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High School Musical: The Musical: The Series...

The new drama teacher is forcing innocent children

to stage a production of High School Musical.

My best friend, Ricky, crashed the audition.

His ex-girlfriend, Nini, was not impressed.

Her new boyfriend, EJ,

who's basically a Hollister model, was even less impressed.

Somehow my boy scored the lead. What could possibly go right?

No. That... No. I'm not my grandpa. No.

Wait. No. Sorry. Keep your head still.

- Yeah, but there's pizza sauce. - I know.

I have dreamed about playing the lead

at East High since ninth grade.

I auditioned, uh, okay, I guess I didn't really audition.

They were doing Beauty and the Beast and the old drama teacher

asked me to be a fork.

Uh, after that, I was the back of a cow in Gypsy.

But in my heart, I was Dainty June.

And now, I'm Gabriella.

And Ricky is not going to ruin this for me.

He's already ruined this for me.

I'mma turn this around with Nini... With pheromones.

What you smell is more important than what you see.

Last spring, we were at the mall, and this chick, like, ambushed me.

Sprayed this on me. I was, like, "Yo, back off!"

But Nini was like...

"Mmm. What is that? Never wash that side of your neck again!"

- One more. That's good. - Yeah.

I sprayed all of me.

Yo, what's up?

I'm trading in my East High Leopards gear to be a Wildcat, starting today,

because it's the day of the read-through! Blessed to be playing Chad.

Swipe up for a link to tickets.

- Hi! - Hey. Say hi to my cousin

and bye to my cousin. She's the bomb. Peace.

You're in a good mood.

That's just for the fans, Ash. Inside I'm a bucket of sad.

You're still not over the not-getting-Troy thing?

I put three years into this drama department

and now I have to understudy my girlfriend's ex?

I know, it sucks.

But maybe it'll be good for you to not get what you want for once?

Why would that be good?

Then again, maybe you are who you are.

Huh?

You guys!

- Oh, my God. - Wow.

How are you gonna get through 74 rehearsals with him?

I won't make eye contact.

Could everyone take their assigned seats?

Who is Natalie and why do I care if her glands are swollen?

Our stage manager. Guess she's not coming.

Yoo-hoo, ginger boy. Can you read?

- Uh... Not really. - Well, you're reading now.

Just the stage directions.

Thank you. Excuse me.

Do you know what that means?

Silence your phones!

I realize that you all walked in here as strangers.

Actually, EJ's my cousin!

But after today, you're a family.

One tribe, committed to lifting this classic film to new heights.

Please take your neighbors' hands.

Hand.

Hand.

Hands.

Feel each other's energy.

Let the silence speak volumes.

In a world full of no, this is a space full of yes.

Nice. Did you just come up with that?

I did.

We're all in this together

Once we know that we are

We're all stars

And we see that

We're all in this together

And it shows when we stand Hand-in-hand

Make our dreams come

True

Thanks.

Did I just join a cult?

"Sharpay heads for class, hears singing,

"opens the door to the biology lab.

"She finds Gabriella and Taylor washing their hands.

"They turn to find there are no paper towels in the dispenser. They..."

Stop. Don't run it all together. Read the punctuation.

"Sharpay comma heads for class period."

There's an old adage in the theater,

"Abysmal read-through, a brilliant opening night."

Or something like that.

The important thing is to have patience

and trust that a breakthrough will happen.

"And they are hearing the songs in their heads period."

And that's Act One. Let's take a break. Come here.

That was hands down, the worst experience of my life.

I would take the SATs every week if I never have to do that again.

Whoa. If that kid's our stage manager,

we'll be lucky if the curtains open.

Oh, hey, give him a break.

First time reading loud since the fifth grade Science Fair.

No, no, no, don't get me wrong.

I like the guy, I was hoping we'd get through Act One by Christmas.

I was also hoping we'd get to sing the songs.

Huh, I don't know.

Guess Miss Jenn just really wants us

to pay attention to the lyrics.

Well, yeah, but, I mean... I mean, she can't sing 'em like you can.

Oh, wait.

Who's that from?

Oh, no, it's nothing.

Cool glasses.

Thanks. They're my grandma's.

I have the same ones at home.

Really? Why?

So, I can see when I'm milking.

Milking?

I'm obsessed with musical theater,

I stand out in my family.

They raise cattle and sheep.

I just wanna raise the roof.

What happened to our Troy and Gabriella?

Where are the sparks?

- Should we think about re-casting? - Absolutely not.

My instincts are impeccable. And I'm not scared of a challenge.

This one might be impossible. She won't even look at him.

Don't underestimate me.

I come from strong stock.

My mother bounced back from an autopsy.

Okay, people, we're back!

Do you follow Zac on Instagram?

No, but clearly I should.

Yeah.

Hi. I'm so sorry I'm late. I promise it won't happen again.

Thank you both for an early start today. Let's begin.

- Wait, it's just the two of us? - Mmm-hmm.

We're diving into page 97.

- You mean the last scene? - Mmm-hmm.

You wanna rehearse this? It's just one line.

Yeah, I've got one, too.

And then there's the kiss.

There was no...

I don't remember a kiss in what we read yesterday.

It was very much there in the original film.

I only remember a hug.

The kiss ended up being cut.

Little racy for its time.

Ooh, too far.

It makes no sense.

Why would you start at the end of the play?

Because if you don't know what Hedda Gabler does in the last scene,

why play her in the first?

I know what happens.

It's a hug, not a kiss.

And who is Hedda Gabler? What musical is that?

One that very few people would pay to see. It's very dark.

Miss Jenn, did you put that kiss back in because...

Sweetie, I added the kiss because our production needs it.

I've also added a cow bell, a power ballad for the drama teacher,

and a Wildcat cheer for the curtain call.

That all sounds great, but I...

I just can't kiss Ricky right now.

Or not yet anyway.

I have a new boyfriend.

He's playing Chad.

Nini, trust the process.

Your character only has eyes for Troy.

Hey. What's up?

Go away.

No, you go away. You're in front of my locker.

I can't believe this.

She's around Ricky's finger.

- Who? - Miss Jenn!

She added a kiss. Between them!

EJ, stop. He's not bribing our director.

He's trying to break us up, Ashlyn.

- You're paranoid. - Really?

Then why did he text Nini at the read-through?

And why wouldn't she tell me who it was?

She doesn't have to tell you.

Dating her doesn't mean you own her.

I need you to borrow her phone for me.

Borrow? As in steal?

Okay, you've just gone up three levels of scary.

- Ashlyn... - If she ever found out...

- She won't! - She could.

And if she did, Nini would never forgive you.

Or me. You wanna take that risk?

Ashlyn, please. She's not like the other girls I've dated.

Nini is real. She makes me better.

God.

I'm kinda lost.

If the play's over, why would we still be dancing?

It's a curtain call.

You're the last two to come out.

We want to bring the audience to their feet.

Teach them the dance.

Carlos? Can we wait for Miss Jenn?

Miss Jenn is busy tracking down a prop.

She's asked me to create a crescendo, people,

so let's stop swirling and start twirling.

But why are we practicing the bows when we haven't even practiced the play?

Because you start with the hardest dance

that takes the longest to learn.

It's in The Big Book of Broadway.

Page 374.

Okay, people. Let's take it from three counts of eight,

right before Troy and Gabriella's entrance for the bows.

A five, six, seven, eight.

I can't do this.

- I'm sorry. - What is he doing?

You're talking to him? I'm here.

'Cause you're not here.

Not for the right reasons.

- What's that mean? - What I said, Ricky.

You hate musicals.

You're doing this so we're in each other's grills.

Back to the dance, please!

Now you're rubbing some weird cologne on your neck.

Hey, you love Throb!

And wasting everybody's time by making fun of something

that the rest of us take seriously!

Okay, that's a five! On a break, people! Everybody out! Get out!

No, come on.

Hey, I take this seriously.

No! No, you don't.

You don't take anything seriously.

You just, you coast.

When someone asked you to make a commitment,

you make a joke or you...

You sink into some imaginary hole in the floor.

I didn't sink, Nini.

I just wasn't ready to say it then.

I went to that audition to show...

Because I had met someone else!

You wanted to drag me back into tenth grade

like my summer never happened.

But if you really cared about me, Ricky,

you'd let somebody who wants to play this part play it.

Like EJ?

Can we at least try the dip?

What just happened? Why aren't we dipping?

Mission accomplished!

A precious piece of the original HSM is on its way.

Where are you going, Troy?

It's Ricky!

Get him back. Now.

Dude, what did she say? Why are we leaving?

'Cause Operation Troy was a huge mistake. It just made things worse.

There you are!

Miss Jenn wants everyone back in the room.

Tell Miss Jenn I'm done. Okay? Sorry, I can't dance like Fred Rogers.

It's Fred Astaire.

Fred Rogers is Mister Rogers. He never danced, he potty-trained puppets.

Seriously? I was impressed they made dolls that could cry.

- Ricky, please, you have to... - Nini's right!

I'm taking up space. I don't belong on stage.

- So untrue, you... - Save it, Carlos.

You don't want me in this. If I go back, Nini will probably quit.

And you need her a lot more than you need me.

Do you wanna come to my house?

I'll go to yours.

Nah, it's weird there right now.

Is your mom back from Chicago yet?

No. And I don't think she's there just for work.

Why would she wanna be there?

Because my dad's not.

- If you wanted to... - Look...

Thanks, bro, really. I just need some alone time, okay?

Look, I'm a musical theater person.

I've got really good ears.

And if Ricky staying in the show means Nini's out?

Well, I think we all know the next verse to that song.

It means I step into the role of Gabriella, in case that wasn't clear.

Okay.

Big Red says Ricky's gonna quit the show.

About time. Should've done that after they posted the cast list.

No. I didn't tell him off to make him quit.

Sure ya did.

Ugh, I should've just minded my own business. I just...

Can I ask you a question?

Do you wanna be with EJ or not?

Why ask me that?

Because, newsflash, your boy just booked leading man.

You should be doing a cartwheel.

They make me dizzy.

Yes, of course, I wanna be with EJ.

I'm totally over Ricky.

I just... It's messy.

Well, if I were you, I'd listen to Miss Jenn.

Trust the process.

- I like the new board, man. - Pretty good, pretty good.

- All of y'all be quiet. - Yeah, go for it. Nice.

Hey, you.

Gina? What are you doing here?

Babysitting. My neighbor asked me to watch her kid.

Where is he?

Somewhere.

So, is it true?

You dropped out?

Haven't made it official yet, but, yeah. I guess so.

That sucks.

Having you there kinda gave us all street cred.

I mean, you're not a drama geek, you've never sang outside your shower.

Did Miss Jenn send you here?

Please. I think I scare her.

You are a little scary.

You gotta be, dude. I'm a transfer student.

You either eat or get eaten.

That's why I was stoked when she cast you.

Outsiders keep everyone else on their toes.

I mean it. You kept us real.

It's better to have someone there who can keep time.

That five-and-six stuff.

You don't need Carlos to tell you how to move.

He bites other people's styles.

You have your own.

So we're breakin' free We're breakin' free

Yeah, I've got my own style.

It's called I'm a skater, not a theater person.

What am I to do?

Stay up all night practicing?

Actually prove to Nini that I'm not a quitter at this,

so she realizes I'm not a quitter at us?

Oh.

We're all in this together

Once we know, that we are

We're all stars and we see that

We're all in this together

Ricky, it's midnight.

- Thought you had a test tomorrow. - I do.

This is for a test?

Most important one of my life.

Everybody now

Hey, Dad, if you can't sleep, you can hang here. With me.

Come on, yeah.

Well, this is definitely a new one for you.

Let's do this right

We're all here and speaking out with one voice

If you plan on assaulting me, I have to warn you,

my mother plays Bunko with the librarian and we will press charges.

I wanna show you something, okay? Check it out.

...six, seven...

Wow. You've been practicing. I thought you quit.

Not doin' that anymore.

Still not sure on this last part.

You're doing spirit fingers. I want jazz hands.

Jazz hands. Okay.

Here. Try it again.

Five, six, seven, eight.

Ricky, that's it.

Okay. All right.

...and then you just don't screw up, all right? All right?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - All right.

Don't screw it up. Don't, dude. Let's go.

So, um, but, I mean...

- Oh, hi. - Hi.

Uh... Didn't know anyone was here.

Gone in seven seconds.

Six, if I don't zip my bag.

No, no, no. Don't go. What was that?

- What? - The song you were playing.

Oh, that. It's... Um...

Miss Jenn asked me to compose a song for my character.

It's probably way too much.

- But I'm playing Ms. Darbus, the teach... - I know who you're playing, Ashlyn.

I sat across from you at the read-through.

Besides, you're EJ's cousin.

We don't have to talk about EJ.

I don't wanna talk about EJ. Do you?

No. I mean, I... I do, uh, but just not right now.

Jeez. This has to stop.

Doesn't matter who texted. No one's business.

No. One of my moms has been sending me

these fortune cookie messages every day to keep me "balanced."

Um... "True test of character is what you do when no one's looking."

Why would someone send that?

She seriously needs to stop. It's like the 15th one today.

I can't discuss the water bill right now.

Why? Because baths keep me sane, Mother,

and I am tracking a package

that was supposed to be delivered two hours ago.

Gotta go. EJ? Why are you lurking?

Oh, sorry, I was going for loitering.

Well, room to grow. Right?

What have you got there?

I scored a collector's edition of HSM. I was hoping you'd sign it.

Look, I'm a professional actress. I know what's going on here.

I once cornered Andrew Lloyd Webber on a transatlantic flight,

made him autograph my forehead.

I just thought since you were part of the original cast...

Where would you like me to sign?

Wherever you'd like. Just not under Zac.

Hoping I can get him to write something special if I meet him.

You know, one Troy to another.

EJ, Ricky hasn't quit the show.

What?

Why don't you play me some more of your song?

Seems like a part of me will always have to lose

Every single time I have to choose

Swore that it felt right, but was I wrong?

Is this where I'm supposed to be at all?

I don't have the answers, not today

It's like nothing makes the questions go away

What I'd give to see

If the grass was greener

On the other side

Of all I've had and lost

Would it be enough

Or would I still be wondering?

If I could go back and change the past

Be a little braver than I had

And bet against the odds

Would I still be lost?

Even if I woke up in my dreams

Would there still be something I'm missing?

If I had everything

Would it mean anything?

Maybe I should turn around and take the other road

Or maybe I'm just looking for what I already know

I'm just wondering

It feels like I might have broke the best thing that I had

I said too much to ever take it back

I'm scared I'll never find something as good

And would I even know it if I could?

If I could go back and change the past

Be a little braver than I had

And bet against the odds

Would I still be lost?

Even if I woke up in my dreams

Would there still be something I'm missing

If I had everything

Would it mean anything

To me?

Uh...

We're back.

What?

Downstairs. Miss Jenn wants to see everyone in the bomb shelter.

Hey. I missed you. Where have you been?

What?

Before you came here.

Oh. Um... I was hanging with your cousin.

- Really? Why? - That's great.

Don't be weird. I'm just trying to get in good with the family.

Here it is, people.

Is that a garage-door opener?

No, Seb.

This is Gabriella's phone.

From the film.

I plan on creating a time-capsule display in our lobby.

If they can have 40 sports-ball trophies, we deserve a little movie museum.

Okay, people, enough dazzle. Fetch your scripts, please.

Is that really her phone?

Hold it to your ear like a sea shell.

You'll hear echoes of V-Hudge

crushing the B flat on When There Was Me and You.

Or you can let me disinfect it first.

- Just... Okay. - Yeah.

Nini's phone?

Thank you.

You're welcome.

We want the same thing.

But it's gonna take a little teamwork.

Places for the top of the ski lodge!