High School Musical - TNT

Arriving at the Apollo Hammersmith is rather like gate-crashing a pre-teen birthday party. The foyer is full of excited little girls waving cheerleader pompoms and ready to stay up way past their bedtime. They probably all know the story inside out, but that hardly matters - Disney's lively, cleaned-up derivative of "Grease" won't win any points for originality and the phenomenal success of the made-for-TV original is sure to guarantee an enthusiastic school holiday audience.
It's not just the plot that lacks novelty as new girl maths geek Gabriella and basketball star Troy navigate the pitfalls of continuing a holiday romance back at Albuquerque's East High, where the divide between Brainiacs and Jocks seems an insurmountable barrier. The choreography backs away from hints of freshness, too – when basketballs crash from the ceiling, the dance routine which incorporates them has barely started before it's over (surely young attention spans aren't quite that limited?)
But the colours are bright, the dialogue (though cheesily unsubtle) is delivered with the same gusto as the energetic dance numbers and I must admit to a soft spot for a couple of the minor characters - scurrying, apologetic Kelsi with her problematic new glasses and bitchy drama queen Sharpay's camp twin brother Ryan. The kids in the audience loved it with its "follow your dreams" message, but unencumbered adults would do better to head elsewhere in search of musical fulfilment.
Apollo, Hammersmith, Queen Caroline Street, W6 (0844-847 2397/0871-386 1122) Until August 31. £45-£10