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Musical ‘13’ to be staged in Palatine

What if you were a 12-year-old boy living in New York City, and you learned your parents were divorcing and you would be moving with your mother to “the lamest place in the world,” Indiana?

That’s the setting for “13,” a musical about a young man’s journey of acceptance in a new town with new friends and some challenges brought about by his desire to have the cool kids at his new school attend his bar mitzvah.

The story builds through this one young man’s transition to a new hometown and eventually finds him declaring, “We all have a little more homework to do.”

Originally produced on Broadway in 2008, this award winning musical confronts adolescent topics such as what one cast member calls “bullying, fitting in and discovering who you are.”

The songs, composed by Jason Robert Brown, are cleverly woven through a mostly funny, yet sometimes poignant story written by Robert Horn and Dan Elish.

Directed by 1978 Palatine High School graduate and current staff member Ken Stromberg, the show will be presented at the Palatine High School Altergott Auditorium, 1111 N. Rohlwing Road, with performances at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, and Saturday, Feb. 9.

Stromberg has produced Palatine’s annual musicals for the past eight years and his production of “Little Shop of Horrors” in 2008 was awarded Best High School Musical in Illinois by USA Today Weekend.

Stromberg praises this year’s cast and crew.

“This show is particularly relevant to these students and their daily lives. They have all worked hard to bring this musical to life, and I am very proud of how the cast and crew have blended to create an energetic piece of theater that will please both students and parents alike,” Stromberg said.

Assisting Stromberg is vocal director Steve Sivak, instrumental director Raeleen Horn, artistic director and scenic designer Paul Dombrowski, with sound and lighting design by Doug Gross and Matt Decker.

Cast includes: Natalie Antonik, Logan Beck, Lauren Brooks, Natalie Charlier, Julia Clarke, Tori Comerford, Mary DiLeo, Bridgett Eissman, Kirsten Eissman, Jessica Grever, Katie Hake, Faith Hollander, Jonathan Jasonowicz, Brenna Johnson, Mary Kate Knoeppel, Megan Losch, Michael Mohr, Carly Mulert, Michael Nicholas, Kelly O’Brien, Trevis Parks, Shayna Rosenberg, Alex Ruzicka, Kara Sandquist, Amanda Schafer, Sam Schultz, Shaq Smith, Liz Spila, Jonathan Szabo, Maria Tabakis, Charlee Vrtjak, Michael Weiss and Jenny Yount.

Tickets, available at the door, are $10 for adults and $7 for students with I.D. For information, visit www.phs.d211.org.

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