13 The Musical
★★★★☆ Real chutzpah
The Edinburgh Academy (Venue 70): Fri 1 – Tue 12 Aug 2025
Review by Sophie Good
Youth theatre group Captivate Theatre bring the teen coming-of-age show 13 The Musical to Edinburgh Academy in a production brimming with confidence and finesse.
Set against the backdrop of Evan Goldman’s reluctant move from New York City to small-town Indiana, the show explores the trials of teenage life — friendship, fitting in, and (perhaps) experiencing your first kiss during a bloody-thirsty horror fest at the local movie theatre.
Calum Caulfield and the 13 The Musical company. Pic Captivate
It’s a large cast production, as is the style for Captivate who run summer schools every year for the young people taking part. Unlike the recent 2022 Netflix film adaptation, the stage version only features young people and was the first and only all-teenage cast and band to ever hit Broadway back in 2008.
The absence of parents and adults allows the young cast to shine and places their perspective at the front and centre of the story. Evan, played capably and confidently by Calum Caulfield, must navigate the high school popularity politics as quickly as possible, so he can make a success of his forthcoming Bar Mitzvah and – or so he believes – the rest of his teenage years.
engaging
Caulfield is an engaging lead and while it is his sure footedness that holds the show together, it is not without an excellent supporting cast.
A scene from 13 the Musical. Pic Captivate.
Many of the key roles in the show are triple-cast and in the reviewed performance Emily Brown was an authentic Patrice, holding her own as the cast-aside friend who isn’t in the cool gang. Brown has a lovely voice and is a pleasure to watch as her character develops. Tell Her, one of the more heartfelt songs in the second half, is beautifully performed by Brown and Caulfield.
Georgia Dennett as Kendra is likeable and sweet as the love interest for school jock Brett played by Ethan Caira, who has a great balance of comedy and charm. Caira is very well backed by his buddies Malcolm (Matthew Wood) and Eddie (Duncan McLennan) whose sunglasses-clad rendition of Hey Kendra is cool and entertaining.
Martha MacLean as Lucy gives an excellent performance as the two-faced friend and there is a lot of fun to be had with her big cheerleader number Opportunity, supported by a great troupe of backing dancers as she plots to gain Brett for herself.
holds together well
The stage is often very full for the ensemble pieces. But, for the most part, we get to see all the performers and the staging holds together well, with choreography from Colum Findlay. Alessandro De Silva as Archie, is also extremely well cast as the boy with crutches who plays on sympathy for his illness to get what he wants but is haphazard and likeable too.
A scene from 13 the Musical. Pic Captivate.
Under the direction of Linzi Devers the production is energetic and well-paced, with musical supervision by Emily Paterson ensuring the vocals soar as the six-strong live band keep the whole thing moving.
This is an experienced team and Captivate Theatre prove once again that they can rival professional productions in terms of quality and performance. The show ends with Brand New You, a rousing number with the whole cast giving it everything and some particularly brilliant female solos from Faye Campbell, Dreya Bennett and Nilla Bates.
passion
The passion and enjoyment from the young cast really shines and it’s a pretty infectious feeling. As a production which truly puts young people and their story centre stage, Captivate’s 13 The Musical a really enjoyable experience for adults and young people alike.
Running time: One hour and 15 minutes (including one interval).
Edinburgh Academy (Magnuson Theatre), 42 Henderson Row, EH3 5BL (Venue 70).
Fri 1 – Tue 12 August 2025.
Daily: 3.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Captivate Theatre links
Website: www.captivatetheatre.com
Facebook: @captivatetheatre
Instagram: @captivatetheatre
TikTok: @captivate_theatre
X: @Captivate_LTD
The ensemble of 13 the Musical. Pic: Captivate.
ENDS
