Abbott Middle School Students Will Sing This Weekend About Being '13'

A cast of 72 students are busily preparing both in class and after school for the opening night of the annual musical on Feb. 25.

This year the production will be   based on the story of a high school student whose life is turned upside down when his family uproots him and he has to attend a new school. 

The decision to do 13 came easily to director Ryan Moore, who said this musical is still fairly new and that many of the surrounding schools and community theaters haven’t touched it yet.

“We also like to have a variety; we try to mix it up every year,” Moore said. “We have a heavy show one year, a lighter the next. Likewise, a historical one and then a contemporary one the year after.”

Although the musical was created with parts for 13 teenagers, Moore and musical director John Deierlein decided to stretch that number to involve a higher number of students. Eventually, they were able to make parts for 59 additional seventh- and eighth-grade students.

“We want to give a lot of the kids a chance to take part so we divided up some of the solos and tried to make it so everyone has something to do,” Deierlein said.

Moore and Deierlein both said they like the modern twist. Instead of having children imagining themselves as a king, queen, slave or pharaoh, the students instead have to channel the 13-year-old in them. Since many of them are in fact 13, it wasn’t hard to do. The story line focuses on the typical pressures of a young teenager, such as the question of cliques and popularity.

“The kids really kind of understand the story right away and understand the character,” Moore said. “You have the dumb jock, the airhead girl, the conniving queen bee girl — all identifiable figures in their life,” Moore said.

For Jaeina Limbo, the lead role of Patrice came easy. It isn’t the fact that Limbo can relate to being a geek who is snubbed by the popular kids; rather, it’s the fact that she is 13.

“It’s real modernized, something we can all relate to,” Limbo said. 

This is Limbo’s first year as a lead in the school musical. She participated last year when she was in seventh grade but was part of the chorus, she said. After trying out in early November and getting the part, Limbo is anxiously awaiting her appearance on stage — solo and all.

“I actually am excited and nervous at the same time because I’ve never performed in front of a big crowd while acting and singing,” Limbo said.

Singing, according to Limbo, is another relatable portion of the characters in 13. The music is the type of music she and her friends normally listen to, she said.

Moore described the music as “pop-like and catchy." Deierlein said that was a perk in choosing the musical as well, because it fit the pitch and tune of the voices of these young teenagers.

“Because the musical is written about 13-years-old, it fits their voices very well,” Deierlein said. “It’s made specifically for the kind of voices that students have. For instance, the changing voices in guys, and the girls kind of have a more youthful sound.”

Showtimes are 7 p.m. Feb. 25 and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at the  auditorium. Tickets for the musical are available online at showtix4u.com for $11 per person.