Disney’s High School Musical” opening this week at Kelsey Theater features Kevin Corsini, a senior at High School North, portraying Troy Bolton, the lead actor in the high-energy musical about life in contemporary high schools. The show opens on Friday, May 1, on Mercer College’s West Windsor campus, with a post performance reception to meet the cast and crew.
Corsini, who admits to acting since his preschool days, is planning a career on the stage. This is his first show in community theater. When one of his friends’s decided to audition Corsini went along for fun. His application stated that he would only accept one of the roles for the four male lead roles. He got the part of Troy, also known as the “dreamy hoops star” who meets a brainy girl at a karaoke contest while on a ski vacation. When she becomes the new girl in his school and they both want to be in the school’s musical, their friends and values clash.
Corsini’s mother, Diane Chapman, is a teacher in Ewing. His father, William Corsini, is an advertising consultant. His brother, Jimmy Corsini, High School North, Class of 2004, is a student at Rutgers. The family moved to Barclay Square in Plainsboro four years ago.
Corsini, a tenor, studies voice with Paul Chapin. “My classical voice training has helped me — especially with my upper range,” he says. “We work mostly on Broadway and classical music. He doesn’t help me with pop songs.” He also studies acting with Michael McClure, and ballet with Kacey Burke.
“I know that theater is not a financially stable career but my parents are allowing me to pursue what I want to pursue,” he says. “It’s not exactly what they were hoping for.
“I’ve been acting my whole life including volunteering to act in preschool,” he says. Corsini has been in all musicals since sixth grade. A member of the Improv Comedy Troupe at North since 2006, he has been president since 2007. His favorite role was Gary Lejeune (John Ritter in the film) in “Noises Off” at North last year. “I love doing comedy stuff and the cast was basically the same people in the improv group,” he says.
He is also president of the concert choir, a peer leader, a student council representative, and a member of the National Honor Society. A member of Out of the Blue, North’s mixed a cappella group, he has acted in Senior One Acts the past three years, and was the lead male vocalist for Just a Chance, a group that performed to benefit the Plainsboro Food Pantry in 2008.
Corsini was accepted into the acting BFA program at the University of Miami after an audition in New York City. (Only three men and three women were accepted into the program this year). To continue in musical theater he plans to continue with voice lessons and musical theory classes on his own.
He recently played the role of Josh in “Bang Bang You’re Dead” with the Opening Knights. They performed for the WW-P middle schools and one performance for parents and friends. At North he also portrayed Lancelot in “Camelot,” Zeke Baylor in “High School Musical,” and Dr. Percival in “Dream Girl.”
“High School Musical,” the most popular Disney Channel movie in history, received an Emmy Award in 2006, produced a television sequel and a feature film. The film’s soundtrack was the best-selling album in the United States in 2006. “The show is full of energy and everyone in the audience will want to sing and dance with us,” Corsini says.
High School Musical, Kelsey Theater, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, 609-570-3333, www.kelseytheatre.net. Weekends, May 1 to 10, $16.
