Director relishing work on High School Musical

• By ROBIN MILLER
• Arts writer
• Published: Sep 8, 2008 - UPDATED: 2:12 p.m.

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There are a lot of cool things in the musical scores, descriptions of sounds that have to be created on the keyboard.

Maybe re-created would be a better word, because it’s all been done before on so many stages throughout the United States.

But Camille Rolla is creating it for the first time on her keyboard. So when the score calls for a jingly sound, it’s left up to her interpretation.

But she’s musical director for Swine Palace’s production of Disney High School Musical, so she can handle it.

“Listen to this,” she said after programming her keyboard.

The notes are indeed jingly, as if someone is rattling wind chimes behind the set. Well, make that a controlled rattling, because the jingles in these notes are played in precise chords.

“This is what Troy hears before he starts singing,” she said. “It’s really fast.”

But it’s the perfect sound for someone in love. What about the song Tracy Turnblad sings? Oh yeah, “I Can Hear the Bells.”

Oops, wrong musical but right train of thought, because Tracy Turnblad was the main character in Hairspray, and Zac Ephron played Linc, Tracy’s love interest, in the movie version of that musical. Hairspray was released on the heels of his starring role as Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel’s original movie High School Musical.

And he apparently heard bells at some point in David Simpatico’s story, because it’s written in the stage musical’s score.

But Bradley Sanchez will be the one hearing bells as Troy Bolton while singing about Katie Mann as Gabriella Montez.

They’re the stars of the Swine Palace’s production, which is being directed by Paula Sloan.

Sloan had just completed directing The Will Rogers Follies at the Theatre Under the Stars in New Jersey before heading south for the Reilly Theatre.