Middle School Students Captivate Audience with '13'

Seventy-two seventh- and eighth-grade students from took the stage at the auditorium Friday night. The students danced and sang about the social expectations and trivial dramas surrounding the life of a 13-year-old in their production of .

Originally scripted for 13 actors, director Ryan Moore and music director John Deierlein maneuvered the production to include more actors. The stretch to 72 students worked out well, with a couple of dozen students having solos throughout the production. Deierlein and Moore said they were pleased with the performance of these young actors and were thrilled that the audience turnout exceeded their expectations.

According to Deierlein, it was one of the best turnouts for opening night that they’ve ever had.

The energy was high throughout the entire show, and actors were still enthusiastic after stepping off the stage. During the production, the crowd was laughing hard over the relatable antics of the onstage teenagers. The puns were easy to understand, yet still funny, with jokes about acronyms and texting, rumors, kissing and adolescent boredom.

“The humor was good – a good mix of kid humor and adult humor,” said Tom Niehof, father of eighth-grader Robby Niehof, who played the lead role of Evan.

The musical centered around the life of Evan, who gets uprooted from his life in New York City after his parents divorce. He thinks his life has gone into the gutter when his mother moves him to Appleton, IN – or in his eyes, "Nowheresville."

He soon befriends Patrice, played by Jaeina Limbo, whom he later finds out is shunned by the popular crowd in school for her geeky qualities. While caught up in his desire to have the "cool kids" attend his bar mitzvah, he loses sight of what matters most in true friendship.

“Evan’s going through a time in his life where he’s trying to figure everything out," Robby said. "He doesn’t know who he’s going to be with or how’s he’s going to turn out. And as a 13-year-old, I think that’s how everybody’s life is like.”

Alo, Joranstad and others shine in supporting roles

Seventh-grader Lauren Alo, who played the part of Lucy, a girl who is sick of seeing her best friend Kendra get everything she ever wanted, gave one of the more memorable performances of the evening. Lucy, who helped Kendra become cheerleading captain, among other things, draws the line at helping Kendra get the boy Lucy covets, Brett, and Lucy exposes her mean-spirited side.

Not only did Lauren do a superb job at acting catty, but her singing voice was captivating as well.

“I thought it was so much fun," Lauren said. "We had fun doing it, and I think we did really well."

There were many other hidden gems in the vocals department Friday evening, including many cast members who weren’t necessarily leads but had their time to shine with solos. One-liners were spewed cleverly from Zach Joranstad, who played Archie, the ill-stricken boy, and many other supporting roles.

“I probably laughed more in this than I have at professional theater in a long time,” said Shelly Eddy of West Bloomfield. "I think it’s a super good musical."

Eddy’s daughter, Tatum Eddy, is the understudy for the part of Kendra. Tatum will get her moment in the spotlight at the 2 p.m. performance Saturday afternoon.

Moore and Deierlein said they orchestrated the production so there were a handful of understudies for the leads, but so the students' time doesn’t go to waste, the directors let them take center stage for a performance as well. While Friday night’s leads hand over the roles for the day performance, they will still join the cast on stage and play a part of the ensemble.

“Everybody gets a chance, and you really can’t tell the difference between our A and B casts. It’s very cool,” Abbott Middle School Principal Amy Hughes said. “The kids are all amazing, they worked their patooties off.”

The upbeat songs throughout the production were fun for all ages. From singing about kissing Kendra to lying and rumors, most of the numbers had funny, relatable lyrics and energetic tunes.

The sets, which Deierlein headed, were exquisite and appropriate, and – unlike many school productions – the sets were moved efficiently throughout the show. The two-hour production had sets moved on and off the stage so quickly that there was hardly any time between scenes.

“I am very pleased with tonight; it all came together,” Moore said.

Tickets for the 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances may be purchased at the door  for $11 each.