then he finds out she is from the other clique, and their destinies are exercise for the audience as those on stage, but was in keeping with the approach of the script. A production and stage team led by producer Bec Szoka and director Lucinda Halls, and their intriguing choice of subject material, did a great job in bringing together a very engaging and entertaining performance. It was an excellent showcase for the talents of all involved, and a high bar was set for all future »ÆÉ«app Drama Society’s productions. In September, »ÆÉ«app Drama Society presented a production of This Random World at the University of Melbourne’s Guild Theatre. This Random World is an exploration by playwright Steven Dietz of some of the more esoteric forms of human connection: beholden, guilted, random, unspoken and narrowly missed. Specifically, the serendipity found in moments and interactions whose consequences would look far different if their timing or content were altered only slightly. The play loosely trails the story of dying mother Scottie Ward (Coco Garner Davis), her children Beth (Lily Richard) and Tim (George Lean), and the crisscrossed lives of those around them. Their paths often coming tantalisingly close without touching. The Ward children grapple with obligations to their unavailable mother and the implications of her – and in turn, their own – limited time. The energy and levity of an otherworldly obsessed Rhonda (Ruhisha Subramaniam) was welcome relief to some of the play’s heavier themes, balanced against the portrayal of a slightly lost and despondent Claire (Claudia Martin), Bernadette (Tansy Pereira), Gary (James Cuming) and A Man (Alex Gall). The set and costume choices sat well with the stark themes and locations they helped to depict. The conclusion to all the colliding timelines was as much an Serendipity in an accidental world A perfect ‘college’ musical surely not aligned; he is a sports jock and she a science nerd, but when they both try out for the musical, their lives are changed forever. A large cast of principals, supporting parts and chorus is a perfect vehicle for a college musical, which is why the show has been one of the most performed in US high schools and colleges. As the star-crossed lovers, Beatrice Hart and Joseph Baldwin were excellent, although Baldwin suffered a little in his upper register from the vocal stress of long rehearsals. The supports were uniformly good, especially the two adult character roles of the Director and the Coach, taken by Jade Page and Taylor Delmont respectively. The choreography was well executed, while the fabulous band was under the very capable direction of Victoria Hofflin (3rd-year VCA). Importantly, the entire production was achieved using in-house talent, and the results were excellent. All in all, this was another triumph for musical theatre at Trinity. BY PETER CAMPBELL BY JOSH BAIRSTOW Sitting (left to right): Ruhisha Subramaniam, Tansy Pereira, Coco Garner-Davis, George Lean and Claudia Martin. Standing (left to right): James Cuming, Lily Richard and Alex Gall. What a time to be alive! Students’ performing in High School Musical.