Hamilton: the Musical is a worldwide phenomenon and now Canberra Philharmonic Society is staging a show partly written by its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

Bring It On: The Musical is roughly based on the 2000 movie written by Jessica Bendinger. With music by Miranda and Tom Kitt, lyrics by Miranda and Amanda Green, it’s built around the American culture of cheerleading. 

When I catch up with in-demand musical director Alex Unikowski, an avowed fan of musical theatre’s golden oldies, I find that he had only a vague idea about the show until recently, so has been on a steep learning curve, getting together with experts in cheerleading and hip-hop to create exactly the right sound for Bring It On. 

Easy converts, we both agree that the title reverberates with the kind of adrenalin we associate with dance and music of the streets. 

President of Philo Jonathan Rush joins our cheer squad, saying of the young cast: “They’re truly quadruple threats – singing, acting, dancing and cheering.”

Acknowledging that the show nods towards a young demographic, Unikowski is keen to have it presented as something for the entire family, believing that there are no language problems or unsuitable issues but that it’s probably more relevant to people over age 13. 

So, what’s it all about? 

Briefly, a school cheerleader at the more privileged Truman High finds herself unexpectedly “redistricted” to the inner-city Jackson High, culturally diverse but with no cheerleading squad.

There’s an underlying ethical narrative, one Unikowski believes might even be more pronounced since this show was first staged in 2011, delineating as it does the difference between the haves and the have nots and the need for understanding of diversity. 

And while the narrative might depict a privileged girl showing the kids from the other side of the tracks how to do it, once at Jackson High (the very names of the schools have resonance in the US) she realises that she has led quite an insular life and that she has a lot to learn.

Questions of diversity are hardwired into the show, Unikowski tells me.

Kavitha Sivasamy, who has been cast to play a trans woman of colour at Jackson, La Cienega, says that in this musical, the character is never mocked for being trans. 

Many cast members come from an on-musical theatre background, Unikowski says and because cheerleading is specialised, local expertise has been sought from “cheer consultant” Belinda Dawson, of Sirens Studio in Gungahlin, who often takes her troupes to the US to compete and win.

The show’s choreographer, Charlotte Morphett, is performing arts head at St Clare’s College, but she’s on a learning curve, too, saying: “I have had so much fun learning in this space and being able to fuse stunts with various styles of dance throughout the production.”

“Charlotte has created a hybrid genre, which is challenging and very exciting,” Unikowski says.

All the while down in the pit conducting and playing keyboard, he’s been overseeing an exotic mixture of instruments and a drummer who has to manage a regular drum kit and various drum pads as the balance between acoustic and recorded conventions in rap is met in a live show.

Unikowski recognises the sheer excitement that the rap and hip-hop sequences will bring, especially in the key rap “breaks: where the rappers will be downstage, backed by hip-hop dancers, cheerleaders and the full ensemble”. 

Bring it on, I say.

Bring It On: The Musical, Erindale Theatre, February 29-March 16.