“13, THE MUSICAL” AT THE OPERA HOUSE THRU 2/6/12

30 Jan “13, THE MUSICAL” AT THE OPERA HOUSE THRU 2/6/12

A  Sheridan Arts Foundation’s Young People’s Theater production for grades 9 – 12

I mean really. If you are a kid living in New York forced to relocate to that black hole in the middle of  America, namely – and no offense here, I am riffing off Saul Steinberg’s famous New Yorker cover – Indiana, you no longer have it all. Especially not if you are Jewish and about to be bar mitzvahed. I mean, Out There, Wonder Bread WASP tweens and teens think a bar mitzvah might just be a great place to get a drink.

Welcome to the world of soon to be 13-year-old Evan Goldman. And to director extraordinaire Jen Julia’s latest Sheridan Arts Foundation Young People’s Theatre production: “13, The Musical.”

“13” is performed Friday and Saturday, February 3 – 4, and again on Monday, February 6. (Duh, not on Super Bowl Sunday.) Showtime is 6 p.m. nightly at the Sheridan Opera House.

“13, The Musical,” is a grown-up story about a boy who was popular, had the perfect family and lived in the greatest city in the world: New York. That is until his parents got divorced and Evan is forced to move with his mom to Indiana, “The Lamest Place in the World.” Uprooted from his old and really rad life, Evan has to navigate the minefields of Dan Quayle Junior High (school mascot: the Quails), trying to win friends and influence the cool goys and gals to attend his Big Day. En route, our hero has to escape rumors and blackmail while learning what is really and truly important to him.

Remember Middle School? It is all about braces, first kisses, and crying in the bathroom at the school dance. It’s friendships and freak-outs, hormones and heartbreak. For the 26 cast members of “13 The Musical,” that is a world they have only recently left behind. And that’s what makes their performances so spectacular.

“Get ready for some of the most raw, honest, and hilarious performances you’ve ever seen from our high school students,” gushes Jen. “The show is modern and edgy, with rockin’ music and all of the middle school angst that everyone will be able to remember and laugh at…It is just so much fun.”

“13” features all the usual suspects: fashion-obsessed cheerleaders, jocks and bullies, and kids who just don’t fit in. The play also explores the first forays into romance, including lots and lots of conversation about “The Tongue.”

More song titles provide a glimpse into the play’s adolescent world: “The Lamest Place in the World,” “What it Means to be a Friend,” and “A Little More Homework to Do.”

“13” is perfect entertainment for the entire family – although it does explore typical adolescent themes.

Reserved seat tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for kids 12 and under. Lap kids are free. Tickets are available at www.sheridanoperahouse.com or by calling the Sheridan Opera House box office, 970.728.6363 x 5.

For a preview, check out this video: