13 is an original musical with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn.
Following a move from New York City to small-town Indiana, young Evan Goldman grapples with his parents' divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah, and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school. 13 is the only Broadway musical ever with a cast and band entirely made of teenagers. It originally began previews on September 16, 2008 and officially opened on October 5, 2008 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.
The Broadway production closed on January 4, 2009 after a total of 105 performances. The show was directed by Jeremy Sams and starred Graham Phillips as Evan Goldman and Allie Trimm as Patrice. It also starred Corey Snide as Evan on the matinee performances, Aaron Simon Gross as Archie Walker, Eric Nelsen as Brett Samson, and Delaney Moro as Kendra. Liz Gillies and Ariana Grande played cheerleaders.
Plot synopsis:
Twelve-year-old New Yorker Evan Goldman is soon to have his Bar Mitzvah, and he wants his party to be amazing, but that might not happen because his parents are splitting up as his father starts to fall in love with a stewardess, which causes his mother to file a divorce against her husband ("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 Appleton, Indiana. Once there, however, Evan finds a friend in his neighbor, Patrice, who develops a small crush on Evan while telling him how Appleton, Indiana is ("The Lamest Place in the World").
Later that month, Evan meets Brett Sampson, the most popular kid in school, and tells Brett and his friends to take Kendra, a real pretty girl who Brett wants to date, to a scary movie where Brett can do "The Tongue". Brett nicknames Evan "Brain" because of his idea. Later, Brett asks out Kendra, but Lucy, her jealous friend, tries to tell Kendra she can't go (Hey, Kendra). When Brett tells Evan that the idea seems to have worked, 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 and Evan will be viewed as hanging out with a geek and uncool. Evan does not think that it will be that bad, but when he hands out the invitations, he sees that Patrice is right, and in a moment of panic, he rips up her invitation so that the popular kids will come ("13 (Reprise)"). 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 Evan is the only one who can get Archie the date and if he doesn't, Archie will show up to Evan's Bar Mitzvah and ruin it ("Get Me What I Need"). Evan finally relents. Later, at cheerleading practice, Kendra teaches a new cheer while Lucy resolves to make Brett her boyfriend. 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 and still upset at what he had done to her ("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 and Evan will be the uncool one. Evan cycles through possible plans, eventually realizing that he will have Archie use his illness to guilt Evan's 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 "just set Brett and Archie up to be on dates with the same girl, on the same night, in the same place...." 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").
Everyone gets to the movie, and Brett prepares for "The Tongue", Lucy is on "Tongue Patrol", and Kendra waits for it along with Brett's goons, Eddie and Malcolm, but amidst it all, Patrice is upset because Evan is not sitting with her; he is saving a seat for Archie (Any Minute). When Archie gets there, he pokes Brett with a crutch, and panic ensues: Archie squeezes his face, closes his eyes, and goes in to kiss Kendra, while Brett at the same time, turns his head, sticks out his tongue, and goes in for the kiss. Evan sees, and as he mouths 'Nooooo!', reaches to pull Kendra back, while Lucy reaches for Kendra, too, but only so she can stop Kendra from getting the tongue. When Brett and Archie don't realize that Kendra is out of their way, their mouths meet. Kendra knees Brett in the crotch, trying to stop him from hurting Evan or Archie, after Archie reveals how Evan set him up on a date with Kendra. Brett breaks up with Kendra, and Lucy asks if Brett's "tongue is still available." Meanwhile, Evan is left alone by Patrice ("Good Enough").
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 tells Archie she is not going, but he knows that she is lying. When Patrice gets there, she surprises Evan by helping him help Brett, but instead of telling Brett what to say to Kendra, they end up telling each other that they are sorry, but Brett is oblivious ("Tell Her"). Brett takes their advice, and when he learns that Lucy and Kendra are fighting over him, he interferes, and makes an feeble attempt to get Kendra back, and, to his surprise, she comes back to him. Meanwhile, Lucy learns of it and won't take the hit. 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, and Brett lashes out at Evan. Evan, finally having enough of Brett, stands up to him and says that Archie and Patrice are his real friends. After Brett insults Archie and Patrice, Evan shoves him, but Brett only punches him in the nose, causing it to bleed. Patrice immediately rushes to Evan's aid. Kendra shows kindness towards Archie before running after Brett. Evan wants to call off the Bar Mitzvah because it would only be him, Patrice, and Archie, but Patrice and Archie point out it that won't be that bad, and Evan starts to agree, and then he surprises Patrice with a kiss, and she surprises him back ("If That's What It Is"). Evan has his Bar Mitzvah after all; he is starting to understand what growing up means, and the characters tell of what surprises turning thirteen brought for each of them ("A Little More Homework"). Evan tells the audience that he is "thirteen years old. And [he's] just getting started."
An encore is performed to end the show ("Brand New You").
*Information took from Wikipedia
My Comments about my role in the play:
Lucy is Kendra's best friend, who shouldn't be trusted by anyone. She also has a huge crush on Brett, and tries to get Brett to break up with Kendra so she can start dating him. For the first time ever I will be playing a dark character role in the play. As we know, my character is very energetic and dominant which means that she wants everything to be going her way. She always gets in the way and is interupting the relation between Kendra and Brett because she wants Brett only for herself and she will do everything for it to happen and for her to achieve this goal, and not paying attention and caring that she wants to get Kedra's boyfriend- Brett.
During the process of researching about the character, I
have tried to find as many facts about Lucy as possible. Unfortunately, there
aren’t many facts about her on the internet and neither in books. This is a shame
because I really wanted to know about her as a character and her background in
the play, which may explain why she is behaving in such a way that she is to
her fellow friends. Reading through the script allowed me to figure out that
she is definitely from a wealthy background/ heritage. I have interpreted this
because of the way she is referring to people and the way she is speaking to
them. She has a bossy characteristics and she likes to tell and see people where
they are by telling them. She is very full of herself and states that she is
the best at everything, better than everyone around her, the way she dresses
and the fact that she thinks she is the best looking girl not only in school
but also in the area. I think that the reason why she is behaving in such a way
is because it is the way she’s been taught and that’s the way her family treat
other people that are lower class than them. She seems selfish and may not
always play fair, which is presented in the play. I believe that the way she
was raised by her parents resulted in her being this way to others, although
another factor that may have caused this is loneliness. In many cases, people
of this “classy” sort are unhappy and want to buy happiness, although they find
out that it can’t be done. I think that Lucy’s parents don’t pay enough
attention to her because they have other work related things on their mind (in
order to get richer and richer) and the lost time they try to make up through
buying expensive presents for her. As a result of this I think that Lucy is
trying to attract attention of other people in order to make up the lack of
attention in everyday life at home. Nevertheless, I believe that she is a good
character which is presented in the scene when Lucy is trying to repair the
damage she has done and get back her best friend again, she feels sorrow and
anger about the way she mistreated her best friend. Also, throughout the play
there are flashes of her good side particularly when she asks the audience
(thinks out loud) if she has done something right or wrong.
I think that if someone would have given her a chance and
helped her become a better person, I think that Lucy’s behaviour and attitude
towards others would change for the better and in effect she wouldn’t feel as
lonely as I think she is in the play from the start.
Through this role, I will be presenting a character that is presented like a "teenage whore". Never the less, I am not negative towards this role because Lucy has many faces and is an interesting character to explore and act out. I treat this role as a challenge so that now I can present other/ widened skills that I have through this role. I think that the best thing will be finding myself in this role as well as searching for a way to create this character as realistic as possible. Also from the acting side I can show off: good voice emission, diction, ability to analyse and understand the scenario , the ability to evoke feelings and play, improvisation, stage fight, observation and imitation of my character.I believe that this particular role is ideal for me because I have never played such a role before and I can show off not only my acting but also my singing skills at the same time.My timeline for this month is to practise and learn at home/in free time :
From 11th to 17th April my first and second scene "Hey Kendra" /"Invitations"
From 18th to 24th April my third and fourth scene/ songs "Opportunity"/"Getting ready "/ "Any minute "
From 25th April to 01th May my fifth scene "Bloodmaster fight underscore" "Bad, bad news"/ " Tell her"
From 02th to 08th May my last scenes /songs " Did that work ?You bet it did"/"It cant be true"/ "A little more homework"
From 09th to 15th May - checking my work material thus far, improving work, getting everything together and ready.
Characters and original cast:
Character | Description | Original Goodspeed Cast | Oiginal Broadway Cast | Original West End Cast |
---|---|---|---|---|
Evan Goldman | A twelve-and-a-half-year-old Jewish boy from New York City. | Graham Phillips (Corey Snide on matinee performances.) | Guy Harvey | |
Patrice | A somewhat eccentric and bookish girl. She is the first person which Evan meets and they soon become friends. She has a little crush on Evan. | Allie Trimm | Sienna Kelly | |
Archie | A boy whose energy and looks are unlike anything else in Appleton. He walks on crutches as the result of muscular dystrophy. Patrice's best friend. Madly in love with Kendra. | Aaron Simon Gross | Tim Mahendran | |
Brett | The prototypical junior high school football star. Cool, handsome, and about as smart as a postage stamp. All the girls on the cheerleading team are head over heels to date him. | Eric Nelsen | Jacques Miché | |
Kendra | The prettiest and most popular girl in school. She has a major crush on Brett and they are an on-and-off couple. | Ashton Smalling | Delaney Moro | Hannah Thompson |
Lucy | Kendra's best friend, who shouldn't be trusted by anyone. She also has a huge crush on Brett, and tries to get Brett to break up with Kendra so she can start dating him. | Elizabeth Gillies | Georgia Riley | |
Eddie | One of Brett's goons. A wanna-be who flanks him constantly. | Matthew McGinn | Al Calderon | Jack Cashion |
Malcolm | Kyle Crews | Malik Hammond | Robin Franklin | |
Molly | One of the cheerleaders. | Caitlin Gann | Lindsay Kearns | |
Charlotte | One of the cheerleaders. She sees right through all of Lucy's intentions and tries to warn Kendra but Lucy quickly lies and calls Charlotte "Jealous". | Ariana Grande | Lauren Ellington | |
Cassie | One of the cheerleaders. | Taylor Bright | Brynn Williams | Amara Okereke |
Simon | One of the boys in school. | Joey La Varco | Toby Turpin | |
Richie | Eamon Foley | Sario Watanabe-Solomon |