Being a teenager can be an angst-filled, trauma-induced stage of life. Your worries start with acne and travel through peer pressure to popularity in dating. Whether you're a member of the cool in-crowd or a nerd can make all the difference in the success of your high school years.
Imagine your name is Evan Goldman and you live in Manhatten, one of the neatest cities on the planet. You have tons of friends, you're well-liked and you're planning a Jewish traditional rite of passage, a Bar Mitzvah. Now factor in a divorce and a compulsory move to Appleton, Indiana where you will know no one and you're suddenly the new weird kid who has an uphill climb similar to Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a mountain and never making it to the top.
Welcome to "13 The Musical," with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn, at Waterbury's Seven Angels Theatre, with two performances Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. Twenty-nine teens, filled with energy and talent, will bring this musical to blooming life thanks to Stage II, Community Collaborative, under the skilled direction of Semina DeLaurentis.
Carey Cannata's Evan is trying to get a handle on life in Small Town, U.S.A. and he's great in the part. His next door neighbor Patrice, a congenial Autumn Sheffy, invests her time and effort to make Evan feel comfortable and ease his transition into Dan Quayle High School. His plan is to win the friendship of the school jock Brett (Phillip Coffey), help Brett get a date with his dream girl Kendra (Rachel Dufresne) and, in the process, win the support of Eddie (Tim Perry), Malcolm (Michael Newman) and Lucy (Zoe Hochberg) and all the gang.
When a disabled student Archie (Michael Ricciardone) arrives on the scene, Evan discovers that he must choose: the in-group with Brett who look down from their tower of power at everyone below or the misfits who include Patrice and Archie. How Evan grows up, as he is perched on the cusp of manhood, and learns the true meaning of friendship and love, is worth a trip to Waterbury. Songs such as "Tell Her," "If That's What It Is," "A Little More Homework" and "Brand New You" help advance the story line and the challenges all teens face.
For tickets ($27, subscribers $22 ), call Seven Angels Theatre, Plank Road, Waterbury at 203-757-4676 or online at www.SevenAngelsTheatre.org. Be sure to buy the special Fascia's chocolates that will benefit and encourage this great youth theater project. Watch for "Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage" starring Michelle Gotay and Mauricio Pita coming January 24, 25, 26, 31, February 1 and 2.
Two nights of comedy are planned for Valentine's Day with a quartet of New York City comedians, headlined by Billy Garan, with shows Friday, February 14 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, February 15 at 8 p.m. Champagne and chocolates are included. Call for reservations.
Help Evan discover what's really important and how the wrong choices can be rectified with a little help from your friends.
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