Review Roundup: 13 GOING ON 30: THE MUSICAL

13 GOING ON 30 - THE MUSICAL starring Lucie Jones, David Hunter and Grace Mouat, is now playing at Manchester Opera House.

13 GOING ON 30 - THE MUSICAL stars Lucie Jones as Jenna Rink, David Hunter as Matt Flamhaff and Grace Mouat as Lucy Wyman.

Joining them are Caleb Roberts as Richard, Andrew Berlin as Kyle Grandy, Dominic Andersen as Alex, Ross Dawes as Wayne, Suzie McAdam as Bev and Iván Fernández Gonzáles as Darius Mark. The cast is completed by Tia Antione-Charles, George Bray, Elliot David Parkes, Sarah Drake, Rose Galbraith, Jenna Innes, Henry Lawes, Rachel Moran, Amy Parker, Jack Rowell, Rebecca-Daisy Wellington and Kevin Yates .

Children’s casting includes Max Bispham, Cyrus Campbell, Melody Caruana, Keira Chansa, Eve Corbishley, Emmeline D’arcy-Walsh, Anna De Oliveira, Jersey Blu Georgia, George Hamblin, Hughie Higginson, Bella Hockaday, Fearne Lily King I’anson, Amelia Minto, Florence Moluluo, Nyomi Okoro, Marlis Robson, Star Lily Shentall-Lee, Joel Tennant, Maddison Thew, Clark Young and Hanya Zhang.

13 GOING ON 30 - THE MUSICAL is based on the 2004 rom-com classic from Revolution Studios starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, the musical is written by the film writers Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa with songs by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. See what the critics are saying...

Catherine Love, The Guardian: As always, the question is: did this need to be adapted? While Fickman and co have done a decent job of transforming the film into a musical that stands alone, it’s hard not to wish this talent could be turned to new stories. But maybe that’s just thirtysomething me talking, while my inner 13-year-old bops to the music.

Anya Ryan, The Times: Does everything really have to be a musical? This adaptation of 13 Going on 30, the beloved 2004 romantic comedy starring Jennifer Garner, joins the hordes of all-singing, all-dancing screen-to-stage conversions clogging up theatre listings. And yes, if you’re a mega fan of the film, written by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, you’ll probably have a perfectly nice time in the audience for this musical, for which they have written the book. However, if you’re in the market for something that deepens or reinvents its source material, prepare to leave cold.

Holly Williams, The Stage: What’s that sound? Is it a new musical opening – or is it the bottom of the barrel being scraped? This is the latest in a never-ending line of movies getting the nostalgic musical treatment; just this week you could also have watched 50 First Dates the Musical, based on another 2004 movie, while 13 Going on 30 shares its DNA with other recent adaptations, such as The Devil Wears Prada (fashion mags!) and Mean Girls (mean girls!). Made by Americans with a lot of Disney credits to their name, this is a slickly efficient production with a giant, well-drilled, super-upbeat cast. Andy Fickman’s production is utterly inoffensive – but it’s also hard to escape the feeling that this is really just intellectual property slop: formulaic and familiar.

John Anson, Lancashire Telegraph: How you view the show will, I suspect, depend on your relationship with the original film. Devotees will love it, proclaim it the best musical of the year and possibly go and watch it several times. It’s not the next great musical but it’s got a real charm to it which won me over. Yes it’s sugary and a bit predictable but you can’t fault the message nor the performances and it’s a genuinely entertaining night out.

Shayan Le, I Love Manchester: Judging by the laughter, cheers, and standing ovation, this is a show that truly resonates. Whether you grew up loving the original movie or are discovering Jenna Rink’s story for the first time, 13 Going on 30: The Musical promises an evening of nostalgia, fun, and pure joy.

Average Rating: 64.0%