- A popular high school athlete and an academically gifted girl get roles in the school musical and develop a friendship that threatens East High's social order.
- Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are two totally different teenagers who meet at a party while singing karaoke on New Year's Eve. The next week, Troy returns to East High, his high school in New Mexico, to find that Gabriella is a new student there. They quickly become close friends and accidentally audition for the school musical. They both get callbacks, infuriating drama queen Sharpay Evans and her sidekick brother Ryan. Then Chad, Troy's best friend and basketball teammate, and Taylor, Gabriella's new friend on the decathlon team, must make Gabriella hate Troy.—ShannonO'Reilly
- Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez come from two different worlds: Troy the Basketball God and Gabriella the Smart, Stunning Geek. They meet on New Year's Eve and instantly click. When they meet again at East High School, they accidentally audition for the school musical. The social cliques they belong to don't approve of this new friendship and try to separate them. At the same time, drama queen Sharpay Evans and her brother Ryan, the co-captains of the Drama department, try in every way to prevent Troy and Gabriella from beating them in the callbacks. Can Troy and Gabriella lead their friends to more open-minded thinking?—Galoosh16
- Troy Bolton, the star athlete at a small-town high school, falls for nerdy beauty Gabriella Montez at a holiday karaoke party. When they return to campus, Troy and Gabriella audition for the upcoming school musical. Meanwhile, the jealous Sharpay Evans conspires to squelch their chances. The two must struggle to make it to auditions while also meeting their existing obligations to the basketball team and the academic decathlon.—Jwelch5742
- Popular basketball player Troy Bolton and Ms.-Einstein Gabriella Montez meet at a ski resort over winter break and are forced to sing karaoke together on New Year's Eve; afterwards they exchange numbers. When Troy returns to East High in Albuquerque, New Mexico, surprise. Gabriella is a new classmate. They become friends quickly and decide to audition for the Winter Musical together. They get callbacks and arouse the ire of drama queen Sharpay Evans and her brother Ryan. Troy's friend Chad becomes afraid that Troy will become distracted from the basketball championship. Gabriella's friend Taylor will do anything to get her on the Decathlon team. Chad and Taylor decide to film Troy saying Gabriella isn't important after Chad tricks him into saying it. Taylor shows the video to Gabriella, who refuses to do the callbacks with Troy. Meanwhile, Sharpay and Ryan manipulate the callbacks to the same time as the championship game.—highangel
- It's New Years Eve, and two students from separate lives are celebrating with their families at a ski resort. Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) is blackmailed by her mother (Socorro Herrera) into attending the teen party by holding her book hostage, while Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is stopped halfway through his basketball practice with his father, the high school basketball coach, Coach Bolton (Bart Johnson) by his mother (Leslie Wing), who has party plans, and also makes Troy attend the kids party.
Troy and Gabriella both walk into the party uncertainly, as neither want to be there. Gabriella settles down with her book, until she and Troy are randomly picked to sing karaoke ["Start of Something New"]. They start slow and shy, but after a moment, with the crowd roaring behind them, they lose themselves in the music, blowing everyone away with how beautiful they sound together.
After the song, they walk outside to watch the snow fall, where they tell each other that neither have ever sung professionally before. Sparks are obviously flying, so as the midnight countdown ends, they exchange numbers and part to wish their families a happy new year.
Sometime later, Troy is shown arriving at his high school, East High in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Troy is East High's primo boy; attractive, popular, and the star of the basketball team.
As Troy settles into his Homeroom, we see Gabriella and her mother being shown around the school by the principal, Principal Matsui (Joey Miyashima). We learn that Gabriella's mother's company has transferred her to New Mexico, and that Gabriella was known at her other schools as the freaky genius girl. With a kiss, her mother sends her off to class.
Gabriella happens to walk into the same homeroom as Troy, though she doesn't notice him until he, catching barely a glimpse of her, calls her cell phone. Gabriella sees that the call is from Troy, right before Miss Darbus (Alyson Reed), their eccentric Homeroom teacher/Drama club president reprimands her for her cell phone, welcoming her to East High with detention. Hearing a cell phone go off, the rich, spoiled, self-centered, narcissistic, privileged and powerful Drama-Nazi Evans twins, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel) naturally assume it's one of their phones ringing, pulling them out and earning themselves detention, also.
When Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu), Troy's best friend and fellow basketball star. objects to Troy's punishment by saying he'll miss basketball practice, Miss Darbus awards him 15 minutes of detention as well, and another 15 are handed out to Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman), Chemistry Club, Scholastic Decathalon team president and general brain, when she makes a snarky remark about Chad not being able to count high enough to count his 15 minutes.
Homeroom lets out, and Troy confronts Gabriella, saying that he can't believe she's here of all places, and warning her that his friends know about the snowboarding he did on vacation, just not the singing. As the two walk around, they end up in front of the sign-up list for the spring musical. Sharpay shows up and tries to flirt with Troy, before signing up on the audition list so largely that there's barely room for anyone else. She makes a condescending remark to Gabriella (There are a lot of *supporting* roles in the show. I'm sure we can find something for you.), who walks away. After another failed attempt to flirt with Troy, Sharpay walks away, and Troy takes another longing look at the sign-up sheet before heading to free period basketball practice.
While Troy struggles with his desire to sing against the expectations of his friends, who see him as only The Basketball Guy ["Get'cha Head in The Game"], Sharpay confronts Gabriella in Chemistry, telling her that it's not like Troy to associate with new students. While Sharpay is talking, Gabriella corrects their chemistry teacher's (Irene Santiago) complex equations, which doesn't go unnoticed by Taylor and Sharpay. Afterwards, Sharpay and Ryan do a little research on Gabriella. They find online articles about Gabriella leading past school's academic teams to multiple victories. Ryan refers to her as an Einstein-ette. Sharpay isn't concerned with her interest in the musical auditions, but to safeguard the situation, she prints out the articles and sticks them in Taylor's locker.
At detention, all students are subjected to helping the stagehands prepare for the musical, by building sets and painting props. Taylor runs up to Gabriella, telling her that she's accepted and that with her on Scholastic Decathalon team, they'll surely win. Gabriella rejects this, saying that she needs time to adjust before she joins any clubs or teams, but Sharpay walks up and encourages her to participate, though only for her own selfish reasons.
Meanwhile in the gym, Coach Bolton sees that his two star players are absent, and finds out from the rest of his players that they're in Detention, Darbus style. He goes and fetches them, which angers Miss Darbus. Coach Bolton pleads with Principal Matsui, saying that if they have to serve detention, they can do it after basketball practice. Miss Darbus argues that they shouldn't receive special treatment simply because they're athletic stars, and that if they were theater performers, they certainly wouldn't have allowances made for them. This is apparently an argument that has been ongoing; since the two started working at the school. Principal Matsui claims impartiality, but clearly favors Coach Bolton and the near-championship basketball team.
Back in practice, Coach Bolton reinforces that the team doesn't exist unless every single member is 100% focused on the games, twisting Troy's mind even further. During this time, Gabriella asks Taylor about Troy, and she insists that the intellectuals live in a completely separate world from 'Troy the Basketball Boy'.
Back at home, Troy and the Coach are practicing yet again, and when Troy asks about doing something different but being afraid of what his friends might think, Coach tells him that if that happens, they're not really his friends, which seems to comfort Troy for a moment, before Coach goes on to say that he needs to stick with the team.
The next day in homeroom, Miss Darbus reminds the class about the musical auditions during free period. Chad meets up with Troy in the hall and mentions that the team is planning a free period practice. Troy however, skips out with the excuse that he's behind on homework. Chad doesn't believe him, stating that they've only been back two days, and that he's not even behind on homework yet, and he's been behind on homework since preschool. Troy laughs it off, and walks away, but Chad, not giving up that easily, follows him on a wild goose chase through the school, eventually getting thrown off his trail.
Troy ends up at auditions, hiding in the very back of the auditorium behind a janitor's cart. He watches as several people audition, with various levels of mediocrity. Gabriella sneaks up on him, and they both admit that they want to audition and sing, but they're too scared. They both take refuge in the very last row and watch as Ryan and Sharpay perform a jazzy, upbeat, incredibly over-the-top rendition of the audition song ["What Ive Been Looking For"]. Its clear that they're miles above everyone else, and the twins are well aware.
Kelsi Neilson (Olesya Rulin), the show's timid and shy composer tells Sharpay that she wrote the song as a slow ballad, and Sharpay snaps at her, reminding her that shes been in 17 school productions, and this is the first time anyone has ever acknowledged Kelsi's writing, therefore she is "not to offer direction, suggestion or commentary, and that she should be thankful that Sharpay and Ryan are there to lift her music out of its current obscurity". Kelsi, of course agrees, terrified of Sharpay.
Sharpay and Ryan, confident in their performance, leave the theater, and Miss Darbus calls for any last-minute auditions. Gabriella, in a moment of confidence, steps up to audition. Miss Darbus says that she doesn't have a partner and that singles auditions are long over. Troy also steps forward, willing to audition with Gabriella to give her her shot. Miss Darbus refuses, however, saying that free period is over and leaves the auditorium.
Troy and Gabriella see Kelsi trip over the piano onstage, sending her sheet music flying everywhere. They both rush to help her gather her things and make sure she's okay. Troy shows her kindness and courtesy, something Gabriella didn't expect from the school's star. Kelsi offers to show them how the duet should sound, and they sing along, just listening to the music and having fun ["What Ive Been Looking For (Reprise)"]. Suddenly, Miss Darbus shows up and tells them that she's accepting them for a callback, telling Kelsi to work with them to prepare them. Troy looks at the music he's given in disbelief, not fathoming that he actually just auditioned for a musical.
The next morning, Sharpay is left squealing as she reads the callback list, shocked at the competition. Chad and the rest of the basketball team, including the flighty, empty-headed Jason Cross (Ryne Sanborn), and the tall, Sharpay-infatuated Zeke Baylor (Chris Warren) walk up to revel in Sharpay's anger, but when they see Troy's name on a musical list, they themselves are shocked and disbelieving.
At lunch that day, students from all kinds of cliques, inspired by Troy's courage to pursue singing, confess that they have hobbies outside their pre-determined personas ["Stick to The Status Quo"], or as Chad explains, "people suddenly think that they can do other stuff; stuff that's not *their* stuff". A skater confesses that he plays the cello, Martha Cox (KayCee Stroh), a brainiac reveals that she loves hip-hop dancing, and even the basketball team's own Zeke comes clean about his own secret passion; he bakes.
Sharpay and Ryan are horrified that the entire school is changing, and as Sharpay walks over to confront Gabriella, Gabriella slips on spilled milk and ends up throwing her chili cheese fries on Sharpay, much to everyone's horror. Sharpay tells Miss Darbus that Gabriella and Troy have teamed up with the intention of ruining the musical. Chad expresses his disgust over Troy's desire to sing, claiming that they've got a championship play-off game in a week, and Troy's got his head stuck in the theater.
Miss Darbus warns Coach Bolton that giving every student a fair chance is tradition in theater, so she's allowing Troy to go through with his callback, but is skeptical of underlying intentions. Coach Bolton simply laughs, saying "Troy doesn't even sing".
Taylor reveals to Gabriella just how competitive Sharpay is; nobody has beaten her out for an audition since preschool, and that if she could figure out how to play both Romeo and Juliet, Ryan himself would be screwed out of a job.
Later that day, Troy invites Gabriella up to the science club's secret rooftop garden, where they discuss how happy they feel singing together, and that regardless of what everyone else thinks or how they feel, they both want to go through with the callbacks.
Troy and Gabriella start regularly practicing with Kelsi, and they also regularly help out with stagehand duties, causing Troy to miss basketball practice. Troy shows up in the gym just as practice lets out, but stays behind to work on his free throws. Gabriella joins him shortly, and they flirt back and forth, until Coach Bolton makes her leave, calling her Troy's detention buddy to her face and telling her that it's a closed practice until the last player leaves the gym. Gabriella leaves, feeling the cold front from Coach Bolton. But Troy defends her, telling his father that she's a nice girl, just a girl, to which the coach replies that Troy's not just a guy; he's the playmaker, not a singer. Troy responds angrily, saying that he can be both, and storms out, not seeing the whole team huddled outside the gym listening.
Chad pushes the issue on Troy while they're in the library, reminding him that he is Troy's most loyal best friend (while also blaming the loud speaking on Troy when confronted by the librarian), and that the road of a basketball star will land him on cereal boxes, while being a musical star will someday plunge him into obscurity.
While Chad sees Troy gradually drifting away from the team, Taylor assumes that Gabriella is too preoccupied with the callbacks to focus on the Scholastic Decathalon team. They team up to pry Troy and Gabriella apart. Chad stages an intervention for Troy, who, unaware that he's being filmed and watched by Gabriella and the Scholastic Decathalon team, tells the boys that the callbacks and Gabriella are not important, that he'll forget about them and focus 100% on their upcoming game.
Gabriella sheds a tear watching Troy, which immediately strikes guilt in Taylor, who excuses the Scholastic Decathalon team, leaving Gabriella alone. She looks out the window to see Troy laughing and smiling at a lunchtime pep rally. She walks through the school, berating herself for thinking Troy was her miracle ["When There Was Me and You"]. When Troy (oblivious to the scheme) walks up to her with a smile, she explains that she doesn't want to do the callbacks, either, and that now they've both got their teams. Troy is confused about her sudden change of heart, but when he tries to get her to explain, she just hands him her copy of their callback song's sheet music and walks away.
In the days that follow, Taylor and Chad see Troy and Gabriella drifting apart from their teams, not eager to talk to anyone and even eating lunch at secluded tables by themselves. They decide to confess. Zeke, Chad and Jason tell Troy that they're gonna change their attitude and support him in whatever he wants to do, offering him fresh-baked cookies before telling him the truth about why Gabriella refuses to speak to him. Taylor and the Scholastic Decathalon team tell Gabriella the truth, but she hears none of it, still upset by Troy's betrayal.
Troy goes to Gabriella's house to apologize, but Gabriella refuses to see him. In a last ditch effort, Troy calls Gabriella and quickly explains that he was only saying what he knew would shut the team up, that he didn't mean any of it and that he was more himself on vacation than in school. Gabriella is still reluctant to agree to do the callbacks, saying that it's throwing the whole school out of whack. Troy admits that he doesn't care about what anyone else thinks: his friends, the other students, or even his father. He tells Gabriella that she's gotta accept the pairs audition, because he's delivered it personally. Gabriella turns around to see Troy has climbed his way up to the balcony of her bedroom. He sings a line of "Start of Something New" to her, and with a soft smile, she takes the sheet music from his hand.
The next day at school, Troy and Gabriella are both back in their element, only this time with unconditional support from their respective teams. They both run from their practices to meet up and rehearse with Kelsi, where they're overheard by Ryan and Sharpay. The twins, appalled at how amazing Troy and Gabriella sound, use their positions as co-presidents of the Drama Club to convince Miss Darbus to switch the callback time to Friday at 3:30, coincidentally the same time as the championship game and the Scholastic Decathalon. Kelsi overhears this, and reveals their plan to Troy, Gabriella and Co., who all agree to work together to sort this out and make it work.
That Friday, the excitement is in the air for everyone. Showing their support for one another, Zeke has baked a Pi cake for the Scholastic Decathalon team, who trick the basketball team into thinking their gift is an equation before showing them a mural and bombarding them with stuffed basketballs. The basketball team bring Sharpay and Ryan into the hall to show them their surprise (They've spelled "Go Drama Club!" With their t-shirts). Miss Darbus looks on in amusement, saying that it's sure to be an interesting afternoon.
The Drama Club meet in the auditorium for the callbacks, Sharpay and Ryan performing a song about doing whatever it takes to succeed ["Bop to The Top"], while the Scholastic Decathalon team start out their competition on an excellent note, with Gabriella solving the first equation, and the basketball team working hard against their cross-town rivals, the West High Knights. About halfway through the game, Taylor and Gabriella send a signal through the electrical system that sends the lights and scoreboard in the gym into overdrive, letting Troy slip out unnoticed, followed by his team when an evacuation from the gym is ordered. A signal is also sent to a hot plate in the Decathalon space, boiling a chemical and producing a noxious gas, allowing Gabriella and her team the same escape.
Miss Darbus calls for Troy and Gabriella to perform twice, but they're late to their callbacks. Kelsi runs offstage in disappointment, moments before Troy and Gabriella rush in. Miss Darbus is adamant about refusing to let Troy and Gabriella sing, until she sees the crowd they've drawn to see their audition. Kelsi comes back and stands up to Sharpay, getting in her face after Sharpay tries to make her step down as Troy and Gabriella's pianist. Miss Darbus, impressed by Kelsi's sudden courage, allows the audition after all.
As the music begins and Gabriella looks out at the kids, she freezes, until Troy tells her to keep her eyes on him and only him. They make it through their song ["Breaking Free"], moving the entire school, Gabriella's mom and Troy's dad, who have all turned up to watch them sing.
The scene cuts to the final seconds of the basketball game, where Troy steals the ball and runs it down court to score the winning shot. Gabriella hugs him afterward, announcing that the Scholastic Decathalon team won their meet, as well. Just as they're about to share their first kiss, Chad presents Troy the game ball, to Troy's annoyance. Chad then grabs Taylor and asks her to the afterparty, which she squeals about with Gabriella. Sharpay walks up, saying that she's accepted that she's been cast as Gabriella's understudy, and even wishes her good luck in the show. However, she's still cold to Zeke when he tries to give her some cookies, which Ryan accepts for her.
Troy turns his game ball over to Kelsi, who looks a little nervous and misplaced by suddenly being in the spotlight, until Jason walks up, tosses off her hat to let her hair down and assists her in a free throw.
Afterwards, everyone sings together and dances, a song about sticking together and relying on each other ["We're All In This Together"].
After the credits roll and the gym is mostly deserted except for Zeke, Sharpay runs in with a cookie in her mouth, telling Zeke they're the best things she's ever tasted and begs him to make her more, running after him and nearly tackling him in a bear hug. His response is that he might even make her a créme brulée, and she giggles.
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