And with new but ultimately inconsequential roles for a handful of adult characters (who also include Rhea Perlman as Evan’s grandma and Josh Peck as his hip rabbi), the plot of "13: The Musical" floats away like cotton candy in water.ġ3 The Musical. Indeed, everyone in this middle school is so goshdarn nice, kind and equitable that it’s hard to buy any of these characters having any sort of conflict with one another. For instance, instead of Evan cruelly blowing off kindly nerd Patrice (Gabriella Uhl) in order to worm his way in with the vapid cool kids - which would justify her later anger - we get Evan kindly asking Patrice if they can hang out later while he befriends the equally kind cool kids who welcome him with open arms. But the trouble is that instead of fully reworking the material around that new theme, Davis and Horn just sand off the show’s rough edges to the point where character motivations and dramatic stakes are practically non-existent, if not downright nonsensical. It’s an understandable, even admirable impulse. WATCH FREE ON TUBI: The musical underdog story "Howard High" - get the app Yet while the stage show told that story with a snarky, satirical edge, director Tamra Davis and screenwriter Robert Horn retool their version of "13: The Musical" into a kindhearted "Ted Lasso"-style story without any heroes and villains, just flawed young people trying their best. What follows is a story about fitting in and finding yourself, as Evan tries to carve out his own space amidst the complex eighth grade ecosystem of jocks, nerds, cool kids and loners. (L to R) Eli Golden as Evan, Gabriella Uhl as Patrice in 13 The Musical. But "13: The Musical" is too glossy, slick and squeaky clean even compared to past Netflix tween projects like "The Baby-Sitters Club" and "Julie and the Phantoms." While those shows balanced their wholesome tones with the comedic quirks and relatable social anxieties of middle school life, "13: The Musical" is so sanitized it feels more like a 90-minute Gap Kids ad.ġ3 The Musical. Of course, a colorful, upbeat musical about eighth graders is never going to appeal to everyone. Yet while Netflix’s new adaptation of the 2008 stage show keeps the talented tweens, it loses most of its magic in translation. That juiced up its simple story of middle school drama with some endearing, energetic novelty value. Alan Markfield/Netflix © 2022.Ĭhicago - On stage, Jason Robert Brown’s musical "13" came with a ready-made hook: It was the first (and so far, the only) Broadway musical to be performed entirely by teenagers - right down to the band. (L to R) Ramon Reed as Eddie, Frankie McNellis as Lucy, Eli Golden as Evan, Shechinah Mpumlwana as Cassie, Gabriella Uhl as Patrice, Khiyla Aynne as Charlotte, Luke Islam as Carlos in 13 The Musical.
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