In Rehearsals With ‘13 Going On 30 The Musical’
Written by Wendy for Theatre and Tonic
Lucie Jones and David Hunter in rehearsals.
“I wanna be thirty. Thirty, flirty, and thriving.” After a disastrous birthday party, 13-year-old Jenna hides in a closet and makes a wish to skip over high school and become the glamorous, successful woman she sees in magazines. Then, her wish actually comes true. At first, Jenna is overjoyed, but as time goes on, she gradually realizes that she has lost the most important things in her life. So, she begins to try to get them back piece by piece. But that’s not an easy thing to do.
Many people are already very familiar with the story of 13 Going On 30. Now, the film has been adapted into a musical, directed by Andy Fickman, with music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. It will have its world premiere this September at the Manchester Opera House.
Before the show opened, I was fortunate to be invited for an exclusive preview of three captivating songs from the musical. I also had the chance to speak with two of the cast members - David Hunter (Matt Flamhaff) and Grace Mouat (Lucy) - as well as the director Andy Fickman and the choreographer Jennifer Weber, about the rehearsal process and their perspectives on the script and characters.
Just like how this story resonated with me, it was the story itself that first drew them to be part of the production.
Grace: “What drew me to the show in the first place was definitely the movie, when I got that audition through, I rewatched the movie and I was like “I have to do this job”. It’s so nostalgic. I think that’s always an exciting thing to bring that movie onto the stage. And another main thing is the songs. After the workshop I did two years ago, I knew that these songs are magical, so I’m so glad that I’m in. Also, to work Lucie Jones, I just love her, I’ve always loved her, so to actually get to watch her in a room is amazing, she leads the company so beautifully with humour and such a kind heart, so that’s been really cool, and it’s really hard to try to hate her on stage, because I love her.”
David: “I really love the script, and the songs are beautiful, and I really want to work with my friend Lucie Jones, and to perform in Manchester. I’ve never performed in the Opera House, but I swear I saw a lot of the productions there when I was a kid, which made me fall in love with theatre. And it’s right near my hometown so I can say hi to my mum.”
Andy: “I think it’s such a great movie and it has such a remarkable message. If you can find a way to bring that to a new audience with songs, dance, and storytelling, that’s the best challenge ever.”
Jennifer: “Yeah, it’s just a great story, it’s filled with heart and it’s a story that just sticks with people. No matter what age you’re, when you see the film, you just fall in love with it. I think our show is going to do the same thing with the new audiences.”
Since this is an adaptation of a well-known film, I was curious to know whether the actors chose to draw inspiration from the original characters and how much of themselves they would bring into their portrayals. Here are their answers.
Grace: “The script is very true to the movie. And also my portrayal of Lucy is very much inspired by Judy Greer. I think I’m also trying to bring a little bit of Grace and the classic villain girlies that we see in the chick flicks in there as well. We’ve all been there. Watching those chick flicks and be like ‘oh that one, that Regina George moment’ or ‘that Lucy moment’. So I’ve been inspired by all that kind of moments and it’s been really fun creating it.”
David: “I think it’s going to be at the back of my mind. I’m not going to copy him in any way, but I think it’s good to know the energy. Naturally, performing on stage is going to be more theatrical, so we’ve got so much to give.”
In addition, David also spoke about what drew him to the role of Matt Flamhaff.
“I’m just really enjoying laying into every aspect of him. I love his sarcastic side because that’s something I don’t necessarily have. It’s just really fun to play that around.” He said.
At this point, I decided to ask whether they preferred taking on established characters or originating new ones, and they expressed equal enthusiasm for both.
David: “I don’t think I mind. I think both of them have their benefits. There is some security watching someone else doing it and be like ‘okay, that’s what it is’. But obviously there is freedom being able to create something from nothing and make it entirely from you.”
Grace: “I love all of it. I go into a process always trying to see a character as a first character, like that’s the first time of it happening. Obviously as I said that I’m inspired by that, but I’ve been trying to see it as a fresh lane and allow myself to explore other options. So I wouldn’t say there is one I prefer. I think it’s obviously great doing characters that have pre-existed because you can get inspirations, but there is something about doing a brand new character. When I do that, I have a lot of myself in there, so it’s fun to be someone I’m not, to be someone that’s totally removed from me.”
During our conversation, I realized that the way actors relate to each other can influence how their characters come across. Since Lucie and David have worked together many times before, their familiarity presented a unique challenge. They initially had to create some distance between them in order to better embody their roles.
Andy: “When adult Jenna sees adult Matt, for him there is a frostiness. Lucie and David are so comfortable with each other, you almost have to say ‘stop being friends, this is where you are going to get to in the end, you’re both lovely people, but from an acting stand point, I need you to not to be this connected until the end of the show’. ”
However, once they became aware of this challenge, it wasn’t difficult to overcome. David said: “Just remembering during the early scenes to really push down that feeling and find the awkwardness again to someone you don’t know so well, because it’s so easy to like her on stage. I think it’s to just squash that down, and make it like ‘maybe it’s not so easy’. It’s been really fun, so that’s great. “
Since Grace participated in both the workshop and the full production, I asked her about the differences between the two experiences.
Grace: “The workshop is so small and intimate, and also those magical few weeks when you’re working with the material first time ever, getting to collaborate with the actual creative team. We have Josh and Cathy who wrote the movie in the room with us every day. It’s crazy. They’re the loveliest people and so down to earth, they gave us so many creative license to bring ourselves to these characters, so I love doing that in the workshop. There is something exciting about this first time experience with the workshop. I think the main thing that has excited me the most about the journey from the workshop to here is that to have our incredible choreographer Jennifer Weber and her associate Rhian Duncan on board. They are incredible. Getting to watch them create is just so exciting. I think what I love about it is that commercial musical theatre dance is not really the style I think a lot of people gonna expect with this musical, but it works perfectly with the storytelling. I think Jennifer and Rhian are just geniuses and it has been really fun getting the choreography in there. And starting to hear some orchestration, hearing the songs come to life and putting it on its feet especially without scripts in hands as the workshop format, it just works so perfectly on stage. It’s been really exciting.”
After hearing Grace describe how much energy the choreography brought to the production, I asked Jennifer about where she draws her inspiration for the choreography.
Jennifer: “I think with choreography, it’s very much about inspiration in the room and collaboration and how we work together. It’s from the micro level of how a character might sit in a chair to the micro level of how the whole set moves around. That’s what makes theatre so much fun to do, on all these levels, you get to use all these movements to tell the story in a way that jumps off the page, there’s an additional language.”
Since the production involves both child and adult actors portraying the same character at different stages, maintaining consistency in their interpretations is an important aspect.
Grace mentioned how they’ve been working with their director to kind of find those “Lucyisms”, “Jennaisms”, “Mattisms”, so the audience can really know who is the mini version of whom.
“Obviously the name and the story helps, also our design teams are working a lot with that as well, making sure we are consistent enough, it’s important.” She said.
What’s even more interesting is that two groups of young actors portray the same character, each bringing a distinct energy to their roles. David mentioned that he might make subtle adjustments to his portrayal of the adult Matt based on the different young Matts he would be acting with on different dates.
As a brand-new musical, the production evolves daily, making the rehearsal process dynamic and exciting.
Andy: “Because we have nothing other than the movie, so it’s a blank page. As we come in, I think we sort of give and take. I said something the other day and Jennifer was like ‘I don’t think we should dance that, we should do this’, and she’s right. You try everything, and then you have to take time to look at it. I always tell people to imagine themselves as a painter. You paint it and you look back. If you are like ‘no’, get rid of it and start again. That’s what rehearsals are like every day.”
Jennifer: “And that’s what’s so exciting about making a new musical. Yes, there is a movie, but there isn’t a musical, this is the first time. We’re taking big swings, we’re trying new ideas. If something works, we keep it. If it doesn’t, we cut it. You can’t do that if you’re doing a revival over a production. You can’t be like ‘you know what, I don’t really think this show should end this way’, because most composers aren’t alive anymore and they can’t write you a new song. So this is so cool, because there’s so much potential and it’s just like a playground for us to explore how we want to tell the story.”
Even by listening to just these three songs, you can feel the vibrant energy pulsing through the production. While the story itself isn’t particularly complex, it carries a pure beauty that easily touches the softest parts of the heart, sometimes even reminding you of what it felt like to be 13 years old.
As Jennifer said, people of all ages can be moved by a show like this. I, for one, can’t wait to see the full production.
13 Going On 30 runs at Manchester Opera House from 21st September until 12th October 2025.
