Bob Boyett and Tim Levy will produce the production, which features a score by Brown and a book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn. Jeremy Sams directs.
The creative team will also include choreographer Christopher Gattelli and music director Tom Kitt. Rehearsals are scheduled to begin July 28.
13 is now playing Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, CT; that production is also directed by Sams. The casting notice states, however, that "all roles are currently available, as are understudies and future replacements."
The musical, revised since its 2007 Los Angeles premiere at the Mark Taper Forum (Dec. 22, 2006-Feb. 18, 2007), concerns "coming of age, teen traumas and high school survival," and will play Goodspeed's Norma Terris through June 8.
According to Goodspeed, "Evan Goldman has it all — he's popular, has the 'perfect' family and lives in the greatest city in the world — New York. That is until his parents get divorced and he's forced to move — to a small town in Indiana. Uprooted from his old life, he has to make new friends and somehow maneuver the minefield of High School to become part of the 'in-crowd.' With wit and searing honesty, 13 is a hilarious, high-energy musical for all ages. It's about the lessons one learns throughout life and the discovery that the journey to who you want to be starts with discovering who you are." The Goodspeed creative team also includes set and costume designer David Farley (Broadway's Sunday in the Park with George) and lighting designer Brian MacDevitt (a Tony Award winner for The Coast of Utopia, The Pillowman and Into the Woods).
13 was originally commissioned and produced by Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles (Michael Ritchie, artistic director; Charles Dillingham, managing director); by special arrangement with Bob Boyett.
Jason Robert Brown, who was the musical director and arranger for the musical Urban Cowboy, won the Tony Award for Best Score for his Broadway debut, Parade (a revised version of Parade recently played London's Donmar Warehouse). His two-person musical, The Last Five Years, played a brief run at Off-Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre and was preserved on Sh-K-Boom Records. Brown also composed the score for Songs for a New World and wrote incidental music for Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, The Waverly Gallery and the Irish Repertory Theatre's production of Long Day's Journey Into Night. His newest musical is titled 13. He also recently presented a workshop of another new musical, Honeymoon in Vegas, which is based on the film of the same name.
*
At Goodspeed, the central role of Evan Goldman is played by Graham Philips and Hudson Thames in rotating performances. Philips appeared in A Christmas Carol: the Musical with Jim Dale at Madison Square Garden, as Young Clyde in the world premiere of An American Tragedy at The Metropolitan Opera and as the Little Prince in The Little Prince at New York City Opera. Los Angeles native Thames recently appeared in Distracted at the Mark Taper Forum, and in the role of Jason in Falsettos with Jason Alexander at the Wilshire Theater.
Archie is played by Aaron Simon Gross (Off-Broadway's Brundibar and A Stoop on Orchard Street); Patrice is played by Allie Trimm (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!); Eric Nelson (Off-Broadway's Time Being, Ragamuffins, Interaction, Every Man, Five Guns Four Bullets) plays Brett; Elizabeth Gillies (The American Girl Revue in New York City) plays Lucy; Kendra is played by Ashton Smalling (Baby June in Gypsy with Patti LuPone at the Ravinia Festival); Charlotte is played by Ariana Grande; Molly is played by Caitlin Gann (Baby June in Gypsy at the Ivoryton Playhouse); Cassie is played by Taylor Bright (30th anniversary national tour of Annie); Eamon Foley (Broadway's Gypsy, Assassins and How the Grinch Stole Christmas) plays Steve; Joey La Varco plays Bill; Kyle Crews is Malcolm; and Alberto Calderon (2007 Radio City Christmas Spectacular) is Eddie.
