"13" Review-9/21/08- Page 2

[PottstownTeacher]

Posted: 9/25/08 at 1:58pm

I noticed there is an Alternate for the role of "Evan", I believe. What performances does the Alternate perform at?

[xhopex]

Posted: 9/25/08 at 3:01pm

Ahh Corey Snide He performs Sunday and Sat Mats. I would go and see him if i were you. After seeing him in billy elliot 3 times, I can say he is AMAZING !! Great dancer,lovely singer and stunning dancer. Don't be put off with everyone who say " dont see the understudies" who cares...they will all be fab

[BrickPollitt]

Posted: 9/25/08 at 4:57pm

BADDDD JOKES
Bland music
Terrible book
Awful choreography
High school level performances

What a bad show.

[Dorinda924]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 4:32pm

"The band was the highlight of the show."

The all teen band is definitely one of the best things about "13." Very, very impressive. I'm surprised they are not getting more notice.

[Sauja]

Posted: 9/27/08 at 7:06pm

I'm surprised by all the hate for this show. It's not great, but I thought it was a totally passable night at the theater. At $13 a ticket through an MTC discount (not sure what the relation is there, but that's who e-mailed the promotion), I liked it enough the first time to go back again. Significant changes from last Saturday to last night: it's down to one act, and they ditched "Opportunity" and that dreadful Act I closer. All changes for the better.

I don't necessarily think this is Broadway-ready. It's a small, cute show. It feels a bit out of place in a big house, but worse things have happened. I worry a bit about the voices of some of the kids. At each performance, there were some that sounded noticeably strained, particularly Evan the first time I saw it and Lucy the second--the latter especially needs to be told to tone the belt down, to save her voice AND her performance.

The standout of the show is Allie Trimm as Patrice. I'm excited about the idea of the kinds of performances she'll be turning out in another five or ten years.

[lite2shine]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 8:25pm

>Sauja, of course it's passable if you can see it for $13. It's cheaper than (well almost) than a movie ticket. I wouldn't mind seeing it again if it's $13 but if everybody only pays $13, then the show cannot sustain its run.

[actor2be]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 11:45pm

just as broadwayfan3 has done, i would like to give a little run down on all of the characters and their performances.

Archie: (Aaron Simon Gross) Aaron was a very talented young actor and singer. I dont know about his dancing because in the show he has a terminal illness so he obviously wont be dancing. I thought Aaron pulled off his role rather well.

Brett: (Eric M. Nelsen) Now, I did not think Eric was all that great. I thought his acting was good, but his singing and dancing just didnt cut it for me. He is a great dancer dont get me wrong, but whenever the whole cast had a dance break, he would be going at it so hard that it just looked awkward and looked as if he were trying to steal attention from his castmates. I also didnt like that he was in the front of all the dances, let some of the others, such as Joey LaVarco, get a time to shine! Hes a nice singer but doesnt have that great of a quality to his voice. Some singing lessons and he will be great.

Cassie (Brynn Williams) WHAT A VOICE!! I've never heard such a powerful belter at that age! Brynn did an amazing job as her role of Cassie. Her dancing was on, her singing was superb, and her acting was pretty good. I am just worried that she is going to blow out her voice before they even get a month of the show done! 8 days a week of a young girl's voice belting is definitely not good...but nonetheless Brynn was very good.

Charlotte: (Ariana Grande) Once again, what a voice!! Ariana had a very nice tone and quality to her voice. Her dancing was good enough to be in "13" and her acitng was great! When i say her dancing was good enough i dont mean she was bad. I just mean she didnt do anything to stand out as a dancer. Acting and Singing are definitely her strong points.

Eddie: (Al Calderon) This young actor has very nice acting skills! Quite possibly the best actor of the show, his comedic timing was exact! His singing was good and his dancing was, like Ariana, good enough to be cast. Definitely one of the more entertaining characters.

Evan: (Graham Phillips) Now Graham is definitely lucky he was given two performances off during the week because i definitely do not think he would have been able to withstand all of those shows. His singing has a very unique tone and quality to it which i liked. His acting was a tad awkward, some think this is ok becuase his character is supposed to be awkward. But this acting wasnt the kind where you know hes trying to be awkward. This was acting where the actor himself is just awkward in general. Even Graham's dancing, he was always in the back and i would peek every once in a while and it seemed as if he didnt know what dance step was coming next! I find this very shocking for a lead role. But overall, his singing was nice, acting was decent, dancing needs some work.

Kendra: (Delaney Moro) Delaney played the role of the "princess of the school" very nicely and seems very professional. But, her singing and dancing was very forgettable. I dont remember any times in the show where i thought "wow that girl is a good singer or dancer" Maybe i just wasnt paying attention... but from what i did notice, Delaney is a talented actress.

Lucy: (Elizabeth Gillies) Elizabeth played her role very well. Her singing was nice, her acting was nice, and her dancing, like Delaney, was forgettable sadly. Although, i definitely know what most people are saying when they say they were expecting a huge belting finish after each of her solos, but it never came which was a very big let down. Of course thats not Elizabeth's fault, but it was dissappointing.

Malcom: (Malik Hammond) Malik is most known in this show for his skillful dancing abilities. His singing was pretty good and his acting was decent. Sadly, he did not compare to Al Calderon when they were in their duets.

Molly: (Caitlin Gann) Caitlin is an extremely skilled dancer. Definitely the best dancer in the show. Her singing was decent and her acting was pretty good. I would say that she overacted a little during the song "Opportunity" when all the cheerleaders are dancing, but that song was cut so there is no need to worry. Other than that Caitlin did a nice job! =]

Patrice: (Allie Trimm) As you all must know already from previous reviews, Allie was definitely a hit of the show. Her acting was very good for her character, her singing was superb, and her dancing was good. I think that she will definitely go far with her career along with most of the others from this cast, such as Ariana, Brynn, and Eamon (just to name a few).

Richie: (Eamon Foley) WHAT AN AMAZING VOICE! This young man has a tremendous singing ability! He really had his moment to shine during "Bad Bad News" where he belts a high note for who knows how long! Eamon's dancing was wonderful and his acting was amazing! DEFINITELY a triple-threat performer! Amazing =]

and last but certainly not least

Simon: (Joey LaVarco) Joey has a lot of talent, but he was not able to showcase it during "13" due to his role. He has a cameo role and not once in the show really got a moment to shine in singing, dancing, or acting! This is not his fault of course, and i think he should definitely be written some solos where he can show of his voice or something! Its defintitely not fair that he was in the back of all the dances, but hey, thats show business for ya! But, from what i saw of him, Joey has pretty good acting skills, good singing skills, and pretty good dancing skills.



And thats the cast!!!

Collectively as a whole the cast was phenomenal i thought. Everyone brought a little something to the table and i definitely appreciated it. they are all definteily blessed to be part of such an amazing show (in my opinion).

I will admit, the plot is a little corny and predictable but, as a teenager myself, i could definitely connect to the story (as corny as that sounds). The was show was actually inspiring because it showed me all kids around my age that are living my dream! I definitely suggest any teenager who is interested in pursuing acting as a career to see this show. Even if your a teen and not looking to pursue acting, see it anyway! It's defintiley and entertainging show and you wont want to miss it!

[Insider2]

Posted: 9/29/08 at 10:46am

I was just interested to note that the person calling those who dislike 13 "miserable bitches", saying that he "loved it", has as his avatar that masterpiece of modern musical theatre, In My Life. I don't think THAT miserable show lasted two months, and looks like 13 is headed for the same fate.

[ropedancer]

Posted: 10/1/08 at 12:54am

I'd like to hear more about the changes made so far in previews. I saw it when that dreadful ACT one closer still existed.
In fact, I think I tried to blame the kid's dancing-- only to realize it was Corey Snide-- who I assume has to be a dancer since he was one of the Billy Elliots. lol.

Opportunity needed to go, if only to take out one other "opportunity" to realize that the "head cheerleader" is the show's weakest dancer.

Sorry to say it for all the hate-filled grumblers, but I still managed to enjoy the show.

[jaybrrd]

Posted: 10/1/08 at 7:35am

I'm surprised by the level of vitriol being directed at 13 on this thread. Given that it often seems like the average age of the posters here feels like 13, I'd expect you to respond better to something directed at your level.

I kid, I kid... (just don't respond by saying "whatever im like totally 16!!!!11!1!" -- it doesn't help your credibility :)

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the show. I did, very much... and that's coming from a relatively geezery 28 year old. Is it stuff of great art? Nah. It's not JRB's finest hour, but the score in enjoyable (except that All Hail The Brain song... rewrite that quick) and I have to give him credit for wading into largely uncharted territory and taking a creative risk he had to know might not pan out.

I saw the show on Thursday night, the day after they cut the intermission and two songs. When such a drastic change is made that close to the freeze you know there's a bit of trouble afoot. The end result was a mixed bag. The writers would occasionally slip into a more adult voice that wasn't really realistic or appropos for 13 year olds... when was the last time you heard a 13 year old kid refer to someone as neurotic? The story is fine, but the script is a bit hackneyed.

All told, this probably doesn't belong on Broadway. And I don't think it was specifically written for Broadway, anyway. This show will make a mint in licensing; I think every community theatre will jump on the property the second it's made available.

The kids are pouring the hearts into it, and I'm not going to delve into their individual performances and critique them. They're 13, for Christ's sake. (OK, some are 15, but the point's the same!) I walked in expecting cracked notes and less-than-Brando acting. Reading some of the previous posts here I get the feeling some of you walked in expecting acting on par with some of the recent O'neill revivals. Seriously, come off it.

Oh, and for the person who took offense to how the other characters treated Archie... do you even remember what it was like being 13? I thought that was the most realistic aspect of the show. I went to a middle school that had a special needs program that mixed in with general population for some of the elective classes... and those kids were treated like total poo. I didn't find it offensive, I found it completely honest... and in a time where there's an influx of false emotion and manipulative structure (Hello, Wicked!), that's refreshing.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 10/1/08 at 9:55am

I'm only going off of the OBCR here, but Graham's voice's "unique" quality is that he's incredibly nasally.

I thought that Lucy was the strongest singer by far. I couldn't even hate her because her vocals were so fantastic. I worry about those kids' vocal cords, though--those songs aren't exactly healthy for developing voices.

Also, since you saw the show, perhaps you could enlighten me: do Evan and Patrice just stay friends throughout the show?