Happy New Year, one and all!

To start your 5769 off just right, you can download the original cast album of my new musical "13" today from iTunes and the Amazon Music Store!

We'll have shiny hard copies of the CD, with a very groovy booklet with all the lyrics and photos, at the theater as of this weekend, but if you've just got to hear the music right now, you can go to the iTunes Music Store or the Amazon MP3 Download Store and get this awesome recording on to your computer immediately!

The album features the entire score, sung by the unbelievable original cast now starring in the show on Broadway, plus two songs that have been cut from the show, as well as special "single" versions of two of the songs! Produced by myself and the indefatigable Jeffrey Lesser, with the greatest teen band on Earth, this album is everything you could possibly want in a Rosh Hashanah present.

Spread the word! "13" opens Sunday, October 5 at the Jacobs Theatre on Broadway! I hope to see you there soon!

L'shana tova!
Jason Robert Brown

The only show to have an all teenage cast & band will host the first ever open dress rehearsal for teenagers only on Saturday, September 13, 2008 and you’re invited!

Only teens ages 12 -18 will be permitted to see the performance (ids will be checked at the door). Sign up now to get your free ticket*!

Head over to www.13fans.com for more information and sign up!

Read the Playbill article here!

Taper's 2009 Slate Has Donmar's Parade, Deaf West Pippin, Chekhov, Culture Clash
By Kenneth Jones
14 Aug 2008

The 2009 season of Mark Taper Forum will include a Culture Clash world premiere, an acclaimed London production of Parade, a Pippin collaboration with Deaf West Theatre and more, Michael Ritchie, artistic director of Center Theatre Group, announced Aug. 14.

Newly renovated (at a cost of $30 million) and re-opening in August (with two more 2007-08 season shows to play there before the new year), the Taper will offer six 2009 productions, from Jan. 15, 2009-Jan. 24, 2010.

The acclaimed Donmar Warehouse London production of librettist Alfred Uhry and composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown's Parade will play Sept. 24-Nov. 15, 2009. The Tony Award-winning musical (Best Book, Best Score) was co-conceived by Harold Prince, and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winning choreographer Rob Ashford.

The Donmar Warehouse production, which opened in London in September 2007 with Ashford in his directorial debut, received seven 2008 Olivier Award nominations, including Best New Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer and Best Director. The Taper presentation will be the first time that the Donmar production — which includes revisions by Brown and Uhry — will be seen in America.

Parade is "the true story of the arrest, conviction and lynching of Leo Frank in post-Civil War Atlanta, Georgia. Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old factory worker, has been murdered on the day of the 1913 Confederate Memorial Day parade. Frank, the factory's superintendent and a Jewish outsider, is immediately cast as a suspect. [Frank's] wife, Lucille, passionately works for her husband's release from jail but public hatred continues to rise to a fever pitch."

The world premiere of the musical 13, for which Brown wrote the music and lyrics, was presented in the Taper's 2006-2007 season and will be seen on Broadway in the fall.

Tickets for the Taper's new season are currently available by subscription only. For information and to charge season tickets by phone, call Audience Services at (213) 972-4444 or visit www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

*

Center Theatre Group, a non-profit theatre arts organization, is one of the largest and most active theatre companies in the nation, programming seasons year-round at the 740-seat Mark Taper Forum and the 1,600 to 2,000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at the Music Center of Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.

The 2009 season will be the first full subscription season in the new Taper. The Taper actually re-opens this summer with John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves, Aug. 30-Oct. 19, which is the third production of the Taper's current season (two 2007-2008 Taper season plays were presented at the CTG/Ahmanson Theatre while the Taper was closed for renovation).

Read the BroadwayWorld.com article here!



The complete teenage cast and teenage band was announced today for 13, A New Musical, with music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years). The 13 talented performers that will star in the Broadway musical include Al Calderon as Eddie, Eamon Foley as Richie, Caitlin Gann as Molly, Ariana Grande as Charlotte, Aaron Simon Gross as Archie, Elizabeth Gillies as Lucy, Malik Hammond as Malcolm, Joey La Varco as Simon, Delaney Moro as Kendra, Eric Nelsen as Brett, Graham Phillips as Evan, Allie Trimm as Patrice, Brynn Williams as Cassie. Meet the lucky 13 at www.13themusical.com.

13, A New Musical begins previews on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 and officially opens at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 W. 45th Street) on Sunday, October 5, 2008. With a book by award winning children's author & songwriter Dan Elish ("Born Too Short, Confessions of an 8th Grade Basket Case") and veteran writer for TV and film Robert Horn ("Designing Women"), 13, A New Musical is directed by Tony Award nominee Jeremy Sams (The Sound of Music in the West End) and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific). Tom Kitt (High Fidelity) is the Music Director.

Also in the cast are Riley Costello, Henry Hodges, Mary Claire Miskell, LiAna Ortiz, Max Schneider, Corey Snide and the onstage teen band members are Lexi Bodick on Bass, Zac Coe on Percussion, Adam Kaufman on Keyboard, Zach Page on Guitar, Chris Raymond on Guitar, and Charlie Rosen (Swing Musician).

Evan Goldman has it all - he's popular, has the perfect family and lives in the greatest city in the world - New York. That is until his parents get divorced and he's forced to move with his Mom… to Indiana. Uprooted from his old life, he has to make new friends and somehow manoeuvre his way through the minefield of High School to become part of the "in-crowd". A grown-up story about growing up, featuring the only all-teenage cast ever to hit Broadway! With an explosive score by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, 13 is a hilarious, high-energy musical for all ages about discovering that cool is where you find it, and sometimes where you least expect it.

The production features scenic & costume design by Tony Nominee David Farley (2008's Sunday in the Park with George), lighting design by Tony Award winner Brian MacDevitt (The Coast of Utopia Part I) and sound design by Jon Weston (The Color Purple).

13, A New Musical earned the LA Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Production and Best Musical Score for its world premiere production at Center Theatre Group/The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles (December 22, 2006 - February 18, 2007) and enjoyed a successful run at Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, CT (May 8, 2008 - June 9, 2008).

The musical is produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett, Roger Berlind, Tim Levy, Stacey Mindich, Jane Bergère, Broadway Across America, Ken Davenport, Ted Hartley, Sharon Karmazin, Carl Moellenberg, Jamie Lightstone/Nina Keneally, Tom Miller/True Love Productions, Olympus Theatricals, Center Theatre Group in association with Shorenstein Hays Nederlander and The Araca Group.

Tickets for 13, A New Musical can be purchased through Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com. The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 W. 45th Street) box office will open on Monday, August 25th, 2008. For more information, cast videos and a free download of the title track, visit: www.13themusical.com.

This site's been up for over a year now, and in that time, we've been posting lots of songs and snippets for your collective enjoyment. Here's a quick roundup of where you can find all the music we've put online so far:

from Songs for a New World:

Stars and the Moon, Jessica Molaskey (original cast recording, 1996)
She Cries, Jason Robert Brown (live, 2002)
The River Won't Flow, Brian D'arcy James, Billy Porter, Andréa Burns, Amy Ryder (demo, 1994)
King of the World, Billy Porter (demo, 1994)
Surabaya-Santa, Kristine Zbornik (live, 2002)

from Parade:

All The Wasted Time, Brent Carver & Carolee Carmello (original cast recording, 1999)
I Have Something To Say/Special To The New York Herald! (cut from the show) JRB (demo, 1996)
It Goes On And On Evan Pappas (original cast recording outtake, 1999)

from The Last Five Years:

Shiksa Goddess, Norbert Leo Butz (original cast recording, 2002)
Moving Too Fast, Jason Robert Brown (live, 2002)

from Urban Cowboy:

That's How Texas Was Born, Jason Robert Brown (original cast recording, 2003)
Mr. Hopalong Heartbreak, Jenn Colella (original cast recording, 2003)

from "13":

What It Means To Be A Friend, Krista Pioppi (demo, 2004)
"13" Medley: Being A Geek/Brand New You/Thirteen, members of the original Los Angeles cast (radio commercial, 2006)
Being A Geek, Ricky Ashley & Boys (Los Angeles cast recording, 2007)

from The Moneyman:

Coming Home (The Ballad of Michael Milken), Jason Robert Brown, Lauren Mufson (demo, 1996)
The X-Shaped Desk, The Caucasian Rhythm Kings and Orchestra (demo, 1996)
Reborn (The Fallen Angel), Jason Robert Brown (demo, 1996)
Milken On The Floor, The Caucasian Rhythm Kings and Orchestra (demo, 1996)

Assorted other songs:

And I Will Follow, Lauren Kennedy (Songs of Jason Robert Brown, 2003)

Someone To Fall Back On, Jason Robert Brown (Wearing Someone Else's Clothes, 2005)

Chanukah Suite, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon, conductor (live radio broadcast, 2005)

In This Room, Lauren Kennedy & Rozz Morehead (studio recording, 2004)

More Than A Hamburger, Alise Wojciechowski (studio recording, 1998)

Theme from Rose's Dilemma, Jason Robert Brown & The Caucasian Rhythm Kings (studio recording, 2003)

Preview September 16, open October 5. Don't take my word for it. Here's Michael Kuchwara's interview with our producer, Bob Boyett, from the San Francisco Chronicle:

'13' explores the anxiety filled early teen years
By MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Writer
Monday, July 28, 2008

(07-28) 09:17 PDT NEW YORK, (AP)

They sing a litany of questions: "Why is the world feeling suddenly stranger, why are my friends acting totally weird, why do I feel like my life is in danger, why do I feel like my brain disappeared."

It's the anxiety filled teenage years of 13, A New Musical, opening Oct. 5 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Preview performances of the show, featuring a pop-rock score by Jason Robert Brown, begin Sept. 16.

The musical, which has a book by Dan Elish and Robert Horn, deals with issues of tolerance and resilience, according to lead producer Bob Boyett. It concerns a young New Yorker named Evan Goldman, who is transplanted from big-city New York to Indiana after his parents get divorced and forced to confront the problems of fitting into a new environment.

No casting announcement yet, but the show will be directed by Jeremy Sams with choreography by Christopher Gattelli. The musical was developed first at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in late 2006 and then earlier this year at the Goodspeed Opera House's smaller theater in Chester, Conn.

Work was done to broaden the show's appeal and make it not only for young people but for a wider audience, Boyett explained.

"What we set about doing was taking the issues that face a 13-year-old, the whole coming-of-age element, and relate them ... to various passages that adults go through in life," Boyett said. "For example, we all go through changes in relationships or a sudden shift in physical location because of a job or whatever.

"Twelve, thirteen, fourteen is the time that kids first take responsibility," the producer added. "They are no longer right under the thumb of their parents. They go out in the world and they suddenly realize they have bigger decisions to make and the implications of how they behave have greater consequences.

"And yet, we are not at 16, 17 where sex definitely is an issue. We wanted to stay in that earlier age period where young people were figuring out who they are in the context of other people."

For tickets to "13, A New Musical," call Telecharge, 212-239-6200, or go online at www.telecharge.com. For more information on the show and for a free download of the title song, visit the Web site www.13themusical.com.

Check it out, y'alls, the producers of 13 on Broadway have launched the first version of the Official Website. There's a video of the title song, there's rehearsal footage from Connecticut, there's information about how to buy tickets and lots of other saucy goodies.

13themusical.com, homies! That's what I'm talking about!