13 (musical)

13 (musical)
source
Name	13
Music	Jason Robert Brown
Lyrics	Jason Robert Brown
Book	Dan Elish and Robert Horn
Premiered	July 15, 2007
Place	Goodspeed Musicals, East Haddam, Connecticut
Notable productions	Broadway (2008), West End (2012)

13 (musical)

13 is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn. Conceived as a teenage coming-of-age story, it centers on a thirteen-year-old boy who relocates from Manhattan to a small town in Indiana and confronts friendship, bullying, and popularity at middle school. The show is notable for its Broadway cast of adolescent performers and for Brown's fusion of pop, rock, and musical theatre idioms similar to work by Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Benj Pasek—though its original creative team also connected to regional institutions like Goodspeed Musicals and youth-focused programs such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Background and Development

The project originated when composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown, known for Parade (musical), The Last Five Years, and Songs for a New World, collaborated with book writers Dan Elish and Robert Horn, who had credits with The Rosie O'Donnell Show and The Sarah Silverman Program. The creative team developed the concept with producers affiliated with Daryl Roth and Kevin McCollum, aiming for a family-friendly property that could showcase juvenile performers like those in Annie (musical), Les Misérables, and youth ensembles from Broadway Junior. Workshops and readings involved theatre institutions such as Lortel Theatre, Alliance Theatre, and the developmental laboratory at New York Theatre Workshop, where composers like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeanine Tesori had also premiered work. Early casting choices and orchestration evolved during tryouts at Goodspeed Musicals and during previews in regional houses, mirroring historic development paths used by shows like Rent and Next to Normal.

Productions and Recordings

After its premiere at Goodspeed Musicals in July 2007, the musical opened on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in October 2008, produced by teams including Daryl Roth and Kevin McCollum. The Broadway production featured a young ensemble and ran with creative direction influenced by choreographers connected to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater alumni and orchestrators who had worked on Sweeney Todd. International productions followed, including a London staging at the West End and licensed productions by Music Theatre International and Dramatists Play Service in schools and regional theatres across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. A cast recording captured the original Broadway cast under the aegis of labels similar to Ghostlight Records and distribution channels comparable to Decca Records and Sony Classical.

Synopsis

Set primarily in a fictional Indiana town, the plot follows Evan Goldman, a thirteen-year-old transplanted from Manhattan whose life changes as he navigates new classmates, social hierarchies, and a looming bar mitzvah that will determine his social destiny. Key scenes include pep rallies reminiscent of plots in Carrie (film), classroom encounters evoking teen dramas like Mean Girls (film) and Grease (musical), and intimate moments with family members that recall arcs in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and To Kill a Mockingbird (play). The narrative balances ensemble set pieces—paralleling crowd numbers in West Side Story and Hairspray (musical)—with solo emotional songs, culminating in a finale that reframes friendship and identity in a manner similar to finales in Matilda (musical).

Characters and Original Cast

Principal characters include Evan Goldman (originally played by a teen cast member in the Broadway run), his mother, and a cohort of classmates: the popular leader, his romantic interest, the misfit sidekick, and several archetypes common to adolescent ensemble pieces. The original Broadway cast featured young actors who later appeared in productions associated with companies such as Roundabout Theatre Company and programs like National High School Musical Theatre Awards. Supporting roles included faculty and parents portrayed by performers with credits at institutions like Goodman Theatre, Kennedy Center, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Musical Numbers

The score blends uptempo ensemble numbers, power ballads, and character-driven solos. Songs include opening ensemble pieces that establish the school setting, comedic numbers satirizing popularity akin to scenes in Heathers (musical), introspective solos reflecting character growth similar to songs in Next to Normal, and anthemic finales echoing the communal spirit of Rent and Spring Awakening. Orchestration employs piano, guitar, bass, and percussion in styles comparable to contemporary musical writers such as Jason Robert Brown's peers Glen Ballard and Tom Kitt.

Reception and Awards

Critical reception was mixed to positive: reviewers compared the show’s youthful authenticity to productions staged at The Public Theater and noted Brown's melodic craftsmanship in critical outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Variety. The Broadway run earned nominations in youth-sensitive categories and attention from awarding bodies such as the Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and organizations that spotlight young performers including Outer Critics Circle. Touring and licensed productions garnered recognition from regional awards like the Helen Hayes Awards and local theatre critics in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, and London.

Themes and Cultural Impact

The musical explores adolescence, peer pressure, identity formation, and rites of passage, themes resonant with literature and theatre traditions from J. D. Salinger's novels to coming-of-age plays staged at Lincoln Center. Its use of an adolescent cast influenced casting practices in youth theatre, inspiring school productions and youth companies associated with Barnard College and NYU Tisch School of the Arts training programs. The show's cultural footprint includes discussions in media outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, educational adoption by organizations like National Endowment for the Arts initiatives, and its contribution to the repertoire of contemporary family-oriented musicals alongside works like Billy Elliot (musical) and Matilda (musical).

Category:Broadway musicals Category:Musicals by Jason Robert Brown