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Schools

Laughing at Those Awkward Teen Years in "13"

Over 110 Mineola High School students star in musical comedy of typical teen problems.

It’s fairly common getting laughed at in high school. It can be traumatic going through those awkward teen years but it’s another thing entirely to poke fun at the entire experience altogether and a delicate balancing act to pull off.

For their annual spring play, the thespians decided to mount a new musical which had never been seen on their stage: “13.”

“It’s real life in a musical,” play producer Peter Freeman said.

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In the opening scene the play’s lead “Evan,” played by Matt Eisen, sings, “I’m getting ready for my Bat Mitzvah, my parents are splitting up and I have hair growing in places that I didn’t even know were places.”

Concluding the scene, the chorus laments “I want to party, I want to drink, I want to get my braces off… But I just keep hearing, ‘you’re just not ready’.”

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The Dan Elish book does incite laughter from the audience in almost every scene, as sophomores Caroline Mueller and Marissa Cotrono recall director Joseph Owens laughing consistently during rehearsals.

Evan will have to face his parents splitting up, moving to a small town, and having to choose between his ‘geeky’ friend and the cool crowd in school.

“It’s about 113 kids doing a play about their life and to watch them grow through it is tremendous,” Owens said.

“They put in a lot of hours so you get out what you put in and they’re good,” father Chris Gorry said of Saturday night’s opening performance. “My son has been in the musicals for 4 years and he loves it.”

While “13” is a production which aims to reach across the generations, with teens relating to their current lives while adults may – to their chagrin – find kernels of truth in their own adolescence.

The final performances are Saturday at Tickets are $10 at the door.

Cast of Characters
Evan Matt Eisen Patrice Rebecca Bastos Brett Marco Lisone Eddie Joe Massaro Malcom Joe Lao Lucy Siobhan Adams Kendra Natalie Post Cassie Brittany Vera Molly Emily Mahlmann Simon Kevin Merino Richie Rohit Singla Charlotte Kristyn Velez Archie Danny Willis

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