'High School Musical' Stars Set for National Concert Tour

According to an Associated Press article, most of the stars of the smash Disney TV movie will head out on a national "High School Musical" 40-city concert tour next month.

Launching in San Diego on November 30th and ending in Las Vegas on January 28th, the tour (which will also play Toronto) will star Monique Coleman (Taylor), Lucas Grabeel (Ryan), Corbin Bleu (Chad), Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay) and Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella), as well as Drew Seeley, who while not a "High School Musical" star, co-wrote "Get'cha Head in the Game" and was featured on the soundtrack.

Due to his having been cast as Link Larkin in the upcoming Hairspray film, Zac Efron will not join the concert tour.

Staged by Buena Vista Music Group, Disney's recording and music publishing branch, the tour will feature creative direction by Kenny Ortega, who directed and choreographed the TV movie.

The schedule is, so far, as follows:

- San Diego, Nov. 30
- Glendale, Ariz., Dec. 3
- Sacramento, Calif., Dec. 5
- San Jose, Calif., Dec. 6
- Stockton, Calif., Dec. 7
- Bakersfield, Calif., Dec. 8
- Portland, Ore., Dec. 10
- Seattle, Dec. 11
- Salt Lake City, Dec. 13
- Bossier City. La., Dec. 16
- Dallas, Dec. 17
- Houston, Dec. 18
- Tampa, Fla., Dec. 20
- Jacksonville, Fla., Dec. 21
- Columbia, S.C., Dec. 22
- Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 23
- Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 27
- Washington, D.C., Dec. 28
- Long Island, N.Y., Dec. 29
- Manchester, N.H., Dec. 30
- Toronto, Jan. 2
- Rochester, N.Y., Jan. 3
- Hartford, Conn., Jan. 4
- Pittsburgh, Jan. 6
- Albany, N.Y., Jan. 7
- East Rutherford, N.J., Jan. 8
- Worcester, Mass., Jan. 10
- Philadelphia, Jan. 11
- Cincinnati, Jan. 13
- Cleveland, Jan. 14
- Auburn Hills, Mich., Jan. 16
- Indianapolis, Jan. 17
- Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 18
- Chicago, Jan. 19
- Milwaukee, Jan. 21
- St. Louis, Jan. 22
- Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 23
- Anaheim, Calif., Jan. 26
- Fresno, Calif., Jan. 27
- Las Vegas, Jan. 28

"High School Musical" was recently licensed to high school and amateur theatre groups, and the stage production, directed by Jeff Calhoun, will have its professional theatre debut at Atlanta's Theater of the Stars in January.

Since its premiere January 20, 2006 on Disney Channel, "High School Musical" has been seen by over 37 million unduplicated total viewers.  Its premiere telecast alone set household ratings records for Disney Channel and the movie has since set ratings records in Australia and Southeast Asia.  By the end of the year, it will be televised in 100 countries worldwide.  The soundtrack is the #1 top-selling album of the year-to date, has certified triple Platinum (over 2.7 million sold) and delivered six Gold certified singles since its January 10 debut.   The "High School Musical" release on DVD sold over millions of copies since its release on May 23– and is the best-selling TV movie on DVD of all time.  A junior novel based on the movie soared to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list (children's paperbacks) and a folio of sheet music for guitar, piano and vocals is a top-seller.

"High School Musical" tells the story of a group of high school students who are struggling with issues of popularity, first love, balancing education with extra curricular activities, and the value of friends and family. With positive themes like the importance of expressing yourself, believing in yourself and following your dreams, this new family-friendly musical is sure to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages," according to notes on the Atlanta state production.

Tickets for the concert tour will go on sale November 4th.

Visit www.highschoolmusical.aeglive.com for more information.