Review: Jason Robert Brown's 13: THE MUSICAL Soars at the Manatee Performing Arts Center

Finding the perfect musical for younger teens can be tough. So many musicals are designed for elementary school kids, and the ones aimed at teenagers aren't very good (like the overdone High School Musical, the overrated Footloose, and the abominable stage version of Fame). So all that remain for twelve and thirteen year olds usually are the ubiquitous Annie, Shrek, Seussical or the myriad of Disney shows, all quite good, but all of which are probably being performed in every county, in every state, right now. So there's not much out there that honestly captures the middle school mentality. Which is why I thank God for Jason Robert Brown's 13: THE MUSICAL. For those in the know, this is a favorite underdone musical that's funny, bawdy, edgy, with a meaning that connects not just with teenagers, but with adults who remember the days of pimples and virginity pledges.

If you see that a production of 13: THE MUSICAL is playing near you, then hurry to experience this hidden treasure. And when you hear that it's an especially good production like the current one with the Manatee Players, then drop everything and rush to the intimate stage of the Kiwanis Theater at the Manatee Performing Arts Center where you can see the show in its Bradenton premiere. This is one production where the young cast, ages 12 to 15, rise to the occasion, capture the energy of the script and deliver something that's outstanding. I have seen 13: THE MUSICAL before and even directed it years ago, and yet, this group of young performers is so strong that watching them makes the work feel newly alive and fresh to me.

13: THE MUSICAL (music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown with the book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn) centers on twelve-year-old Evan Goldman. He's a charming geek whose life has gone to hell after his parents' divorce, and he's forced to move from New York City to a small town in Indiana. With his life in disarray, all Evan wants is a perfect bar mitzvah. He likes the quirky brainiac, Patrice, and befriends a boy with muscular dystrophy, Archie, but he also wants the cool kids and jocks to come to his bar mitzvah. But they won't go if he invites an outsider like Patrice, so what can he do? 13 follows Evan's misadventures with the Indiana teens, where all of his various plans come crashing down. At times it plays like a raunchy teen sitcom, something you'd find on the Disney channel (but with sexual overtones and language), but it ends on a very poignant, powerful note.

As Evan, twelve-year-old Joshua Devine is incredibly likable. He has to carry the show on his young shoulders, and he does so with aplomb. Since he and the other teenage cast members do not use microphones in the small theatre, it's sometimes hard to hear his lines and some of his lyrics. But he shows amazing range and even gets to strut some dance moves, doing the Worm in the bouncy "Brand New You" and moving with zest in the hilariously demented "Terminal Illness."

As his fellow outsider, Patrice, Belle Babcock is almost too pretty for the part. You wonder what it is about her that the cool kids disdain; she looks like she could fit in with their crowd (perhaps a simple change in hairstyle might help alienate her from the others). But Babcock possesses serious, chill-inducing vocal chops and knocks her songs out of the ballpark; both "The Lamest Place in the World" and "What It Means to Be a Friend" are given first class treatment.

As the evil minx, Lucy, Audrey Lipton is beautifully hateful, confidently strutting her stuff, walking chest first. She's a true villainess, a slutty teen Cruella de Vil. And Lipton sings her songs with gusto. Her "Opportunity" is fine, but even better are her moments in "Getting Ready" where she tries to tell Kendra, the good girl, what to do if her date tries to kiss her. She's on a mission...to steal Kendra's date and to cause as much mayhem as possible. She's strong in the big cell phone number, the gossipy "It Can't Be True," but the overall song didn't quite gel, with another performer forgetting one of her lyrics during the night I saw it.

Makenna Herrmann is the ideal Kendra, the dream girl of the teenage boys. She has a wonderful singing voice, and exudes a sort of forced virtuousness and bubbly cluelessness that are perfect for the part. She's every Middle School Princess you've ever seen.

The lead cool kid, the vacuous football player Brett, is played by the charismatic Stevie Romero. He resembles the weird synthesis of a young Tom Cruise, Josh Hutcherson and Lucas Till, and the actor's apparent cockiness works wonders with the part. He's always in character, always hilarious. In one of the show's best numbers, "Any Minute," Brett and Kendra watch a horror movie and uncomfortably describe the grotesque screen happenings to some of Jason Robert Brown's loveliest music, and both Romero and Herrmann play it for all it's worth.

Brett is constantly surrounded by two "goons," Malcolm and Eddie. Maverick Wolf (great name) is fine as Malcolm, though sometimes his voice is hard to hear. Best of all in the cast is Elijah Zurek as the wacky Eddie. His work with Wolf on "Hey Kendra," bathed in red light to music that sounds like it came out of some Seventies porn movie, got some of the biggest laughs from the audience. And their Act 2 lamentation of a friend who spends more time with his annoying girlfriend than with them, "Bad Bad News," became the hit of the evening. Zurek's bravery, his no-hold's-barred approach to the character, is a delight and made him the best of a very talented lot. Seeing him jut around the stage, flailing his arms, gyrating, his face almost always in a smirk as if no good thought ever entered his head, will make even the biggest curmudgeon smile.

Maddie Cashen, Skylar Dennis, Anna Fleece, McKenna Gunn and Emily Mollin all add able support. The harmonies in this group are out of this world. Ryan Modjeski is fine as Archie, who walks with the aid of crutches and is perhaps the most lovable character in the show, but oftentimes he has the most problematic projection issues; due to his thin voice, many of his lines of dialogue and song lyrics get lost. But he's a fine singer, and the audience was obviously rooting for his character.

Most every show has a production number that is not up to snuff when compared to the rest of the show (think "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story). 13: THE MUSICAL has a doozy of one, and this production did nothing to dissuade us from realizing its badness: The overlong "Being a Geek" number, complete with a chorus of teens dressed as rabbis. "Being a Geek" doesn't move the plot nor dazzle with lyrical brilliance. It's just kind of horribly there, like a dead animal on the side of the road. It states the show's theme with a heavy-handed obviousness and is unworthy of the overwhelming excellence of the rest of the score. It's the one moment that seems to slow this very fast and entertaining production down.

13: THE MUSICAL has been expertly directed by Kyle Ann Lacertosa. The staging is clever, including the ensemble's fan dance around the beloved Kendra in the song "Get Me What I Need." And the pace is brisk. Lacertosa is also responsible for the vocal work, which is superior, especially the spot-on harmonies (all of it sung to pre-recorded music). Ashley Cronkhite's choreography is wild and fun and captures the spirit oF Brown's music. Georgina Willmott's costumes are appropriate, and Patrick Bedell's lighting design and Ralph Nurmella's set design certainly work well in the small space. Special mention must be made to the prop people for Evan's very cool, specific bar mitzvah invitations.

Please note that 13: THE MUSICAL is officially rated "PG" by MTI, but the Manatee Players have labeled it "PG-13," which seems more appropriate.

The show ends with two dramatic songs, the touching "If That's What It Is" and the moving "A Little More Homework." But the curtain call number, the exuberant "Brand New You," ends the show with a party atmosphere, a hyperactive rave. The youthful cast even pulls audience members on stage to spread the bliss of this amazing show. And you leave the theatre smiling, replaying all of the great moments in your head. 13: THE MUSICAL, which runs through January 29th, is a show you joyously take with you, which is the best recommendation I can give. Don't miss this hidden gem while you still have the chance.

For tickets, please call (941) 748-5875.

To post a comment, you must register and login.