BYU grad dances in national 'High School Musical' tour

When thinking back to the year 2006 and the year's top CD, it's doubtful Disney is the first thing to cross your mind.

But a little made-for-TV movie on the Disney Channel, called "High School Musical," was busily breaking just about every Disney record, snatching the top spot for best-selling album and starting a frenzy that would captivate the world, yield many sequels and create a live stage version. (And in case you haven't heard, the show was filmed at East High School and other areas around Salt Lake City.)

"High School Musical" dances, sings and dribbles its way to the Capitol Theater on Tuesday and will be filled with all the songs and characters your family has come to love.

Quickly, since many of you have been singing along for the past two years, "High School Musical" is the story about high school basketball star Troy and shy brainiac Gabriella, who both have a secret love of singing and performing. They sign up to audition for the high school musical, causing all sorts of growing pains for the students who seem to prefer their traditional, clique-induced "status quo" (one of the songs in the show).

Speaking of which, the stage version has all of the songs from the original soundtrack plus two new ones written especially for the stage. And this production features something else to pique your interest: a Brigham Young University grad.

Clark Johnsen, who was going to BYU to prepare for medical school, is in the ensemble and an understudy for the lead role of Troy.

"I had gone to med school and done all the prep for that. I decided to move to New York with one of my best friends, and I decided to take a year off and audition and see how things go," Johnsen said in a phone interview from Kansas City. "I realized I was competitive. I started getting tours and bigger parts. To the great surprise of everyone, I've been able to make a pretty decent living for myself as a performing artist."

But he arrived there by accident. Johnsen, who needed a P.E. credit, took a dance class. As his prep work for medical school continued, he was advised that a liberal arts major would make him unique, as opposed to a science major.

"I got really into the dance thing. At one point I had enrolled in seven dance classes, then a friend convinced me to get into the music dance theater program — and I barely made it. I was on a waiting list and someone deferred enrollment and I got in. It was sort of a fluke."