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REVIEW: 13
Faithful readers will note that I’ve been doling out positive reviews left and right these days. That speaks to the general high quality of Broadway as of late; I cannot recall the last production I saw that wasn’t at least decent. Yet, for all of my recent contentment, I’ve been waiting for one of those near-religious theatrical experiences—you know the kind I mean—where you can barely contain the ecstatic glee that is taking hold of your body, pushing you towards a breaking point where you want to stand up and shout “THIS SHOW IS AWESOME!!!” 13 is that show.
Composer/Lyricist Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years), along with librettists Dan Elish and Robert Horn have taken a very familiar “fish out of water” story (kid’s parents get divorced, kid leaves big metropolis for small middle-of-nowhere town, kid integrates into new society with mixed results) and turned it into the must-see musical of the season. The kid in this case is Evan Goldman (Graham Phillips), plucked tragically from NYC urban bliss right before his Bar Mitzvah and plopped down in the fictional Appleton, Indiana, forced to start all over again. He makes a friend in the girl next door, the bookish Patrice (Allie Trimm), but quickly botches it when he’s immediately forced to choose between having her or everybody else at school come to the all-important Bar Mitzvah party. Thus begins a set of misadventures involving a dumb slacker (Eric M. Nelsen), comely cheerleader (Delaney Moro), a disabled boy with a degenerative muscular disorder (Aaron Simon Gross) and a queen bee (Elizabeth Egan Gillies).Now I know what you’re thinking. We’ve all seen this before. Well, sure, and the writers know it—they have a blast at taking these established clichés and exploiting them for all they’re worth. My favorite number, “Terminal Illness” has Evan and the crippled kid dancing side by side, using a crutch as a cane, singing that “no one says ‘no’ to a kid with
a fatal disease.” The show, while maintaining a fairly quirky, almost subversive tone throughout, will nevertheless appeal to pretty much everyone. Brown’s score, his most accessible yet, takes cues from modern pop/rock and fuses them with a contemporary musical theater style, resulting in a perfect synthesis that feels modern, but grounded in tradition.Much has already been made about decision to use an entirely age-appropriate cast, as well as an all-teenage band. The only thing I will add is that every actor’s performance is spot on and the band rocks!
There really is so much more I could tell you; I’m fighting the urge to quote some hilarious lines of dialogue or witty song lyrics, but I don’t want to risk spoiling anything more. I’m smiling just thinking about it. Go get your tickets now. I’ll be waiting right here.
Got them? Good. Enjoy!
Do you agree with Dan? Comment below.
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Views: 31
Comment
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Comment by Kylie McDonald on August 18, 2009 at 10:54pm -
i <3 13 4ever... plain and simple..........
AHHHHH I <3 IT!!!! Sry its just tht amazing :) :) :)
<33333333333333333333333333333333333333
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Comment by Peter on July 22, 2009 at 1:52pm -
13 is the best musical everrrrr!! I don't think there's been one day in the past few months where i HAVEN'T listened to the recording!!!! lol. i love it cuz i can relate to it. the characters are my age, played by actors that are my age, and the storyline is pretty much my life!!! lol. (minus the whole moving thing! lol.) everyone when they're this age has to deal with these things in life. it's sooooo great! also, i love the fact that the music is not like your average musical theatre soundtrack! (dont get me wrong, i love that!), but this is music that kids our age (fan of musicals or not) can listen to and enjoy!!!!!!!! it's just an amazing show; everything about it is great. i love it, and i truly hope one day this musical revives or goes on tour. i would love to audition for it, but even if i can't, i would still love just to see it agan!!!! :D
R.I.P. 13
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Comment by taylor on July 12, 2009 at 7:58pm -
OmG love 13 so much that I made youtue vidoe's as tributs to the cast. check them out my channel is lights12rocks I;m not completely done with the whole cast yet. Did you know Liz got her tonsils out. I can't wait to see allie in Bye Bye Birdie!!!!
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Comment by Gabriella on May 25, 2009 at 11:23am -
I love this musical because I can relate to it. I hear the lines and I'm like, "whoa i said that yesterday".
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Comment by Sarah Weiss on April 26, 2009 at 7:13pm -
LOVE.
saw it 3 times.
stage doored once..and got amazing pictures.
they where all amazing.
got an understudy once.
night before closing.
it was for lucy.
it was maryclaire.
and I was sad it closed.
I LOVE 13 SO MUCH!
:]
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Comment by Tori on March 14, 2009 at 11:00pm -
I liked this musical is an understatment
I loved it
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Comment by Lauren Yarger on February 7, 2009 at 9:39am -
Read my review at
http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/2008/10/synergy-of-energy-and-teen-angst.html
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Comment by Tyson on January 19, 2009 at 9:35am -
That play is da bomb. The choreography is amazing, the voices are great. I'm really happy an all-teenage cast and band was involved
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Comment by Marisa Helene on January 12, 2009 at 11:42am -
13 was absolutly amazing! when i saw this show, i thought that the kids in this show would've been snobs, even though they're fantastic! but, when i met them, they are just like us. Human, and undersatnding. thats what i love about broadway kids. they know wheat you're talking about!
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Comment by Savannah Randalf on January 9, 2009 at 5:17pm -
Saw the last show and it was simply phenomenal! The whole cast was amazing and gave it their all. It was great to see a show with a whole cast and band of teenagers, and lots of fans came out really inspired.
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