13 Going on 30 Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

Overview

This new 13 Going on 30 stage musical takes the beloved 2004 film and rebuilds it for a live audience in 2025. It keeps the wish, the dollhouse and that aching teenage humiliation. It surrounds them with fresh songs, sharp choreography and a fashion magazine world that feels painfully current.

Origins on screen, from romcom to cult classic.

The musical grows directly from the 2004 fantasy romcom starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. That film followed 13 year old Jenna Rink, a girl who wants popularity more than oxygen. One disastrous birthday, some glittering wishing dust and a desperate plea to be thirty, flirty and thriving twist her fate overnight.

The movie mixed 80s needle drops with early 2000s energy. It became a comfort film for a generation that grew up between flip phones and Myspace. That emotional nostalgia is exactly what the 2025 musical leans on, then reframes for a TikTok raised audience.

From screenplay to score, how the musical was born.

The stage adaptation keeps the original film writers at the centre. Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa write the book, so the dialogue still sounds like Jenna, not a stranger imitating her. The score comes from Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, specialists in bright, contemporary musical comedy.

The show was first announced in 2023, with public workshop performances at Battersea Arts Centre in London. Those workshops tested the time jump, the party scenes and the magazine office chaos in front of live audiences. Lucie Jones played Jenna in those early showings, already locking in the character's physical awkwardness and sudden adult poise.

Plot summary, the story on stage.

The musical follows the film's central spine, but it moves with stage rhythm. Jenna is thirteen, ignored by the cool girls and adored quietly by her best friend, Matt Flamhaff. She wants to leapfrog past braces, bullies and small bedrooms. She wants life to start now.

Humiliated at her own birthday party, Jenna hides in a closet with the dollhouse Matt built for her. She makes her impossible wish. When she opens her eyes again, she is almost thirty. Her body is grown, her memory is missing, and her life is nothing like thirteen year old Jenna imagined.

Onstage, the transition becomes a full transformation sequence. Teens swirl, office workers slide in, the set flips. Suddenly Jenna is a high profile editor at fashion magazine Poise. She has the job, the apartment and a reputation, but no idea how she became this woman.

As Jenna searches for younger Matt, she discovers uncomfortable truths. She joined the mean clique she once worshipped. She betrayed friends. She learned how to win office politics, but forgot how to be kind. The musical pushes that discovery harder, turning key songs into emotional confrontations with herself.

Musical numbers and sound of the show.

The score sits between pop radio and musical theatre storytelling. It flashes 80s flavour without becoming pure pastiche. Electric guitars and synths live beside tender piano ballads.

Key songs include:

• Wanna Be, a pulsing opening that lays out Jenna's craving for popularity.
• 13 Going on 30, the title number that rides the wish into chaos.
• That Moment in Time, a soaring ballad where Jenna faces what she lost.
• Why Can't We Fly, a hopeful, almost cinematic duet about second chances.
• Own It, an empowerment anthem that lets Jenna finally take responsibility.

The songs move cleanly from middle school lockers to Manhattan offices. Hooks are simple, emotional and designed to linger just long enough to hum on the tram home.

World premiere in Manchester, 2025.

13 Going on 30 The Musical opened in autumn 2025 at the Manchester Opera House. The limited world premiere run played from 21 September to 12 October, clocking in at about two hours forty five minutes including interval.

Andy Fickman directs, bringing the same cartoon edged energy he used on Heathers. Jennifer Garner, the original film Jenna, joins as executive producer. Her presence gives the project a rare blessing, like a parent quietly watching opening night from the back row.

Principal cast, 2025 Manchester production.

Direction, choreography and design.

The production leans into heightened reality, not quiet realism. Andy Fickman keeps scenes snapping forward, especially the time jump and office set pieces. Choreography by Jennifer Weber blends music video sharpness with 80s party looseness.

Visually, the show trades in bright colour and clean lines. Jenna's childhood bedroom glows with posters and handmade dreams. Poise's office set stacks neon edged screens, desks and runways, turning work meetings into almost runway shows. Costumes nod to iconic film looks, then twist them for 2025 fashion sensibilities.

The famous Thriller dance moment has been reimagined for the stage. It becomes less about perfect imitation, more about shared courage. The audience watches Jenna decide to embarrass herself again, this time knowingly, and the choreography underlines that risk.

How the musical differs from the film.

Onstage, Jenna's moral arc feels sharper. The book spends more time on the fallout of her adult choices. Songs give space for apology, regret and genuine self interrogation, not just romantic longing.

Matt gets deeper emotional texture too. His big scenes explore what it means to watch someone you loved become a stranger, then try to start again. Music lets him say the quiet things the film only hinted at with looks.

The magazine world feels more ruthless, reflecting modern conversations around media, body image and manufactured perfection. Staffers talk about click culture, metrics and identity, even while dancing in killer heels.

Critical reception in 2025, mixed but passionate.

Reviews during the Manchester run landed all across the spectrum. Some critics saw a sugar rush of a show, fizzy, funny and eager to please. They praised Lucie Jones for anchoring the night with fierce vocals and believable teenage confusion inside a grown body.

Others felt the adaptation played too safe. They argued that the musical hugged the film's plot without fully reinventing it. Several reviews singled out the score as pleasant rather than unforgettable, apart from standout numbers like Own It or That Moment in Time.

Audience reactions often told a warmer story. Many fans treated the performance like a live reunion with characters they grew up with. Night after night, you could spot groups dressed in early 2000s outfits, screaming softly when the dollhouse appeared.

Why 13 Going on 30 hits differently in 2025.

Watching Jenna leap seventeen years overnight feels sharper today. So many audience members know the feeling of lost time, skipped milestones and suddenly being older than they meant to be.

The musical uses that ache. It asks what success means in an era of constant comparison. It nudges viewers to reconsider teenage friendships left behind, promises never kept and dreams quietly edited out.

At its best, the show becomes less about magic dust and more about second chances. Jenna is not rewarded for escaping adolescence. She is challenged to repair the damage done while she was too busy climbing.

Future life, West End and beyond.

Producers have spoken openly about plans beyond Manchester. A West End transfer feels likely, given the recognisable title and built in fanbase. Talk of Broadway possibilities also circles the project, especially with the film's strong American affection.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course. But the combination of nostalgia, new music and a bankable lead like Lucie Jones gives the show a solid commercial foundation. The creative team has built a world that can easily expand into a longer life, if audiences keep showing up.

Questions and Answers.

What is 13 Going on 30 The Musical about?

It follows awkward teen Jenna Rink, who wishes to skip to adulthood. She wakes as a nearly thirty year old magazine editor, then must untangle the life she accidentally built.

Where did 13 Going on 30 The Musical premiere in 2025?

The world premiere ran at the Manchester Opera House in the United Kingdom. Performances played from late September to mid October 2025.

How long does the show run, and is there an interval?

The Manchester production runs about two hours forty five minutes. That includes one interval, giving time to breathe between Jenna's teen world and adult crises.

Is 13 Going on 30 The Musical suitable for children?

It suits older children and teens more than very young kids. Themes include bullying, sexuality, office politics and complicated friendships, handled with humour but some bite.

Will 13 Going on 30 The Musical transfer to the West End or Broadway?

Producers have expressed clear hopes for further runs. A West End transfer feels like the next logical step, with Broadway discussed as a longer term goal if the show continues to attract strong audiences.