“13” is brand-new — in its adolesence, so to speak. This is the first production outside of the workshop, and according to JRB, had a fair share of adjustments during previews. The end product, however, was spectacular. I predict this will have a long life… more on that later.
“13” tells the story of Evan (Ricky Ashley), a recent transplant from New York City to Appleton, IN. He is about to have his Bar Mitzvah (with a rabbi he found over the Internet, because there are none in Appleton), and wants all the “cool” kids to be there. You can see where this is going, plot wise, already. So, he dumps his true friend Patrice (Sara Niemietz), to try to get together with the Cheerleaders [Kendra (Emma Degerstedt) — the head cheerleader, Lucy (Caitlin Baunoch) — her rival, Charlotte (Jenáe Burrows), Cassie (Tinashe Kachingwe), and Molly (Chloé Smith)] and the Jocks (Brett (J. D. Phillips) — the Quarterback, Malcolm (Seth Zibalese), Simon (Ellington Ratliff), Ritchie (Ryan Ogburn), and Eddie (Christian Vandal)]. Added to the mix is Archie (Tyler Mann), a disabled student using Even to get to know Kendra. Trying to help everyone out, Even helps get the crew into an R-rated movie… with disasterous consequences. By doing so, he is now on the outs with everyone. To make things worse, Lucy (being jealous of Kendra and Brett’s budding romance) starts spreading rumors about Kendra and Evan. But musicals being musicals, it all works out in the end. The appropriate couples come together (well, perhaps with one unexpected twist), and all are happy at the Bar Mitzvah, with the appropriate message about being true to yourself and your real friends coming across.
According to my daughter, the plot is very similar to High School Musical, the insanely popular Disney-thing (which, I should note, she never got into). That may be, but structurally it is quite different. The music in High School Musical seems ancillary — it doesn’t serve to move the story along. In “13”, the music is integral — it works as music should in a musical: it tells the story and tells the characters. There are numerous examples: Being a Geek (MP3), “What It Means To Be A Friend“, “My Name is Archie“, …. As for the plot: I found the message a good one, and one that always needs to be emphasized (especially with the crowd I see at our congregation, where “being in” is often “in”). Based on the story, I think this musical will have a long life on the high-school stages of America.
Next: the music. Wow! This was great stuff, and totally unlike Jason Robert Brown’s past music. He indicated that this was a conscious decision in his weblog. I liked it. It was high-energy (listen to the two songs in this medley for an example, or this advertising snip from CTG). I’m looking forward to the cast album. An interesting side note on the music and the musical: An article in the Jewish Journal indicates that JRB has been thinking about a teen musical for a long time; in fact, at one time he was negotiating for the rights to “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer” in order to turn it into a Broadway musical. Can you imagine how good that would have been?
Speaking of the music, one must speak of the band — who did a spectacular job. The band was onstage during the entire show, and other than the band leader (David O — who did musical direction for The Marriage Musicals at the Pasadena Playhouse) consisted only of 12-16 year-olds. In the band were Chris Raymond and Molly Bernstein on guitar, Jamie Eblin on drums, Nehemiah Williams on bass, and Charlie Rosen and David O on keyboards. I think I’ve met Charlie a few times — his dad, Ken Rosen, is a big silent movie buff, and his aunt, Sharone Rosen, is Cantor at our former congregation.
The cast, whom I named above, consisted solely of 13-17 year-olds. They did a remarkable job. For relative newcomers (all had small, non-lead credits), they hit this marks perfectly. They nailed the singing and the dancing. They showed enthusiasm, and they became their characters. I was particularly impressed by the leads (Ricky Ashley, Caitlin Bauoch, Emma Degerstedt, Tyler Mann, and particularly, Sara Niemietz). I predict that these young adults will go far, and I look foward to seeing them in more things.
The staging was also quite good. The Mark Taper Forum is theatre in the half-round, and the stage consisted of a circular track to move scenic props in/out, a small riser, a backdrop that rotated and also served as a projection scrim. Above the stage, accessible via stairs, was the band, which was housed in a garage. The garage door also served as a scrim. They used this to their best advantage, with the projection backdrop being interactive with the actors (as was done in Dirk). This worked quite well. My only concern here is whether this staging would upsize well — this would become critical if this musical moves to Broadway (as I feel it should). I think it could upsize, but might require some tinkering to make everything visible in a big house (the Taper is only 750 seats).
No review is complete without the production credits: Music and Lyrics were by Jason Robert Brown (jrbrown), with book by Dan Elish. Direction was by Todd Graff. Choreography was by Michele Lynch. Scenic Design was by David Gallo, with costumes by Candice Cain, lighting by Mike Baldassari, sound by Duncan Robert Edwards, projections by Zachary Borovay, wigs and hair by Carol F. Doran. Band direction was by Craig Wolynez, under the musical direction of David O. The production was produced by Bob Boyett and the Center Theatre Group (Michael Ritchie, artistic director).
I’ll conclude by staying: What a way to start a theatre year: 13 was just the ticket. Go see it.
Next up on the theatre calendar: A Few Good Men (by Aaron Sorkin) at Rep East Playhouse on 1/27; Defiance at the Pasadena Playhouse on 2/10; Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center on 2/25; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at CSUN on 3/10, and Smokey Joe’s Cafe at Cabrillo Music Theatre on 3/31. I’m still working on tickets for The Beatles Slept Here (a melodrama) at the Theatre on High Street in Moorpark and They’re Playing Our Song at Valley Musical Theatre, plus whatever else interesting shows up on Goldstar Events.
