The Pleasant Valley High School Musical Drama Club will be performing “High School Musical Onstage” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for this year’s spring musical production.

The staging of this much-loved original Disney Channel movie is under the direction of Dan and Marcie Mulligan with production assistance by Donna Morris.

The television version of “High School Musical” was released in 2006 and became the most commercially successful Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced.

It launched the careers of actors Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale, and put songs like “Breaking Free” and “We’re All in This Together” on the charts.

The show is the story of Troy Bolton, a star athlete at a small-town high school, who falls for a girl while at a karaoke party during a holiday vacation. Gabriella Montez is a smart, beautiful girl with a flair for science. Back in school, the duo meets up again and decide to audition for the high school musical.

Austyn Bunker, who plays the part of Troy Bolton, said, “He meets Gabriella and likes her. She emboldens his horizons.”

Meanwhile, the beautiful, talented Sharpay Evans, who always has a part in the school shows and has a crush on Troy, gets jealous of the budding relationship between Troy and Gabriella.

She conspires with her twin brother Ryan Evans to squelch their chances in love and on stage.

Kendyl Ramsay, who plays the part of Sharpay Evans, said her character is misunderstood.

“Sharpay comes off as a bad person but in reality, she doesn’t have much else,” Ramsay said.

Her parents are rich and self-absorbed. The guy she likes has feelings for someone else. And her niche in school is now being invaded by the new girl.

“She’s losing everything,” Ramsay said.

Facing pressure from his dad and basketball coach, Troy is torn between auditioning for the musical and the team. Gabriella must also choose between competing on the Science Decathlon and singing with Troy.

Coach Bolton is none too happy with the drama director Mrs. Darbus, who allows Troy to audition. She encourages him, saying, “There’s not a star in heaven you can’t reach.”

In the play, Kelsi Nelson, the playwriter and composer of the spring musical, sets the stage with her original songs that bring the two sweethearts closer together.

Ava Sinisko, who plays the part of Gabriella Montez, said she wanted to give a shout out to Mr. and Mrs. Mulligan and Donna Morris and her husband, Craig Morris, who is an English teacher at PVHS, because they have all been involved in musical theater at the high school for a long time.

“I know that sometimes it’s like hard for them, because they have this whole show riding one their backs,” Sinisko said. “They still come out and work so hard with us.”

The cast also includes: James Mauro as Ryan Evans, Owen Gorden as Coach Bolton, Molly O’Brien as Mrs. Darbus, Sarah Larregui as Kelsi Nelson, Olivia Altman as Gabriella’s friend Taylor McKessie, and Aidan Sawyer as Troy’s best friend, Chad Danforth.

Show times are 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday in the high school auditorium. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students, and can be purchased at the door. All seating is general admission and can be purchased in advance by emailing Donna Morris at morris.donna@pvbears.org.