13 - a Musical

Synopsis

Calling all Dorks, Newbies, Cheerleaders, Jocks and Brainiacs: ?13' the musical, is about the trials and tribulations of being 13 years old in Appleton, Indiana. When Evan Goldman is forced to move from New York when his parents get divorced, he just wants to survive the school year... easier said than done! With an unforgettable score from Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown and a live rock band, 13 is a hilarious, high-energy musical for all ages about discovering that ?cool' is where you find it, and sometimes where you least expect it.

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 23 August 2012

13 at the Apollo sounds like an American space mission but marks instead the West End debut of composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown, whose best known musical, Parade, directed on Broadway by Hal Prince, has been produced twice in London on the fringe. He remains a somewhat shadowy, ever-promising musical theatre figure with a niche market following.

You can see why in this cheerful but ultimately anodyne production of a 2008 Broadway show -- directed by the composer himself -- for the National Youth Music Theatre, which is playing for just a few performances this week.

It's full of the all-purpose get-up-and-go coming of age songs at Dan Quayle Junior High that sound culturally prehistoric, as if West Side Story, let alone Merrily We Roll Along, had never happened.

And who in the NYMT remembers Dan Quayle anyway? (Jackie Mason said we should be grateful for President Bush; he stopped Dan Quayle becoming president....

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Latest User Review

David Baxter - 26 August 2012:

With the possible exception of Rent and Spring Awakening I think Jason Robert Brown has been responsible for the best American musicals of the last twenty years (and a major influence on many others) even if commercial cuccess has been elusive. 13 is a perfect showcase for the NYMT and is probably the only way this terrific show would be seen in the West End and an astonishingly talented young cast have the privelege of being directed by Brown himself. There are hints of Grease, Footloose and of course High School Musical (which came later) but the story of a geeky Jewish pre-teen transplanted from New York to rural Indiana has great charm and is much funnier than Brown's other more serious work. Guy Harvey is hugely engaging if a little vocally strained in the lead as Evan. Jack Cashion and Tim Mahendran have genuine comic talent and casting directors will surely be noting the name of Sienna Kelly who sings superbly and is touching as the outsider Patrice. Isn't Coveney a miserable old git? 2-stars is ridiculous for this delightful show performed with exuberance by a remarkable cast of young amateurs - 13 stands comparison with any other musical I have seen this year....

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