Care to guess what the hottest concert ticket for the month of September was?
No, it wasn't Streisand or the Stones ...
Photos courtesy of Google Images
But -- rather -- the Cheetah Girls.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
I'm serious. The Cheetah Girls.
According to the TicketsNow Entertainment Index, that Disney-manufactured singing group actually sold more tickets on the secondary market last month than either Barbra Streisand and the Rolling Stones. Now in the middle of a virtually sold-out 60-city tour, the Cheetahs are sure to hang onto that top spot for another 10 days or so.
At least 'til the tickets for "High School Musical on Tour" go on sale on November 4th.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
Pre-production & rehearsal for this 40-city concert tour actually began back on October 15th. Kenny Ortega, the Emmy Award-winning director & choreographer of the original "High School Musical" TV movie, is serving as creative director for the tour. Which is being staged by the Buena Vista Music Group, the recording and music publishing arm for The Walt Disney Company.
Mind you, not every member of the cast is ready right now to take part in rehearsals for "High School Musical on Tour." Take -- for example -- Monique Coleman ...
Louis Van Amstel & Monique Coleman on "Dancing with the Stars"
Copyright 2006 American Broadcasting Company
... She's still appearing on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." Which won't actually wrap production of its third season 'til November 15th.
And then there's Vanessa Hudgens. Who -- in support of her debut album, "V
" -- ...
Copyright 2006 Hollywood Records
... has recently been appearing as the Cheetah Girl's opening act on their concert tour.
Whereas Zac Efron is still in the middle of shooting the movie version of the Broadway musical, "Hairspray." Which is why the role of Troy in "High School Musical on Tour" will be played by Andrew Seeley.
Zac Efron (right) and Andrew Seeley (left)
Photos courtesy of Google Images
Anywho ... Coleman, Hudgens and Seeley will be joined on stage by Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu when "High School Musical on Tour" officially gets underway on the night of November 30th with a performance at San Diego's ipayOne Center.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
In the week-to-10-days that follows, the cast will be performing double duty. Appearing in "High School Musical on Tour" at night, while doing interviews & making personal appearances during the day to help support the release of the "High School Musical Remix" DVD. This new 2-disc version of this Disney Channel Original that hits store shelves on December 5th.
Copyright 2006 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
After that, the cast is on the road for most of December & January (With just three days off over Christmas and two days over New Years). "High School Musical on Tour" then completes its run with a performance in Las Vegas on January 28th. Then -- after a brief breather -- the cast regroups in February to begin shooting "High School Musical II." Which is due to debut on the Disney Channel in August of 2007.
Though not all of the performance venues for "High School Musical on Tour" have officially been finalized yet, here are the tentative dates & locations of the various stops on this concert tour:
|
Location |
Performance Date |
|
San Diego |
November 30th |
|
Glendale, AZ |
December 3rd |
|
Sacramento, CA |
December 5th |
|
San Jose, CA |
December 6th |
|
Stockton, CA |
December 7th |
|
Bakersfield, CA |
December 8th |
|
Portland, OR |
December 10th |
|
Seattle, WA |
December 11th |
|
Salt Lake City, UT |
December 13th |
|
Bossier City, LA |
December 16th |
|
Dallas, TX |
December 17th |
|
Houston, TX |
December 18th |
|
Tampa, FL |
December 20th |
|
Jacksonville, FL |
December 21st |
|
Columbia, SC |
December 22nd |
|
Charlotte, NC |
December 23rd |
|
Greensboro, NC |
December 27th |
|
Washington D.C. |
December 28th |
|
Long Island, NY |
December 29th |
|
Manchester, NH |
December 30th |
|
Toronto, ON |
January 2nd |
|
Rochester, NY |
January 3rd |
|
Hartford, CT |
January 4th |
|
Pittsburgh, PA |
January 6th |
|
Albany, NY |
January 7th |
|
East Rutherford, NJ |
January 8th |
|
Worcester, MA |
January 10th |
|
Philadelphia, PA |
January 11th |
|
Cincinnati, OH |
January 13th |
|
Cleveland, OH |
January 14th |
|
Auburn Hills, MI |
January 16th |
|
Indianpolis, IN |
January 17th |
|
Columbus, OH |
January 18th |
|
Chicago, IL |
January 19th |
|
Milwaukke, WI |
January 21st |
|
St. Louis, MO |
January 22nd |
|
Kansas City, MO |
January 23rd |
|
Anaheim, CA |
January 26th |
|
Fresno, CA |
January 27th |
|
Las Vegas, NV |
January 28th |
Mind you, if "High School Musical on Tour" isn't coming to a concert hall near you, there's always the "High School Musical Pep Rally" ...
Photo by Jeff Lange
... Which is now being presented daily at both Disney's California Adventure as well as WDW's Magic Kingdom.
Photo by Jeff Lange
In this 20-minute-long show, Disney cast members recreate memorable numbers from this TV movie, including "Get'cha Head in the Game" ...
Photo by Jeff Lange
... and "Stick to the Status Quo."
Photo by Jeff Lange
As you can see by the sign below, the "High School Musical Pep Rally" is presented numerous times over the course of a day at the Magic Kingdom.
Photo by Jeff Lange
All this -- plus the countless productions of the stage version of "High School Musical" that will be presented around the country in the coming months -- makes one wonder: Is the Walt Disney Company's current strategy for cashing in on the "High School School" phenomenon a bit too much? Is the Mouse perhaps now in danger of over-milking its newest cash cow? Or will launching this new arena show as well as staging HSM pep rallies at the parks just whet people's appetites for "High School Musical II"?
Your thoughts?
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