It's a good time to be a fan of musicals. Not only is the long-anticipated Wicked movie adaptation about to be released, but 13 Going on 30, the beloved rom-com starring Jennifer Garner as Jenna Fink and Mark Ruffalo as Matt Flamhaff, is now also officially getting the musical treatment.
As reported by Deadline on November 12, the 13 Going on 30 musical is officially slated for a 2025 premiere at Manchester's Palace Theatre & Opera House. The stage adaptation will have a limited run from September 21 through October 12, 2025, with West End veteran Lucie Jones in the titular role. (Jones's previous roles include Cosette and Fantine in Les Misérables, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Jenna in Waitress, Elphaba in Wicked, and more.)
As noted by Playbill, a musical adaptation of 13 Going on 30 has been in the works since at least 2016, and it's finally becoming a reality. The upcoming musical was written by original 13 Going on 30 scriptwriters Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa. The show will be directed by Andy Fickman, known for HEATHERS and She's The Man.
According to Deadline, the only musical number borrowed from the 2004 film will be the “Thriller” flash mob, during which Jenna wears her iconic colorful Versace dress. The rest of the songs will be from an original score by Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary, known for their work on First Date and Trading Places.
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Though the future of the 13 Going on 30 musical after Manchester is still uncertain, the hope is for it to graduate to London's West End and, ultimately, New York City's Broadway. Rehearsals for Manchester's limited run will begin next summer. The musical also held a script-in-hand workshop presentation at London's Battersea Arts Centre from October 25–28, 2024.
“When we wrote the movie 13 Going on 30, we never dreamt that on the film’s 20th anniversary, we’d get the chance to see a whole new generation fall in love with Razzles and feel thirty, flirty, and thriving. It’s been a joy to work with ROYO, Revolution Studios, songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, and director Andy Fickman to bring this story to life as a stage musical," Goldsmith and Yuspa said in a statement.
“We were thrilled by the audience’s response to our workshop last year, and now we can’t wait to officially open in Manchester at the legendary Opera House — the launchpad of so many iconic musicals,” they continued. "So bring your family, your friends, maybe a date, or just come alone — don’t be shy, we’re all nice. Hope you have as much fun seeing the show as we had making it!”
Now, it might be a while until the production makes it to Broadway — if it ever does — but seeing as Ariana Grande famously channeled Jenna Fink for her “thank u, next” music video, and she just announced she's going to take a step back from releasing music to focus on musical theatre for the next 10 years…. some calls need to be set up!
