[NEohioPAL] Review of "13" at FPAC

[Bob Abelman]

FPAC's triple-threats deliver an outstanding "13"

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 2/26/10

 

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Chances are that before the ink fades (more likely, before the ink dries) these names will be featured in a playbill of a Broadway musical:  Dani Apple. Jordan Brown. Kyle Cohen. Alexis Floyd. Aric Floyd. Jessie Gill. Caroline Hatch. Codie Higer. Dan Hoy. Daniel Sovich. Miles Sternfeld. Elle Vertes. Sam Welch.

 

These 13 teens constitute the cast in the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory's (FPAC) Ohio premiere of the musical "13"-an all-kids production currently on stage at the Mayfield Village Civic Center.

 

At first glance, "13" has all the earmarks of something on the Disney Channel.  The play is about 8th grade angst-that confusing time in our lifecycle when our bodies, our world-view and-for guys-our voices, are in a state of flux.  The featured bearer of all this inner turmoil is Evan, a Jewish teenager who moves from New York City to white bread Appleton, Indiana after his parents' divorce.  The play explores the choices he makes and the chances he takes to break through the social barriers that separate middle school insiders from outcasts.

 

The production is performed under the auspices of FPAC's Youth and Teen Theatre program, but this is no Disney fare and this is no youth production.

 

Dan Elish and Robert Horn's script captures the timelessness and universality of teenage awkwardness, and does so with frank and funny wordplay spoken by cleverly crafted characters.   Although the dialogue occasionally lapses into precociousness-the result of adults putting words into kids' mouths-it mostly comes across as actual and earnest teen-speak. 

 

The 18 musical numbers composed by Jason Robert Brown-contemporary theater's reigning King of endearing lyrics about life's turbulent transitions-are textured , pop-rock odes to acculturation, with titles like "The Lamest Place in the World" "and "Brand New You."  

 

This show requires triple-threat performers whose powerhouse singing, passionate and precise dancing, and true-to-life acting can carry Elish and Horn's rich banter and Brown's sophisticated compositions.  In fact, it requires performers so good that the few wrinkles in the script and the occasional speed bumps in the music go unnoticed.

 

The original Broadway cast of "13" did not measure up, resulting in a disappointing three month engagement.  This troupe of FPAC players, under the superb direction of Sean Szaller, music direction of Rob Kovacs and very creative choreography by Bebe Weinberg Katz, most certainly has what it takes.  

 

Each and every one of the 13 has the goods and displays a level of savvy and kinetic energy found only on the professional stage.   Everyone performs all-out for the duration of the 90-minute production, takes immense risks without a moment of self-consciousness or self-doubt and, in last Sunday's sold-out performance, hits each and every mark.

 

This show is a sum of its collective parts, but some featured parts need mentioning.  They include the palatability of Miles Sternfeld's vulnerability in his depiction of the new boy in town; Dani Apple's soaring voice, which adds depth and dimension to her portrayal of a local outcast; and Jordan Brown's use of his character's degenerative muscle disease to inform his character rather than to define it.

 

Oh, and Aric Floyd and Daniel Sovich are flat out brilliant as the comically soulful sidekicks to the school jock.  

 

The production's only hiccup is that some ensemble players did not sufficiently dumb down their incredible dancing and singing so to better blend with the rest of the cast, who are merely superb singers and dancers.   Imagine, a show so stacked with talent that some performances are too damn good.  

 

Dani Apple. Jordan Brown. Kyle Cohen. Alexis Floyd. Aric Floyd. Jessie Gill. Caroline Hatch. Codie Higer. Dan Hoy. Daniel Sovich. Miles Sternfeld. Elle Vertes. Sam Welch.

 

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"13" continues through February 28 at the Mayfield Village Civic Center, 6622 Wilson Mills Road in Mayfield Village.  For tickets, which are $8 to $12, call 440-338-3171.
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