Costume director Julie Ferguson said the choice of production was a strong contender in the student body for the most popular musical the school had put on.

"There's a few jealous past students as well," she laughed. "When it was announced, we had all sorts of students from years past get in touch who wanted to be a part of the show."

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High School Musical has become a cultural touchstone for those who went through their adolescence in the mid-2000s, and the LCS production will stay true to the times.

Mrs Ferguson said they had been op shopping for flip phones and baggy jeans, as well as making East High School uniforms.

"It's all very exciting - it's something they can relate to, they've seen it as children, they love the story, they love the music ... so it's a really motivating musical, but it's also got a great message," she said.

The modern-day Romeo and Juliet story follows the romance of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, a basketball jock and a studious new enrollment, who find the courage to break out of their stereotypes and audition - and then star - in their high school's musical.

The core theme is to resist peer pressure and be true to your dreams - or, as the songs in the show put it, to break free from the status quo.