Parents are stupid, your iPhone is like so old and yes, these leggings go with those shoes.The truths of puberty are universal.Turning into a teenager is hard, even without the pimples.
The musical 13, a Teens N’ Training production, at Andrews Hall through March 17, is about fitting in. And standing out.
The show, says Director Libby Oberlin, “perfectly distills the myriad trials, angst-filled yearnings, and down-right humiliating experiences of early teen-hood into one laugh-out-loud, melodic masterpiece.”
The score by Tony Award-winning Jason Robert Brown combines Motown, 90s R&B, and rock and roll to capture the sound and vibes of the 1993 setting. Sandy Riccardi is the music director of the Sonoma Arts Live production.
“It’s a musical about discovering that ‘cool’ can be found in unexpected places. It explores, with humor and humanity, the sometimes painful labels that can last a lifetime,” says SAL Artistic Director Jaime Love.
The show finds three archetypical groups roaming the halls. The Outcasts: Maggie Cooke, Sophia Strand, and Augustus Rinehart; Jocks and Grunge kids: Cole Gorman, Aiden Blackwood, Jade O’Keefe, Giacomo Patri, and Zack Yankee; and The Cheer Squad: Nika Gorman, Ella Martin, Evy Hall, Gianna Rossetti, Carmen Jagard, Addy Fitzpatrick, and Reina Gibbs.
It’s a cast of talented teenagers so good, Love says, “you’ll relish reliving all the cringe-worthy and memorable moments of this quintessential age.”
The production runs March 14,15,16,17, with shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m, and Sundays at 2 p.m. on the Rotary Stage in Andrews Hall in the historic Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa Street, Sonoma. Sonomaartslive.org
— PHOTOS BY MILLER OBERLIN