The critics have spoken. The Netflix adaptation of Jason Robert Brown, Dan Elish, and Robert Horn's 13 premieres on the streamer August 12 with the soundtrack releasing on digital and streaming platforms the same day from Ghostlight Records and Atlantic Records.
Directed by Tamra Davis, the coming-of-age comedy-drama follows Evan Goldman, a 12-year-old who finds himself forced to move from NYC to Indiana just as he's readying for his bar mitzvah. The cast also includes Gabriella Uhl, JD McCrary, Frankie McNellis, Lindsey Blackwell, Jonathan Lengel, Broadway The Lion King alum Ramon Reed, Nolen Dubuc, Luke Islam, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Kayleigh Cerezo, Willow Moss, Liam Wignall, and Khiyla Aynne.
READ: 13 Questions for Gabriella Uhl From 13: The Musical
New to the mix for 13: The Musical are some adult characters, played by Debra Messing, Rhea Perlman, Josh Peck, and Peter Hermann. The adaptation also includes three new songs, all penned by Brown.
Read the reviews below.
Paste Magazine (Jesse Hassenger)
Screen Rant (Alexander Harrison)
Solzy at the Movies (Danielle Solzman)
The New York Times (Amy Nicholson)*
* This review is behind a mandatory paywall.
Playbill will continue to update this page as reviews come in.
The stage musical premiered in Los Angeles in 2007, going on to bow on Broadway the following year. The production marked the first—and to date, only—musical to feature a cast and band comprising entirely teenagers. Among the company were a young Graham Phillips, Allie Trimm, and Ariana Grande.
The release is the latest in Netflix's growing catalog of stage-to-screen projects, joining screen adaptations of The Prom and tick, tick...BOOM! and the upcoming Emma Thompson-led Matilda. The streamer is also currently developing a movie version of the Off-Broadway musical The Legend of Georgia McBride and a limited series based on the long-running Broadway musical A Chorus Line.
