BWW INTERVIEWS: Nikki Mae And Matt Kennedy Of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 LIVE ON STAGE

Hi Nikki, hi Matt, and welcome to BWW: UK. And welcome too to HSM2's company manager Eamonn Byrne. How's it going?

Nikki: Loving it.
Matt: It's so much fun.

You must get quite a good response from the audience.

Nikki: Definitely.

I came on press night. I think grown-ups quite like it too...

Nikki: I think they respond to it in a different way. We had people's friends in last night, and you could tell - the line after Music In Me - "You guys are killer sight-readers!" Everyone wet themselves. Some of Mr Fulton's lines too are more grown-up jokes that go slightly over the kids' head. It's nice.

The last one did it too - it's like The Simpsons in that you can watch it on two levels.

Matt: Yeah, definitely!

It must be quite fun to perform as well.

Matt: Yeah, because we know something they don't!

But you can't perform in a knowing way.

Matt: No, no, not at all.

What's Les Dennis like? [The comedian plays Mr Fulton in the show.]

Matt and Nikki: He's LOVELY.
Matt: We're all going for dinner on Saturday.
Nikki: Are we?
Matt: We're all going EXCEPT HER.
Nikki: He's a really quick-witted guy. And he's hilarious. Yesterday we had a problem with the sound, and he came out on to stage and got all the kids going. My friends were so excited that he was doing this too.

How difficult was it for you to take on such iconic roles?

Nikki: It's a bit weird, isn't it?
Matt: It's strange when you come out of stage door and they really believe that you're the character. It's great because it means you're doing a good job, you're doing it right. It's a great challenge, and it's good they believe us.
Nikki: You're trying to be true to the character they know and love. At the same time, you're not them. You've got to put your own twist on it. It is nIce That they're enjoying it just as much. It's sweet when they come up to you and say, "Can I have a hug?" Aw! "If you really want!"
Eamonn: Kids' audiences are the most unforgiving of all. You get away with nothing. They spot everything. It has to be good.

What kind of things do they pick up on?

Eamonn: Anything. "Who's Jack Scott?" That's the first one. Where does he come from? What's he doing? He has no business in there.
Nikki: They know the films inside out.
Eamonn: Exactly. They have a great ability to get into it. They soon forget it's not Zac Efron. They buy into it quite quickly.

When I saw the first one at Hammersmith, the kids sang along. Are they doing that at all now?

Nikki: I haven't heard them! I really hope they do!
Matt: I saw it at Hammersmith too, and because the Apollo is so big, with loads and loads of screaming kids, I was like, "I'm trying to watch the show!"
Nikki: I think you missed the point!
Eamonn: Our musical director was musical director on that too. Still, to this day, he's amazed at the level of noise coming from the audience.
Matt: In the megamix at the end, I'm shocked by it - there are beach balls, and streamers, and the kids are screaming.

Is it distracting?

Matt: No, no!
Nikki: No, it's amazing! You can't not smile!

When did you get the parts?

Matt: I first auditioned in March. I was still at college, with Lauren, who plays Sharpay. We did High School Musical at school as one of our third year shows, and I played Ryan in that. Then we came along to the auditions, and then it was recalls after that.
Nikki: I was doing Evita on tour at the time, so I was coming back from here, there and everywhere. This is very different to that! It was weird doing that at the night-time and practising this during the day. It's a nice change.

I guess you're used to touring then.

Nikki: Yes, I toured for the whole of last year. But I actually love it, I know some people don't take to it. I love being in different places and exploring them.
Matt: I'm excited about seeing the UK. I've only been to Glasgow and London, I've not really been anywhere else.

What's your favourite bit of the show?

Nikki: I don't have one! I love it all! But that sounds really corny...
Matt: The opening [What Time Is It?]. That's my favourite number to perform because we're all on stage together. We do the clock, and the music changes, and it makes me really happy.
Nikki: I like All For One. We get to bang lots of pots.
Matt: You mean Work This Out.
Nikki: What?
Matt: You said All For One.
Nikki: Did I?
Eamon: Remind me to give you a script!
Nikki: No, no, I like All For One as well! That's really fun when we're all prancing around down the front!

I LOVE the pink sparkly golf buggy. [It's Sharpay's preferred mode of transport at her country club.]

Matt: I have quite a few issues with the cart, because I can't drive!

Does that really matter?

Nikki: There's no clutch.
Matt: There's no clutch, but I've got to reverse it, and that's HARD.

It's quite a bulky thing.

Matt: I underestimated how powerful it is at first! There were quite a few screeches.

Did you know the film before you auditioned?

Nikki: I'd seen the first one.
Matt: I knew it already! When I got the part I was listening to the CD every day! I love High School Musical. Absolute teenybopper I am.
Nikki: Really?
Matt: Well, I'm 21...

Is there another part in the show you'd want to play?

Nikki: It'd be SO much fun to play Sharpay. She gets to do so much cool stuff.
Matt: I was going to say Sharpay as well!
Nikki: Or Ryan, actually.
Matt: Tell you what, you say Ryan, and I'll say Gabriella.
Nikki: OK!

There's a few subtle changes to the character progressions in the stage show.

Matt: Yes, people go on a nicer journey in this.
Nikki: I think it translates better on stage, actually.
Eamonn: Sometimes it's easier to do it on stage. You get more chance to be more dramatic and energetic.

It's so nIce That you're having so much fun!

Matt: It really is.
Nikki: It is SO much fun.
Matt: You leave happy at the end of the day. You can't not.
Nikki: I think even if you arrived in a bad mood, say something happened in your own life, I don't think you could leave not smiling. I don't think it's possible.

High School Musical 2 - Live On Stage is touring the country now.

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