Great Local Shows - Theatrical Reviews
| Title | 13, the Musical |
| Organization | Rocklin Community Theatre |
| Date(s) of show | September 27 - October 26, 2013 |
| Reviewer | Dick Frantzreb |
| Review | This was the sixth time I’ve seen a production of
“13, the Musical” in recent years, and I have some great memories of
past shows. But I was really looking forward to Rocklin Community
Theatre’s version because it’s fundamentally a great show. I’ll confess,
though, that I was a little nervous, sitting in the dark and waiting for
it to begin. I was nervous because, to me, the show depends on the main
character of 13-year-old Evan, and I’ve seen some Evans who weren’t
quite credible in the role. But when the lights went up, this Evan
(Brett Young) seized control of the stage and went into his first song
with such confidence and style that my anxieties were put to rest. Brett is really13 (and most of the kids in the cast could at least pass for 13), and from that first number, I was impressed with his strong voice. Actually, I have to add that I heard many remarkably good solo voices last night. I’ve seen productions that suffered from the vocal limitations of good young actor, but there was none of that here. Not all the singers were equally strong, but hey, they’re supposed to be 13 years old, so a slightly immature voice is realistic. That said, I heard half a dozen kids who had really outstanding voices. And when they put that song across in character, it was real musical theater. The musical score of this show is one of its great strengths. It’s mostly rock music, and, to me, it was toe-tapping fun from beginning to end. And the 6-piece band really rocked. But so did the kids. There was a lot of cute choreography, and the kids really got into it. The dance moves weren’t always in perfect synchronization, but it seemed to me that each young performer was inspired – sometimes even possessed. Speaking of choreography, it’s obvious that every director has many opportunities for putting their own creative stamp on a production – sometimes a brilliant one. For example, I’ll never forget the dancing rabbis in Placer High School’s production of “13” a few years ago. In this show, a similar highlight was “Being a Geek.” Actually, this number wasn’t even included in some of the recent productions of “13” that I’ve seen. But last night, I was artfully staged and screamingly funny. Years from now, I’ll remember this number. If they had it on YouTube, I’d watch it again and again. Last night I was aware that there was hardly any set or set pieces, and the scene was mostly created by a projected image on a screen to the right of the main stage. But in the final analysis, it didn’t matter. The main thing, apart from the music, was the wonderful comedy, and it seemed to me that these young actors (guided by their directors, of course) capitalized on the potential of each comic opportunity. It may have been the sixth time I’d seen the show, but I laughed all the way through. To me, the casting was very nearly perfect. I was about to mention the kids individually, but I stopped when I recalled that this show is mostly double-cast. I saw the New York Cast, but I bet the Indiana Cast is as fun to watch as the players I saw last night. Not only was the acting strong, but there were various points in the show where an ensemble member or minor character had the opportunity to dance or sing out front, and I could see that the talent in this production ran deep. Eventually the action drew to a close, and all the players took their bows. Those of us in the audience applauded enthusiastically, thinking it was all over. But they gave us one more big encore so full of energy and joy that we were all on our feet before it was completely over. This last number – like the whole show – was dazzling. And of the six productions I’ve seen, I think it will rank as my favorite. |
