Angst, plus music, equals '13'
Authored by Mitchell Vantrease, Today staff writer for YourWestValley.com
Teenage angst and rock music are at the forefront in the show “13: The Musical,” which opens Friday at Spolight Youth Theatre.
Director Shawna Quain Weitekamp said all ages will identify with the Jason Robert Brown-penned rock musical.
“This show really deals with the important issues of growing up and the balance in trying to find yourself in new places,” Weitekamp said. “We’ve all experienced this at one point in our lives, when we were kids just looking for our own spot in life.”
The musical follows the life of 13-year-old Evan Goldman as he and his family move from New York City to a small town in Indiana, which conflicts with his bar mitzvah celebration.
In 2008, “13” debuted on Broadway and ran for three months before it closed. Since then, the musical has been finding a resurgence with local youth theaters.
Spotlight’s cast features 20 kids between the ages of 11 to 16, most 12 or 13. For this reason, Weitekamp said they’ll identify with the material more.
“It’s evident they’ll be able to channel these characters more than, say, a show like ”˜Guys and Dolls,’ which is coming up later in the season,” Weitekamp said. “They’re living this life now, but that also makes it a lot harder for them to perform as well.”
Weitekamp, who also choreographed “13,” said she’s proud of the cast’s hard work on the script, dances and music.
Musical director Mark 4man said he considers “13” a children’s version of “Rent,” the hit Broadway rock musical that deals with more adult-oriented issues such as AIDS and drug use.
“(Jason Robert Brown) has done a wonderful job of writing a rock show with great teen angst and pressing issues,” 4man said. “There is a real foundation for our cast to work with, and I believe they’ve worked hard to achieve what people will see.”
4man said the songs are more mainstream than typical musical theater tunes.
Because it’s a rock musical, 4man said “13” requires a certain amount of energy, and he made sure the cast delivers through their vocal performances.
“We had to reiterate that on a regular basis,” 4man said. “They had to own it from the beginning and be on a different energy level.”
Both 4man and Weitekamp said the cast has worked hard, and the audience will know it from the start.
“These kids were willing to learn and soak up everything,” 4man said. “They really own these parts.”
