by Julie Gowel ·
Friday, February 13, 2026
Bri Cardoso, as Sharpay Evans, strikes a pose performing “Bop to the Top.” (Photo by Jen Manell)
On Saturday, Feb 7, family, friends, and other theater enthusiasts braved whipping winds and bitter cold to attend Bromfield Middle School’s production of “High School Musical JR” In an art-imitating-life-imitating-art performance, students in grades 6, 7, and 8 took to the stage to tell the story of kids in grades nine through 12 struggling to break free of their stereotypes of “jock” and “brainiac” to join the cast of the high school musical.
Produced by Superstar Productions and directed by Kelly Elwood and Natasha Ellis, the show marked the first middle school production under Elwood’s leadership at Bromfield. While Superstar has long staged performances at Hildreth Elementary School, this winter’s production extended the program’s reach and energy to a slightly older cast.
In the opening scene the audience meets the hero, Troy Bolton, played by seventh-grader Zachary Hebert, and heroine, Gabriella Montez, played by eighth-grader Erika Douglas. The two perform a New Year’s Eve karaoke duet on the ski slopes in Utah, and then discover they are classmates at the same high school in New Mexico.
Gabriella, the new student, arrives at East High only to discover that her singing partner is a basketball star with a reputation to uphold. The stereotypical tension between jocks and thespians unfolds with spirited choreography, sharp comic timing, and more than a few basketballs flying across the stage.
Hebert said the choreography was one of the most challenging aspects of the show. “I had to get into the physicality of [the role],” he said in a post-show interview with the Press. “Learning all the choreography was a challenge. Especially the last number where we mashed up all the songs together.”
Hebert, who has performed in seven musicals, admitted that pre-show jitters are always part of the experience. “The stress and nerves of getting on the stage is the hardest part,” he said. His strategy for overcoming stage fright? “Picture everyone in their underwear,” he said with a grin.
Douglas said she prepared for auditions by revisiting the 2006 Disney movie and that the biggest challenge for her was memorizing all the lines. Bri Cardoso, the eighth-grader who delivered a scene-stealing performance as Sharpay Evans, the antagonist of the show, echoed Douglas’ sentiment and added, “We had a great cast, and we’d help each other work on lines. If people messed up a line, we’d help them or improv.”
Ad-libbing was the name of the game for Cardoso. One of the show’s most memorable slapstick moments came just before intermission, when her character, Sharpay, gets hit in the face with a pie. Surprisingly, the cast had not rehearsed the gag prior to opening night.
“Our first time was actually yesterday’s show,” Cardoso revealed. “We didn’t rehearse once. Today was my second time being pied.”
The result was theatrical magic. Whipped cream splattered across her face to the audience’s delight. “Yesterday it only got on my neck,” she said. “But today it got all over my face.” As soon as the lights went down for intermission, Cardoso said she began enjoying the mid-show treat, licking the whipped cream from her lips and hands.
Adding depth and humor throughout the show was grade 8’s Vv Welsh, as Ms. Darbus. Welsh’s exuberant performance as the dramatic and exacting theater teacher drew laughter and applause in every scene. Her expressive delivery and commanding stage presence anchored the production with seasoned flair.
“It’s been so exciting to continue to work with many of the students we’ve had for years at Hildreth,” Elwood said in an email to the Press before opening night. “Now they are all grown up and it’s so cool to continue to work with them at Bromfield.”
Elwood said in an interview following the show that the technical elements marked a major difference between productions at the elementary school and Bromfield. “It’s a little bit more with all the lights and the sound and the bigger set than over at Hildreth. The Harvard families are always so supportive; we did a big set build and had so many families and students show up to help.”
The set design was particularly impressive, with a dynamic multilevel platform that allowed for fluid transitions between the gym, the auditorium, and the school hallways. During “Get’cha Head in the Game,” the stage lit up with creative lighting and synchronized basketball choreography that drew enthusiastic applause. The number required precise timing and stamina, and the actors did a good job of not dropping the ball.
This was the first Superstar Productions performance at Bromfield and it operated independently of Bromfield staff, relying instead on Elwood’s established team: Ellis as co-director, Leah Stafford as choreographer, and Thalia Ruark, a Bromfield high school student who served as dance captain.
“It’s always a learning curve starting somewhere new,” Elwood said. “Trying to figure out logistics and timelines and who is able to help with what. I’m grateful that Bromfield brought us on, and we get to keep working with these talented students and wonderful families. We will have a couple weeks off and then back to our spring show at Hildreth.”
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