Big Apple City
Evan Goldman is becoming a man in the Big Apple, or so he thought. After his parents divorce, he is forced to have his Bar Mitzvah in Indiana.
“On Broadway, where Robert Horn, Dan Elish, and Jason Robert Brown’s musical originated, this was part of the show’s charm.
In an environment where the relatively small number of productions are split between Disney, classic revivals, and the occasional Hamilton-like phenom,
13 was a refreshingly small-scale operation that seemed made for young musical-theater fans who might not necessarily see themselves in The Phantom of the Opera.
Photo by Sudan Ouyang from Unsplash
Sure, it was a little corny, but so are most “adult” musicals that charge $200 a ticket.” (Paste Magazine)
Musical Conventions
13 is unique with no adults in the cast; it is easier to suspend disbelief for the immature choices driven by dating. 13 has a song,
Terminal Illness, which focuses on Archie, a character with muscular dystrophy. A progressive neuromuscular condition. Terminal Illness is about Evan using Archie’s disability to secure R-rated movie tickets for a date.
Authentic Teenagers
Archie is hormone-crazed for Kendra, the most popular girl in school, and Brett, the most popular guy.
Evan purposefully tells Archie he can date Kendra if he uses the pity he receives from his muscular dystrophy to his advantage and gets Evan’s mother to pay for the tickets to the Bloodmaster.
While Evan is more focused on his Bar Mitzvah than Archie, the song and Archie are self-aware of disability. Evan:
“Listen, I’m not making fun. Of your terminal Illness. But you hold the secret to getting my mom to say yes. No one says no to a boy with a terminal illness.
Who could refuse when you shuffle your shoes and say please? Use all the tricks that you learned in your cradle. You don’t need to lay it on thick with a ladle. ‘Cause no one says no to a boy with a fatal disease!”
Self Awareness
Archie is a charismatic character and, earlier in the musical, has a number of Get Me What I Need; he tells Evan that having a date with Kendra is his dying wish. Terminal Illness is a musical number that shows Evan views a disability as an advantage he can use, partly because Archie also uses it that way.
Nuances in “Offensive” Songs
During the number of Terminal Illnesses, the question “who could complain?” refers to this plan. Evan responds, “Except for you because you’re dying. In the next stanza, Archie responds, “Except for you because you’re Jewish and you always complain.” Evan says, “It’s true.” Both responses are played for laughs.
This song shows both boys are willing to use what they can to get a date. Throughout the musical, Archie makes jokes about his disability. It is played for laughs as self-deprecating humor. “No one makes fun of me on the special needs bus. That would be ironic.”
The movie adaptation omits all of these small details about Archie and songs such as Terminal Illness most likely to modernize the musical to be less offensive. However these songs drive the musical plot forward that has a more realistic depictions of a person’s early teenage years.
References
Hessenger, J. (2022). 13: The Musical Follows Broadway Tradition by Becoming a Terrible Movie. Paste Magazine. https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/13-the-musical-review