13: The Musical

13 is a musical with lyrics and music by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Dan Elish, with Robert Horn newly

joining as co-librettist. The story concerns the life of 13-year-old Evan Goldman as he moves from New York City to Appleton, Indiana, and his dilemma when the move conflicts with the celebration of his Bar Mitzvah. It premiered in 2007 in Los Angeles and transferred to Broadway on September 16, 2008.

Productions

Pre-Broadway

The musical premiered on January 7, 2007, at The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California, and ran through February 18, 2007. The production was directed by Todd Graff, with choreography by Michele Lynch, and the cast and band were all teenagers. This production received a nomination for the 2007 LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, World Premiere Musical.

The musical was next presented at the Norma Terris Theater in Chester, Connecticut, by Goodspeed Musicals from May 9, 2008, through June 8, 2008, with direction by Jeremy Sams and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

Broadway

The musical opened on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on September 16, 2008, in previews, with an ass official opening on October 5, 2008, and closed on January 4, 2009, after 105 performances and 22 previews. The director and choreographer were as at Goodspeed, and most of the Broadway cast was also in the Goodspeed production (except Moro, Hammond, and Williams). There is a teen band, as in prior productions. This production received one Drama Desk Award nomination, for Outstanding Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown.

Off-Broadway

The musical opened Off-Broadway at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre on April 23, 2011, in a production by the Children's Acting Company. This is a six performance engagement featuring revisions made by Brown, Dan Elish, and Robert Horn which were performed at French Woods Performing Arts Camp in summer 2009 and Theatre Under the Stars, Houston, in fall 2009.

First amateur production

In July 2009, the first amateur production of 13 premiered at French Woods Festival, New York. In the last week of production, composer, and former French Woods alumnus, Jason Robert Brown worked on the orchestrations and monitored the productions. The song "Being a Geek" (and all remaining subplots with the rabbis) from the Los Angeles run was reinserted into the production. This new version was also produced at the Theatre Under the Stars, Houston, Texas, in September 2009, by the Apprentice Conservatory Training at Theatre Under The Stars.

Israel

In 2009-2010, the first production of 13 in Israel occurred in Jerusalem, and surprisingly became an Israeli phenomenon overnight, with three re-mounts in larger venues in Jerusalem as well as national newspaper and television coverage. The production was enhanced by incorporating direction by a teenager and extensive dramaturgy.

First UK Productions

In April 2011, 13 was performed in Britain by the YPTG (Young Performers Theatre Group), featuring a cast of unknown amateurs in the small Shropshire town of Shrewsbury.

In April 2011 the Rival Youth Theatre Performed the Regional London Premiere of 13 at the Walton Playhouse. It was co-produced by The Rival Theatre Company and Directed by West End Producer/Director Frazer Brown the production was sent a message of luck from composer Jason Robert Brown part of which stated "..If you don't have an awesome time doing the show, then you're doing it wrong!".

Plot synopsis

Act 1

Twelve-year-old New Yorker Evan Goldman is surrounded by rabbis. After chanting to him, one of them explains that when a boy has his Bar Mitzvah, he becomes an adult. As the rabbis reveal that they are actually other New York kids, Evan tells the audience about how stressful turning thirteen is – especially since his parents are getting divorced and he is under pressure to have the best Bar Mitzvah imaginable ("Thirteen/Becoming A Man"). Just as Evan thinks that maybe things will be fine, his mother calls to tell him that they are moving to Indiana. Once there, however, Evan finds a friend in his neighbor, Patrice. Evan is very disappointed that there are no cool places to have his Bar Mitzvah; Patrice agrees that their town is lame, but things have gotten better since Evan moved there ("The Lamest Place in the World").

When school starts, Brett, the most popular kid in school, summons up the courage to ask Kendra, the prettiest girl in school, to a scary movie Friday night so that he can kiss her with tongue ("Hey Kendra"). Despite her best friend Lucy's attempts to dissuade her, Kendra consents. Inviting Kendra to a scary movie was Evan's idea, so Brett decides that Evan is cool and refers to him as the "Brain." Evan is thrilled; this means that Brett will come to his Bar Mitzvah, and if Brett comes, everyone else will come. Patrice, however, is displeased. If she goes to the Bar Mitzvah, nobody else will go because all of the others hate her. Evan does not think that it will be that bad, but when he hands out the invitations, he sees that Patrice is right, so he rips up her invitation. As the other kids express their excitement over Evan's party, Archie enters and introduces himself. He is upset at Evan for humiliating Patrice – his best and only friend – but promises to help to make it up to her if Evan gets him a date with Kendra. When Archie’s attempts to use his degenerative illness to guilt Evan into getting him the date do not work, Archie tries to convince him that he can turn to no one else ("Get Me What I Need"). Evan finally relents. Later, at cheerleader practice, Kendra teaches a new cheer while Lucy resolves to make Brett her boyfriend ("Opportunity"). Archie tries to talk Patrice into giving Evan a second chance, especially since she has a crush on him, but she has lost faith in him ("What It Means To Be A Friend").

In class, Brett tells Evan to get his mother to buy them all tickets to "The Bloodmaster." Evan protests that his mother will not buy them tickets to an R-rated movie, but Brett points out that if she does not, nobody will go to his Bar Mitzvah. Evan cycles through possible plans, eventually settling on having Archie use his illness to guilt his mother ("All Hail the Brain/Terminal Illness"). To make things better with Patrice, Evan asks her to go to the movie with him as a date. He then realizes that he set up Archie’s date with Kendra when everyone is seeing "The Bloodmaster," which is Kendra's date with Brett. Evan makes Archie promise to do nothing more than sit next to Kendra so as not to screw up Brett's date. Archie agrees, and everyone prepares for Friday night ("Getting Ready").

Act 2

In the movie, Patrice is upset that Evan is not even sitting next to her. Brett and Kendra overthink their impending kiss, and just as they are about actually to do so, Archie ruins it ("Any Minute"). Brett swears revenge on Evan and Archie, and Lucy, seeing her chance, kisses Brett. Patrice tells off Evan when she sees that all that he cares about is Brett’s being angry at him ("Good Enough"). Even Archie is upset with Evan, who then realizes that he is in danger of being a lonely geek ("Being a Geek").

As Lucy and Brett begin dating, she forces him to spend increasingly more time with her. Brett's friends recognize that Lucy is good neither for Brett nor for them at all ("Bad Bad News"). Evan promises to help to get Brett and Kendra back together so that he can get back on everyone’s good side. Archie, fearing that this is a suicide mission, begs Patrice to help Evan. She shows up just in time to tell Brett to talk to Kendra, and she and Evan suggest things to say – while resolving their own issues ("Tell Her"). Brett takes their advice, and he and Kendra are a couple again. Lucy, however, will not stand for this. She spreads a rumor that Kendra is cheating on Brett with Evan and then gets Evan and Kendra in the same place so that Brett can catch them ("It Can't Be True"). Her plan works. As Kendra runs after Brett, Evan realizes that he did not really want to be friends with Brett anyway and that Archie and Patrice are his real friends. He wants to call off the Bar Mitzvah because it would only be the three of them, but Archie and Patrice point out it that will not be that bad ("If That's What It Is") when Evan kisses Patrice out of nowhere and learns that making wrong choices is all a part of growing up. Evan has his Bar Mitzvah after all; he is starting to understand what growing up means ("A Little More Homework"). The show ends with the cast singing ("Brand New You").

Original Broadway cast

• Evan – Graham Phillips
• Patrice – Allie Trimm
• Archie – Aaron Simon Gross
• Lucy – Elizabeth Gillies
• Brett – Eric Nelsen
• Kendra – Delaney Moro
• Charlotte – Ariana Grande
• Eddie – Al Calderon
• Malcolm – Malik Hammond
• Molly – Caitlin Gann
• Cassie – Brynn Williams
• Simon – Joey La Varco
• Richie – Eamon Foley

Understudies

• Corey John Snide - Evan Alternate (Snide performed as Evan at weekend matinees)
• Riley Costello - u/s Archie, Eddie, Richie, Simon
• Henry Hodges - u/s Archie, Evan, Richie, Simon
• Mary Claire Miskell - u/s Cassie, Charlotte, Lucy, Molly, Patrice
• Liana Ortiz - u/s Cassie, Charlotte, Kendra, Lucy, Molly
• Max Schneider - u/s Brett, Malcolm, Richie, Simon

Orchestra/Pit Band

• Conductor - Tom Kitt
• Keyboard 1 - Tom Kitt
• Keyboard 2 - Adam Michael Kaufman
• Guitar - Chris Raymond and Zach Page
• Bass - Lexi Bodick
• Percussion - Zac Coe
• Swing Bass, Guitar, Percussion - Charlie Rosen
• Swing Keyboard - Mat Eisenstein

Musical numbers

MTI Version

• “13”/“Becoming a Man” – Rabbi, Evan and Company
• “The Lamest Place in the World” – Patrice
• “Hey Kendra” – Brett, Malcolm, Eddie, Lucy, and Kendra
• “Get Me What I Need” – Archie and Company
• “Opportunity” – Lucy and Cheerleaders
• “What It Means to Be a Friend” – Patrice
• “All Hail the Brain”/“Terminal Illness” – Evan, Archie, Brett and Company
• “Getting Ready” – Company
• “Any Minute” – Brett, Kendra, Patrice, and Archie
• “Good Enough” – Patrice
• “Being a Geek” – Evan and Rabbis
• “Bad Bad News” – Eddie, Malcolm, Simon, and Richie
• “Tell Her” – Evan and Patrice
• “It Can’t Be True” – Lucy, Molly, Charlotte, Cassie, Eddie, Malcolm, Richie, and Simon
• “If That’s What It Is” – Archie, Patrice, and Evan
• “A Little More Homework” – Evan and Company
• “Brand New You” – Cassie, Charlotte, Molly and Company

Broadway

See main article: 13 (soundtrack)

• “13”/“Becoming a Man” – Evan and Company
• “The Lamest Place in the World” – Patrice
• “Hey Kendra” – Brett, Malcolm, Eddie, Lucy and Kendra
• “Get Me What I Need” – Archie and Company
• “What It Means to Be a Friend” – Patrice
• “All Hail the Brain”/“Terminal Illness” – Evan, Archie, Brett and Company
• “Getting Ready” – Archie, Evan, Brett, Lucy, Kendra and Company
• “Any Minute” – Brett, Kendra, Patrice and Archie
• “Good Enough” – Patrice
• “Bad Bad News” – Eddie, Malcolm, Simon and Richie
• “Tell Her” – Evan and Patrice
• “It Can’t Be True” – Lucy, Molly, and Company
• “If That’s What It Is” – Archie, Patrice and Evan
• “A Little More Homework” – Evan, Charlotte, and Company
• “Brand New You” – Charlotte, Molly, Cassie and Company

The Original Broadway Cast Album was recorded during previews. The album does not include the song “Good Enough”, but it does include the following songs that were cut:

• “Here I Come” – Evan and Company
• “Opportunity” – Lucy and Company

When the show was in previews at the start of the Broadway run, there was an intermission and the show ran a full two hours. “Here I Come” was the Act I finale, and “Opportunity” picked up Act II. The show was later revised into one continuous act.

Goodspeed

Act I

• “13”/“Becoming a Man” – Evan and Company
• “I’ve Got a Feeling” – Patrice, Brett and Company
• “Get Me What I Need” – Archie and Company
• “What It Means to Be a Friend” – Patrice
• “All Hail the Brain”/“Terminal Illness” – Evan, Archie, and Company
• “Getting Ready” – Company
• “Any Minute” – Brett and Kendra
• “Good Enough” – Patrice
• “Here I Come” – Evan and Company

Act II

• “Anything You Want” – Brett, Lucy, Kendra, and Company
• “Bad Bad News” – Malcolm, Eddie, Simon, and Richie
• “Tell Her” – Evan and Patrice
• “Big Day” – Company
• “Perfect Pieces” – Evan
• “It Can’t Be True” – Lucy and Company
• “If That’s What It Is” – Archie, Patrice, and Evan
• “A Little More Homework” – Evan, Charlotte, and Company

Los Angeles

• “13”/“Becoming a Man” – Evan and Company
• “All the Cool Kids” – Brett, Malcolm, Eddie, and Company
• “Get Me What I Need” – Archie and Kendra
• “What It Means to Be a Friend” – Patrice
• “Getting Ready” – Archie, Evan, Brett, Kendra, Lucy and Company
• “The Bloodmaster” – Cassie, Molly, Charlotte, Simon, Richie, and Company
• “Being a Geek” – Evan, Rabbis, and Boys
• “Angry Boy” – Brett, Malcolm, Kendra, Lucy and Company
• “Tell Her” – Evan and Patrice
• “It Can’t Be True” – Lucy, Molly, and Company
• “Getting Over It” – Evan
• “My Name is Archie” – Archie
• “Brand New You” – Charlotte, Molly, Cassie and Company

Two songs, "Introduction" (Company) and "I Know You Want Me" (Lucy, Archie & Company), were written and recorded but were cut before any actual performances.