By Zach Johnson
In the season two premiere of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (debuting Friday on Disney+), the East High Drama Club is riding high off a successful, suspenseful opening night. Having staged High School Musical, the natural follow-up would seem to be High School Musical 2. But those plans change after Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders) bumps into her ex, Zack (Derek Hough), on New Year’s Eve. He was her “first love,” Reinders explains. “Obviously, her heart was broken, and she never really moved on or had closure. And now, as she’s embracing her role as a teacher, he shows up again.” After appearing on Broadway, Zack has returned home to direct the rival North High Drama Club’s spring production of The Little Mermaid. “He’s not supposed to be a part of her new life,” Reinders adds. “Not only that, but he’s once again competing with her. So, Miss Jenn is having bit of a moment.”
Miss Jenn’s run-in with Zack inspires her to make a last-minute change of plans. Now, the East High Drama Club’s spring musical will be Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Her decision surprises the students—in the same way series creator and executive producer Tim Federle’s decision surprised the cast when he first told them about it. “Me and some of the cast had a bet,” says Dara Renée, who plays Kourtney. “We were like, ‘It’s either going to be Into the Woods, Camp Rock, High School Musical 2, or Beauty and the Beast.’ I put my money on Beauty and the Beast and High School Musical 2 to be safe; Beauty and the Beast won.” Mark St. Cyr, who plays Mr. Mazzara, adds, “I don’t think many of us had picked Beauty and the Beast, but I’m really happy with it. It sets a great precedent for what the show could be going forward since there are so many beloved Disney musicals to explore.”
The East High Drama Club has no shortage of talent, but it is missing Nini (Olivia Rodrigo), who has enrolled in the prestigious Youth Actors Conservatory. Ricky (Joshua Bassett) isn’t sure he wants to participate in another production without his girlfriend—but thanks to his ever-encouraging friends, he ultimately decides to give it another go. Meanwhile, Ashlyn (Julia Lester), Kourtney (Dara Renée), and Gina (Sofia Wylie) plan to audition as a trio. “I remember sitting in Tim’s office, before COVID, and hearing our song for the first time,” Lester recalls. “Getting to experience that rush with Sofia and Dara was really exciting. It’s a big, momentous number for all of us. It’s a perfect example of a day that I’ll never forget.”
And after a scene-stealing tap dance in season one, Big Red (Larry Saperstein) will step into the spotlight by auditioning for the musical. “It’s so cool to look at Big Red’s journey, going from someone who knew absolutely nothing about theater, who’d never seen a show or was involved in a production, to now be someone who embraces this dramatic side of himself and who takes a risk,” Saperstein says. “Everyone’s supportive, which is wonderful.”
Carlos (Frankie Rodriguez) also decides to audition for Beauty and the Beast after previously choreographing High School Musical in the fall. “Watching them film the High School Musical stage stuff last year, there was a lot of FOMO, because everyone was cheering and screaming and in costume,” Rodriguez says. “It felt like you were actually backstage for a real high school production, so to get to do it this year was such a blast.”
The High School Musical production was so well received that it inspired other students, including the seemingly sweet Lily (Olivia Rose Keegan), to join the East High Drama Club. But as everyone knows, auditions are competitive—and Lily will do anything to land the lead role. “She’s so good in it,” says Andrew Barth Feldman, who plays Antoine, a French exchange student at North High. “It’s absurd!” The praise is mutual, with Keegan adding, “People are not going to know what to do with themselves when they see Antoine!”
The drama on- and off-stage will be “bigger and better” in season two, adds Joe Serafini, who plays Seb. For example, although Seb and Carlos’ budding relationship will continue to blossom, they both have a lot of maturing to do. “High school is definitely when you start to see real relationships form and you can start to navigate that kind of stuff,” says Serafini. “I think you’ll see the two of them trying to figure all that out, while also trying to figure out how to be true to themselves and become their most authentic and best selves.”
Meanwhile, as Ricky settles into a long-distance relationship with Nini, he’ll help Big Red learn to become more confident in his new relationship with Ashlyn. The latter couple will take things at their own pace, though—and that’s just fine by Lester. “I think they’re both finding each other. Having someone so sensitive, so emotional, and so loving right there with you is something both characters need. They’re used to being alone and fighting for themselves, so to have somebody there will be really nice for them. To see how they both grow—regardless of where their relationship goes—will be really great for the audience.”
After Kourtney takes a job at Salt Lake Slices, the pizza shop owned by Big Red’s family, she meets a possible love interest of her own: Howie (Roman Banks). “Um,” Renée says with a laugh, “I can’t confirm or deny that!” Similarly, Banks adds, “Oh, gosh. Who knows?”
And as Miss Jenn tries to reconcile her feelings for Zack, she’ll also contend with her crush on Ricky’s dad, Mike (Alex Quijano), and a potential spark with Mr. Mazzara. “It does get complicated,” St. Cyr says of her love life. “Instead of a love triangle, it’s like a quadrangle!”
Serafini promises that in all aspects, season two of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will be “next level.” Plus, Renée says, “This season has a lot of juice. It’s absolutely piping! There’s a lot of stuff happening that you will not expect—a lot of new characters, bigger arcs. I mean, every script page I read, I was like, ‘So and so did what? How did this happen? What’s the connection? Wait… what?’ It will leave you on the edge of your seat.”
