20 years ago, the Kenny Ortega helmed delighted audiences around the globe with its cheesy Grease/Romeo & Juliet mashup that smashed viewership records and went on to spawn two sequels and rake in over $250million at the global box-office.

Now regarded as a cultural artefact, HSM has made its debut in London with an immersive and equally cheesy, tongue in cheek production overseen by Joseph Houston and William Whelton.

Celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary, this immersive production and its company pulls out all the stops to make it a fun and memorable night for any fan of the movie with iconic songs and dances being brought to life with infectious and dazzling choreography by .

The Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre has been decked out to resemble an American high school sports hall. Walking into the auditorium punters have to go ‘under the bleachers’, with walls decorated with Wild Cats banners – the fictional school basketball team which Troy Bolton is the captain of.

With the original film’s slim 98-minute runtime stretched to 135 minutes including interval, some scenes inevitably feel padded. Others, however, benefit enormously, like the Bob Fosse inspired dance number in the audition scene. 

Many of the moments from the Disney Channel original have always begged to be performed on stage, like Stick to the status quo which makes the best of the show’s entire company. 

And when it isn’t being a big loud, nostalgia bate sing-a-long, its weakness then suddenly becomes quite clear in the text’s quieter moments, where weak writing and flat characters struggle to convey meaningful relationships. 

In many respects, it’s probably the best adaptation the film could hope for

But thankfully, another toe-tapping number is never too far away. 

To its credit, the creators have delivered something far more ambitious than the glorified Disney World stage show I initially feared. In many respects, it’s probably the best adaptation the film could hope for. The problem lies partly in the original’s thin material. 

So determined to satisfy devoted fans, the creative team rarely dares to deepen its characters or linger on moments that might benefit from greater emotional weight.

A fair effort to adapt an inimitable phenomena that ultimately proves unsuccessful. 3 stars out of 5.

Disney’s HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL runs at London’s Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre until 3 January. Tickets .