Thank you, Tina Fey, for writing such a “grool” book that has delivered some of the best life lessons, became a 2004 cult classic film, and most recently, a really fetch musical that you can catch at Segerstrom Hall this spring.
Suburbia is no match for the African savannah. “Mean Girls,” the musical, is about a high school girl named Cady Heron who grew up in Africa, but is forced to attend a new school when her family moves to an Illinois suburb. Cady is determined to fit in and be popular. She meets Janis and Damian who help her understand the current hierarchy and teach her about “the Plastics,” the popular trio consisting of Regina George (the leader), Gretchen Wieners (Regina’s sidekick that will do just about anything for her), and Karen Smith (the unintelligent, stereotypical blonde). When Janis and Damian find out that the Plastics asked Cady to sit with them, they seize this as their chance to get inside information on the despised trio by asking Cady to relay all the dirty details.
Cady is intrigued by the Plastics and thinks Regina is nice and doesn’t listen to the warnings of her true friends, Janis and Damian. But when Cady sees Regina kissing the boy Cady has a crush on, Cady gets upset hatches a plan with Janis and Damian to destroy Regina: Cady becomes the new “queen bee.” But will Cady stay her sweet self, or become a “mean girl?”
“Mean Girls” teaches us to not care what others think, revenge doesn’t make you feel better, be a good friend, and most importantly, be yourself.
The cast consists of English Bernhardt (Cady Heron), Nadina Hassan (Regina George), Jasmine Rogers (Gretchen Wieners), Morgan Ashely Bryan (Karen Smith), Lindsay Heather Pearce (Janis Sarkisian), and Eric Huffman (Damian Hubbard). Jeff Richmond provides the music with lyrics by Nell Benjamin and Casey Nicholaw is the director and choreographer. The show originally premiered at the National Theatre in Washington D.C. in October 2017 before it opened on Broadway in April 2018 where it ran until March 2020.
“Mean Girls” is playing NOW and runs through January 29th before it heads on up to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre. Hurry up and reserve your seat, and don’t forget if you decide to go on a Wednesday night “…we wear pink.”
