Corbin Bleu danced his way into the hearts of fans across the world when High School Musical burst onto the scene 16 years ago.
The franchise went on to become a phenomenon. The first film premiered on January 20, 2006, becoming the Disney Channel's most successful TV movie up to that point. The sequel, which made its appearance a year later, set new viewership records, with a massive 17.2 million fans tuning in.
Since then, the stars of the first HSM have all gone on to other projects. But recently, there's been speculation that a fourth movie might be in the works, and fans are crossing their fingers for a reunion of the original cast.
The franchise earned billions of dollars and also taught younger viewers to love musicals. And that’s where Corbin Bleu's fans will find him. The actor who shot to international fame as Chad Danforth has carved himself a niche in musical theater.
Corbin Bleu Has A Long History In Theater
Corbin was only 6 when he made his debut on the professional stage. Off Broadway theater audiences saw him in the role of an abandoned and homeless boy in Tiny Tim Is Dead, created and written by Scott Siegel.
Fame was nothing new to Corbin. HSM made stars of the young cast, whose faces were everywhere, on everything from lunchboxes to sleeping bags and bracelets. Although it was on a much bigger scale, Corbin had already been there.
From the age of two, he was regularly cast in television commercials. By four, he was signed up by the Ford Modeling Agency, which saw him appearing in print ads and fashion spreads, with his face on many toys and kid’s products.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, with a mother, father, and uncle all involved in the entertainment industry, it's a small wonder that he's a great performer. His early years saw him watching the films of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. The passion for dancing they evoked saw him attending jazz and ballet classes, often the only boy in the group.
His mother had attended the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York, which was featured in the film Fame. Corbin followed in her footsteps, attending the local equivalent, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
There, he put his dancing skills to good use. His performances in student productions like Footloose and Grease saw him named Theater Student of the Year.
Corbin Was A Perfect Fit For High School Musical
Following the success of Disney’s Jump In, where he starred opposite his father, David Reivers, the young actor auditioned for a new and exciting project called High School Musical.
Corbin was a perfect fit, and he effortlessly stepped into the role of Chad Danforth. Young fans loved the passionate Wildcats basketball player who danced brilliantly.
It’s ironic that Bleu’s character tries to persuade his teammate Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) to give up his interest in theater and focus on winning the basketball championship.
Because theater is where Corbin has been making his mark.
Since HSM, Corbin Bleu Has Been On Broadway
The star has admitted that his Broadway debut was largely due to luck.
Desperately disappointed when his 2009 series The Beautiful Life, produced by Ashton Kutcher was canceled after just two episodes, Bleu spent some time at a New York City jazz club with his uncle.
There, a chance meeting saw him reacquainted with Broadway producer Scott Siegel, who knew him from HSM. Siegel invited Bleu to do a show at Town Hall, the same theater where he had appeared as a six-year-old.
In a wonderful twist of fate, the producers for the Tony award-winning musical In the Heights were in the theater, and were blown away by Corbin. They went on to sign him to play the role of Usnavi, originally filled by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the show, who had also written the Pulitzer prize musical Hamilton.
As Bleu says: "Had it not been for High School Musical and Siegel knowing my work, that whole series of events probably never would've happened."
In 2012, Corbin returned to Broadway in the revival of Godspell, playing the role of Jesus.
3 Years later, he was cast as Ted Hanover in a new Irving Berlin musical, Holiday Inn, winning the Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show.
In 2018, he was able to fulfill a childhood dream, showing off his tap dance skills to play the role made famous by his childhood hero, Gene Kelly, when he played the role of Don Lockwood in the Muny’s centennial season production of Singin’ In The Rain.
Bleu has loved being able to star in musicals he grew up listening to, like Anything Goes and Kiss Me Kate.
And it's not just audiences that notice him. Corbin was named as the 2018 Entertainer of the Year at the Tremaine National Gala, an award that honored his work in the dance industry.
Most recently, in July 2022, Bleu took to the stage as Bert in one of Disney’s most loved musicals, Mary Poppins, and has received great reviews. James Lindhorst from BroadwayWorld.com wrote: "Mr. Bleu is establishing himself as a legitimate song and dance leading man. His dancing is electric. His energy and stage presence are infectious."
Corbin is the first member of the original cast of HSM to appear on Broadway. And his role in the franchise continues to draw new audiences to the theater. He's amazed that he still regularly meets fans who tell him they’ve only come to watch a show based on their love of Chad Danforth.
Fans have loved having Corbin back on HSMTMTS recently, playing an exaggerated version of himself. But when that's over, they know where they can find him.
He'll be on Broadway.
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