It's launched a big-screen movie and a series of sequels, as well as a concert tour, a stage production, an ice show and a book series. There have been several video games, a reality TV show, countless satires and, in 2006, an Emmy.

But while the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical" and it's legion of spinoffs have ballooned into one of the most mania-inducing franchises on the planet, the heart of the thing is still quite simple: a good story, one loosely based on William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

"The great thing about 'High School Musical' is that it's not a revolutionary-type script," said Nic Bryan, who stars in the upcoming stage production of "High School Musical" at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre. "The stuff that's in it ... is filled with what people have been identifying with for centuries.

"This is a tale about star-crossed lovers," he said. "Only in the stage version, it's like the characters from the movie step out of the screen and into real life."

"High School Musical," with Bryan in the role of East High star athlete Troy Bolton and Virginia Cavaliere playing love interest Gabriella Montez, opens Thursday, April 9, at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre.

'Larger than life'
Hailed as one of the most successful made-for-TV movies of all time, the Disney Channel adaptation of Shakespeare's love story tells the tale of two high school juniors from rival cliques: Troy, captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella, a beautiful but shy transfer student who excels in math and science.

Though the script skips over some of Shakespeare's more extreme elements (don't look for a double suicide here), it does retain the idea of young lovers caught between opposing forces, as the student body divides into rival camps following auditions for the school musical.

"This story is great, and it's larger than life. For younger kids who are nervous about high school and don't yet know what to expect, this is a story that helps them imagine what their lives are going to be like," Cavaliere said.

"The music is great and the story is a lot of fun, and the characters are on a journey that everyone, I think, can relate to."

The production features such hit musical numbers as "What I've Been Looking For" and "Bop to the Top," but Bryan said his favorite part of the show is performing "Get'cha Head in the Game," a song-and-dance number paired with basketball.

"My character is on the basketball team, but he's thinking about auditioning for the musical. So, essentially, it's a huge dance with basketball choreography," he said.

"That's what I mean about this being a great show," he said. "We're bringing the movie to life, but doing it in a very unique and innovative way."

L.A. dreams
Born in Monmouth County, N.J., just south of New York City, Cavaliere caught the drama bug while she was still in middle school, when she appeared in a production of "Annie."

After graduating from Catholic University in May 2008 with a degree in musical theater, she moved home and began commuting to Manhattan via public transit to audition for shows.

Last year, she landed the role of Gabriella in an "HSM" production at the Inter-lakes Region Summer Theatre in Meredith, N.H., on Lake Winnipesaukee, one of the most popular vacation destinations in New England.

Bryan, meanwhile, is an Indianapolis native who graduated in May from the University of Florida. During his senior year, he auditioned at a regional theater conference for colleges and universities in the Southeast, which helped him get work in productions of "Peter Pan" and "Crazy For You" in Charlotte, N.C., and also in the Hersheypark holiday show, "Home Sweet Home for Christmas."

Following the production of "High School Musical" at Dutch Apple, Bryan will return to Charlotte to appear in "Beauty and the Beast" before making a move to Los Angeles in the fall.

Cavaliere said she's also exploring a move to Los Angeles. She hopes to get a clearer impression of the West when she travels with "High School Musical" to the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Dutch Apple's sister theater in Mesa, Ariz.

"I've never been on the West Coast before. ... So, I hope that when I'm out there, I'll be able to check out Los Angeles," she said. "But if that doesn't feel right, then I can always head home to New York."

Filling the role of Gabriella, Cavaliere said, is easy for her because she identifies so well with the character.

"She's shy, and she's quirky. And she's starting out at a new school, which is something everyone had to go through.

"She's nervous and unsure of herself and in a new place, which is why I think this show resonates with so many people," she said. "After all, who hasn't felt that way at one time or another?"

"High School Musical" opens Thursday, April 9, at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Road, and runs through May 30. For more information, call 898-1900 or visit www.dutchapple.com.