The Tweens now have an Anthem.

• Author: Barrett, Wayne M.
• Position: LIVE ON STAGE - High School Musical: The Concert - Musical work

Ever since "High School Musical" debuted on the Disney Channel, our kids can't get enough of it. We couldn't even begin to count how many times we've seen it--or one of its reincarnations. We've enjoyed the movie itself, learned the songs through the sing-along version, mastered the steps with the dance-along show, and come away with a ton of information with the pop-ups.

So, when the cast started its 40-city tour of High School Musical: The Concert, we knew we couldn't miss it and were lucky enough that the multi-talented entourage came through our neck of the woods. Our daughter and her best friend were thrilled to be attending the biggest show since ... well ... The Cheetah Girls (another Disney phenomenon) the month before. Performing hit songs from the movie's triple-platinum-selling soundtrack (which blew all comers out of the water as the number-one selling album of 2006 and the first-ever -TV movie soundtrack to reach number one on BillBoard's Top 200) were Corbin Bleu ("Chad"), Monique Coleman ("Taylor"), Lucas Grabeel ("Ryan"), Vanessa Anne Hudgens ("Gabriella"), and Ashley Tisdale ("Sharpay"--my personal favorite, if the old folks can weigh in here).

Zac Efron ("Troy") did not join the tour, as he is filming the musical motion picture "Hairspray" with John Travolta, whose "Grease" was the "High School Musical" of another generation. Wisely, instead of opting for a generic lookalike substitute, the producers handled what could have been an awkward casting problem well by employing Emmy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Drew Seely, who co-wrote the hit "Get'cha Head in the Game" and contributed male vocals to the High School Musical and The Cheetah Girls 2 soundtracks. In deference to the absence of the original "Troy," however, the five remaining cast members dropped the narrative of the...