It's a movie which has played at many a sleepover. And now 13 Going on 30 has become the latest film to stage transfer - enjoying its world premiere in Manchester.
It's fun, flirty and colourful and the audience on gala night lapped it up with much whooping and hollering even before a note was sung.
I have to confess I've never seen the film - starring Jennifer Garner who is also an executive producer for the show. Nor, I suspect, am I what the bean counters would term 'the target demographic'. In truth I'd been fearing the worst; a chic flick brought to life is not on my list of must sees.
But I was pleasantly surprised. There's a real heart to the show even though it is dosed in saccharine and at a time when the world's in a bit of a pickle, perhaps a couple of hours of escapist frivolity is just what we need.
Lucie Jones as Jenna Rink (Picture: Pamela Raith)(Image: )
The basic premise of a teen waking up as an adult is well used - think Big or Freaky Friday. In 13 Going on 30, after her disastrous 13th birthday party in which she's humiliated by the cool kids at school and falls out with her best friend Matt, Jenna Rink wishes she was an adult.
Hey presto she's 30, the successful editor of a fashion magazine and living a seemingly glamorous but actually very empty life.
Lucie Jones has fun in the starring role and is suitably goofy as a teenager in an adult body, struggling to walk in heels, marvelling at her new-found breasts and shocked to find a semi-naked hockey player in her apartment. She's also got a fabulous voice.
There are strong performances throughout. David Hunter as the world-weary Matt who has never got over his unrequited love for Jenna is sympathetically played.
Special mention to Grace Mouat as Lucy, Jenna's best friend/worst enemy in the cut-throat world of fashion. She is clearly having a ball as the baddie of the show.
Grace Mouat and Lucie Jones (Picture: Pamela Raith)(Image: )
Arguably the real stars of the show are Amelia Minto and Max Bispham as the young Jenna and Matt, supported by an incredibly talented gang of youngsters, recreating the fizzing hormones and heartbreak and ecstasy of high school life.
This is one of the most colourful shows you're likely to see this year; it really is an assault on the eyes (in a good way). The sets are relatively simple but hugely effective - large screens become photo frames in an instant.
The key messages of the show are writ large; the importance of friendship and being true to yourself, the fact it's good to be different, understanding that life in the real world is not always what it seems.
There is a genuine warmth to the show - particularly in the second half where it really picks up the pace. And there are one or two acutely observed performances. Caleb Roberts as the increasingly neurotic and needy magazine editor and Andre Berlin as Kyle Grandy the high school quarterback gone to seed are comedy highlights.
Max Bispham as young Matt and Amelia Minto as young Jenna in 13 Going on 30 (Picture: Pamela Raith)(Image: )
For any new musical the main question is 'what about the songs?'. Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner have done a decent job is providing numbers which have genuine ear worm potential.
The show perhaps lacks a couple of killer numbers - the stand-out song is the girl-power anthem Own It - but it's a soundtrack that works and is performed with gusto by the whole cast backed by a great live band.
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.