Over the past couple of decades, the North Carolina Theatre has developed a reputation as one of the best regional theater companies outside of the New York area. Each season is filled with outstanding up-and coming local and national talent placed under excellent direction.

The current offering, High School Musical 2, continues the tradition of impressive productions by the company. The movie originally premiered two years ago, and was a resounding success for Disney. Their collection of handpicked talent plus a great set of songs equaled the strongest of the HSM franchise. While it is unusual to see a stage adaptation of an original movie, the HSM2 story actually plays better in the theater.

The stars of the production, Chase Peacock (Troy), Renee Albulario (Gabriella), Gretchen Bieber (Sharpay), and Jason Edward Cook (Ryan) all do a fantastic job of adapting the roles for their own talents without distorting their characters. Peacock was strong, but played his role fairly safely. Albulario, staying true to the movie’s portrayal of her character, actually has a prettier voice than the always-sharp, piercingly squeaky Vanessa Hudgens . Bieber’s twist on Sharpay takes the character into a much more spoiled, darker realm than Ashley Tisdale’s more daffy approach. Perhaps that was to be expected given Bieber’s own treatment of her fellow cast members.

The stage is a delicate space where only a few actors truly seem a natural fit. How many American Idol contestants look like they are on a telethon versus the truly talented few that make it to the end? Not one second did Adam Lambert look out of place on the show. The actor that truly stood out as being totally comfortable and believable is Josh Breckenridge. His portrayal of Chad Danforth blows away Corbin Bleu’s, especially in executing one of the show’s most important numbers, “I Don’t Dance”. The song was awkward in the movie, but really shines as one of the best in Act II here.

Edward G. Robinson’s orchestra pit was excellent, though it sometimes overpowered singers during some of the verses, especially in Act I.

Speaking of bands, the major role acting debut of Broughton High School’s band director, “JR” Richardson was fun to see. The director wanted to cast an “edgy” person into the role, and they got it. Richardson plays the role of Mr. Fulton, the drill sergeant, summer-long boss of our heroes. Fulton is much less of a pawn to Sharpay’s family in this production, and stands as his own man late in the show, offering his own consoling wisdom at a key moment before the show’s climax.

Kudos also go to the performance of Jeffrey Scott Vizcaino, who offers comic relief in a role that did not appear in the movie. His knock-out line,”Wow, you guys really sight-read well,” brought the house down. It was a moment of honest, self-realization for a bombastic musical where athletic high-schoolers easily nail new choreography as well as the harmonies in a brand new song.

Where the stage production really shines is in the execution of the plot. There were several times during the movie where I found myself asking questions like ,”How did they all-of-a-sudden become friends? Why is Gabriella leaving? Why is Corbin Bleu trying to dance?” The unabridged story told in this stage production is far superior to the movie’s story.

Director Casey Hushion’s production is a bit slow in mid- Act I, but really takes off just before intermission. The theme of Troy’s over-extension of himself with promises he cannot keep is fully explored, and presented in a very dark, moving mashup of themes presented earlier in the Act. There is no letdown with Act II, either. The production explores the Sharpay’s selfishness  and ultimate misery as well the dreams of Ryan excellently. The production also appropriately deals with the rocky romance between Troy and Gabriella, something sorely lacking in the movie.

There are still four more shows remaining in the show’s run ( tickets ). Both today and tomorrow there will be 2pm matinees while tonight there is an 8pm show. The final performance begins at 7pm tomorrow night. All performances are in Raleigh’s Memorial Auditorium.