Now that the trailer for 13: The Musical has been released, fans of the original Broadway production have a strong sense of what to expect when the film adaptation begins streaming on Netflix on August 12th. Like the original musical, the film of 13 will star a mostly unknown cast of young actors, all of whom will lend their own vocals to the beloved Jason Robert Brown score.
The film has yet to premiere anywhere prior to its digital release, so there are no early reviews that indicate any details about the movie's quality. However, here is what audiences can already know for certain about 13: The Musical.
The Premise Is Largely The Same
The story of 13: The Musical is told through the eyes of Evan Goldman, a young Jewish boy on the brink of his Bar Mitzvah. When his parents split up. Evan finds himself in a small town in Indiana and must learn to fit in with the popular kids if he wants anyone to show up to his Bar Mitzvah party.
Ultimately, this story serves as a framework to allow for the diverse cast of characters to enter Evan's world and reveal their own adolescent struggles. Based on the trailer alone, the story seems to have remained intact, though the look and feel of the trailer suggest that the tale has been updated to 2022.
The Movie Will Be Bigger In Scope
Like many movie musical adaptations from In the Heights to Tick, Tick...Boom!, the film version of 13 seems to have been adapted and expanded to better suit the cinematic form. A more traditional way of thinking about adapting a theatrical piece is deciphering how to "open up" the play in a way that translates to a cinematic reflection of life.
The various exteriors shown in the trailer give the impression that 13 will use the advantages of film to let the story move from location to location. This will likely be most obvious in the contrast between the opening location of Manhattan and Evan's new home in Indiana. The ability to ground those locations in reality could potentially give audiences a greater window into Evan's journey and the change he is experiencing.
The Screenwriter Co-Wrote The Book
Movie musicals can often be criticized by Broadway fans for having a lack of faith to the source material. 13: The Musical is going to avoid this well, as Robert Horn, one of the show's original librettists along with Dan Elish, will pen the film's screenplay.
Horn has had experience writing for both film/television and for the stage. He recently won a Tony Award for the stage adaptation of Tootsie, though Horn will be taking on the opposite task here of bringing a musical to the screen. Still, his experience in both media (he has also written several projects for the Disney Channel) are strong signs that the film will hold true to its roots while remaining firmly planted in its new format.
There Will Be New Music
Early on in the development process for the film, Netflix announced on September 20th, 2019, that the show's original composer and lyricist, Jason Robert Brown, had been hired to contribute new music to the film. This was reported alongside the announcement that Horn was hired to write the script and Tamra Davis was selected to direct.
One of the more successful contemporary musical theatre composers, Jason Robert Brown has achieved critical acclaim for a variety of shows from The Last Five Years to Parade. His work tends to consist of intricate piano arrangements and witty lyricism. Most recently, he composed the music for the Billy Crystal-led musicalized version of Mr. Saturday Night.
No Original Cast Members Are Expected To Appear
One way in which several musical films have nodded to their original Broadway casts is to include cameo moments from those actors in different roles. Chicago included a moment with Chita Rivera (the original Velma Kelly); Dreamgirls cast Loretta Divine (the original Lorrell) in a small role; and, of course, Rita Moreno appeared in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story last year.
Several of the original cast members of 13 have gone on to have successful careers, from Graham Phillips to Ariana Grande. Fans of Grande in particular might have hoped to see the pop star in a cameo in the film adaptation. Though that is still possible, it is an outside possibility as no actor in the Broadway cast is expected to make an appearance.
Evan's Rabbi Is A Character Now
One of the most obvious changes to the original source material that was evident in the trailer was the addition of adult characters in the story. On stage, adults never appeared and the story was solely told from the perspectives of the adolescents. On film, it's a bit harder to achieve that realistically.
The trailer suggests that one of these major adult roles is that of Evan's Rabbi, who will be played by Josh Peck. The casting of Peck is a self-aware choice as he himself was a child actor, best known for his role on the Nickelodeon series Drake and Josh. From the looks of it, Peck's character is engaging, sassy, and could even serve as a mentor figure to Evan in the story.
Debra Messing Plays Evan's Mother
Another prominent adult character is Evan's mother, played by Debra Messing. Evan moves to Indiana with his Mom at the beginning of the film, so the addition of this adult in the film makes the most sense given the circumstances. Messing will also appear alongside Rhea Perlman as her mother and Evan's grandmother.
Messing has had a successful career on stage and on screen, most notably as Grace Adler on the NBC sitcom Will and Grace. This will not be Messing's first musical either, as she was a series regular on the short-lived backstage Broadway show Smash. As Evan's mother, Messing is sure to provide lighthearted moments along with empathy and understanding for this difficult period in her son's life.
This Will Not Be The Last Netflix Musical In 2022
13: The Musical may be premiering on Netflix in less than a month, but it will not be the last movie musical to hit the streaming platform this year. The big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Matilda, which in and of itself is an adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel, will be released in December.
Netflix has produced a series of increasingly successful movie musicals. In 2020, Ryan Murphy's The Prom premiered with an all-star cast that included the likes of Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. Last year, the streamer produced the film directorial debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tick, Tick...Boom! starring Andrew Garfield. These films have found a loyal following, and only time will tell if that same audience will tune into 13 upon its release.