Musical mayhem in ticketing frenzy

High School Musical fever is causing a frenzy among fans – with tickets for the Wolverhampton stage shows changing hands for more than £250 a pair.

The touring production of the smash hit Disney film is coming to the city's Grand Theatre next month and seats virtually sold out within weeks of going on sale. Touts snapped up handfuls of seats in anticipation of the rush, and now the last tickets are on internet sites for £109 each plus booking fees – which is the equivalent of paying for a box.

Several websites have sold out but www.seatwave. com is offering two tickets for £262.94 to cash in on the huge demand by parents desperate to ensure their children are not disappointed.

Seats originally cost between £13.50 and £29.50.

Peter Cutchie, chief executive of the Grand, said today it had been the fastest selling show in the theatre's history.

"The demand has been phenomenal," he said. ""It's the first time it's toured the country and it's brilliant that it will be coming to Wolverhampton."

Mr Cutchie said that around 120 seats would be available during the week of the show and advised people to call the box office on the first day.

Dubbed the modern day answer to Grease, the musical tells the story of Troy, a popular high school basketball star, and Gabriella, a shy, academically gifted newcomer who discover they share a secret passion for singing.

They sign up to audition for the lead roles in the school musical it threatens East High's rigid social order and sends their peers into uproar.

It premiered in the US in January 2006, and has won a string of awards ever since.

The first movie spawned a sequel, High School Musical 2 and both have turned the brand into a huge craze.

The stage show, the first time the musical has ever toured British theatres, has taken the country by storm.

Produced by Stage Productions it is visiting 30 venues across the country, including the Grand from March 10 to 15 and the Hippodrome in Birmingham from May 26 to June 7.

The score includes all the songs from the original soundtrack, a live orchestra and 34 cast members.