Westport secondary schools all in it together for splendid performance of High School Musical

“WE’RE all in this together,” goes the main anthem of the Disney sensation that spawned three blockbuster films but has now returned to its rightful home in the school gymnasium.

Few lyrics could better sum up the latest musical collaboration between Rice College and Sacred Heart, one which has given audience 174 reasons to go and see it.

“One-hundred-and-seventy four! Surely not?”

That’s the number of students involved in their ongoing production of High School Musical Jr - a truly gargantuan number to have involved in any show, one that is a testament to the collegiality and cooperation between both schools.

_{Laoise Cawley (Kelsi Neilsen), Tara Horkan (Sharpay Evans) and Eoghan Moran (Ryan Evans) pictured during Sacred Heart School's and Rice College's production of High School Musical Jr}

Because whatever about bringing people together in the cinema, there’s nothing like a musical to break barriers, forge new friendships and give audiences and performers one hell of a good time.

In a setting not at all far removed from their five-days-a-week domain, these students were right at home with this show.  

We may not have embraced cheerleaders in the West of Ireland, but we may be about to start after this explosion of music song and dance that erupted right from the moment our pompom-wielding lassies ran down the hall in the opening scene.

What then ensued was a night of entertainment that embraced all the fun, sassiness, awkwardness and maelstrom of emotions that comes with being a teenager.

There’s no shortage of gags, twists, laddish shape-throwing and laugh-out loud moments where this show is concerned. (No shortage of red and white either. A few Westport United tops even made the odd appearance!)

The brainy, beautiful Gabriella (Annie Gillespie) is the new girl in town.

She doesn’t be long falling for Troy (Cormac Slattery), the captain of the high school basketball team whose living out the unfulfilled dreams of his father and basketball coach (Jack Walsh).

Their friendship quickly blossoms into romance before being strained by a carousel of colourful characters with near flawless American accents. 

Like the brilliant double act Sharpay and Ryan Evans, played by Eoghan Moran and the superb local pantomime star Tara Horkan, whose ever diva-like squeak, grimace and scoul was delivered with perfect comedic timing.

The audience simply loved Colm Cadden’s Jack Scott – who is essentially a cross between Mike Finnerty and a boxing ring stadium announcer.

Likewise, Áine Brogan embraced the smiling but stern múinteoir Ms Darbus in all her moon-sized spectacle glory.

_{Annie Gillespie (Gabriella Montez), Cormac Slattery (Troy Bolton) and Laoise Cawley (Kelsi Neilsen) pictured during Sacred Heart School's and Rice College's production of High School Musical Jr} 

Jack Walsh was appropriately detached as Coach Bolton while Brendon Witzl (Moderator), Anna O’Grady (Ms Tenny), Zack Mansour (Zeke Baylor),  Grace O'Brien (Martha Cox), Hannah McCaffrey (Taylor McKessie), Cillian Murphy (Chad Danforth) and Laoise Cawley all played their supporting parts with confidence and barely a word out of place.

Much like the 174 young people that carried themselves so well in this show, the characters discover things about themselves that they never knew before.

Like being able to sing, dance, act and well enough to merit a huge standing buladh bos after a show that is only going to go from strength to strength.

Because when you’re all in it together, there’s very little you can’t achieve.

High School Musical Jr takes place on January 23 (this evening) and January 24 (tomorrow) at 7.30pm nightly in the Sacred Heart School gymnasium.