DISNEY'S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE ICE TOUR, EnergySolutions Arena, through Sunday (325-7328 or www.ticketmaster.com), running time: one hour, 40 minutes (one intermission)
The EnergySolutions Arena must have a top-of-the-line ice-making machine.
The rink remained frozen — even when the East High School Wildcats got fired up over the game, when "fabulously" manipulative ice princess Sharpay Evans sizzled her way through her routines and when the show's most romantic duo — athletic hunk Troy Bolton and science whiz Gabriella Montez — came up with their own "chemistry" equation.
This ice-skating version of both Parts 1 and 2 of the Disney made-for-TV phenomenon was greeted with wild, ear-piercing screams when the preshow announcer asked, "Are you ready?"
Members of the audience — mostly preteens with their parents in tow — have the songs memorized. A young girl across the aisle from me mouthed all the words (between sips of her drink and handfuls of popcorn).
Feld Entertainment and Kenny Ortega are co-producers of the show, and they've taken care not to mess too much with the films' built-in energy.
The youthful and talented professional skaters look surprisingly like their on-film counterparts.
Bradley Santer and Amanda Billings, as reluctant lovers Troy and Gabriella, swirl smoothly around the rink in both solo and duo pieces. Campus cutups Taylor and Chad (Hamidah Ahmad and Steven Smith) add their youthful energy to the mix as well.
Kristen Treni (as troublemaker Sharpay) and Adam Loosley as her energetic brother, Ryan, keep the East High hallways and the Lava Springs Country Club bristling with gossip and intrigue.
The songs from the two TV movies, ranging from the upbeat "Get'cha Head in the Game" and "All for One" to the energizing "Start of Something New" and the poignant "You Are the Music in Me" — among others — segue smoothly from one to another, all leading up to a happily-ever-after-ending (despite Sharpay's underhanded shenanigans).
"High School Musical" has a built-in and loyal Utah fan base, since both movies were filmed largely around Salt Lake City and St. George.
Spectacular lighting effects and minimalist props and scenery (aided greatly by a large screen over the backstage area that helps with the scene changes) are other big pluses.
Sharpay may think she can push her way around, but it's the Wildcat spirit of teamwork that triumphs in the end.
• ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE — Due to heavy ticket sales, another performance has been added for Sunday at 5 p.m., before the company heads out of town.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com