Bailey Hanks to Star in High School Musical at Paper Mill Playhouse

Bailey Hanks, who is currently starring as Elle Woods in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde, has been cast as scheming diva Sharpay Evans in Paper Mill Playhouse’s upcoming stage production of Disney’s High School Musical. Based on the smash-hit Disney Channel TV movie, the show will run November 5-December 7 in Millburn, NJ, directed by Paper Mill artistic director Mark S. Hoebee and choreographed by Denis Jones, associate choreographer of Legally Blonde. Other casting will be announced “later this week,” according to a press release from the theater.

Based on the script by Peter Barsocchini, the stage version of High School Musical features a book by David Simpatico and songs by Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Ray Cham, Greg Cham, Andrew Seeley, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, Andy Dodd, Adam Watts, Bryan Louiselle, David N. Lawrence, Faye Greenberg and Jamie Houston.

Disney's High School Musical tells the story of Troy, the popular captain of East High School’s basketball team, who finds himself drawn to Gabriella, a transfer student he met while singing karaoke on a winter-break ski vacation. When they challenge resident Thespians Sharpay and her twin brother, Ryan, for lead roles in the school musical, East High’s rigid social order gets threatened, sending their peers into an uproar.

Hanks won MTV reality series Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods and joined the Broadway company in July. Legally Blonde has set a closing date of October 19 at the Palace Theatre. The South Carolina native’s stage credits include Seussical, Gypsy, Hello Dolly!, The Music Man, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum and Annie.