In 1958 there was BYE BYE BIRDIE. 1960 brought HAIR. 1971 showcased GREASE. 1980 gave us CARRIE. Then in 1990 there was 13 (MUSICAL). 2016 saw DEAR EVAN HANSEN exploding on the scene. Now, there is MEAN GIRLS.
What do all these Broadway musicals have in common? They placed the spotlight on teens and their angst.
OMG! Think back to high school, specifically the cafeteria, at lunch time. Horror of horrors! There was the table of math geeks. Another of drama kids. The testosterone-laden jocks held out over there and the cheerleaders were right next to them. Then there was the queen bee and her small swarm of drones. The mean girl and her attack team. They are perfectly coiffed, expensively dressed, spoiled, lacking in empathy, anorexic, and share one leaf of lettuce for their midday meal.
With that in mind, you are now ready to immerse yourself into MEAN GIRLS, the stage-show with music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and a book by the queen of television comedy, Tina Fey.
The musical is based on Fey’s popular 2004 film which was inspired by Rosalind Wieseman’s book, “Queen Bees and Wannabes.”
Fans of the movie should be releaved that nothing important has been purged from the story. Those who went through the horrors of slam/shame books, hazing, verbal abuse and general “hell” at the hands of the mean girls at their high schools will be happy to know that, in the musical, the queen and her swarm get their stingers removed. (Yeah, revenge for the high school “odd balls.”)
In the musical, Cady, fresh from a life in Kenya, is a new girl in town. She is taken on a tour of her now educational institution, an Illinois high school, and exposed to the ways of its pecking order, by “good guys,” Janis and Damian.
The J and D duo have taken the attitude of not being affected by self-selected school royalty and nasty-girl Queen Bee Regina George and “the Plastics” (Gretchen and Karen), her lackey hanger-ons. They caution Cady to be careful in deciding where she belongs in the school’s social fabric.
And, wonder of wonders, for an unexplained reason, Cady is invited to sit with “the Plastics” on a one-week trial. (Hmm…what do the terrible trio have in mind?)
Everything goes well for Cady until she meets “dreamy” Aaron in honors math class. She falls for him. But, horror of horrors, Aaron has recently broken up with Queen Regina. (You know this is going to make life for Cady a horror show.)
In order to “keep” Aaron’s interest Cady plays dumb, turning to him for “extra” help.
A bus accident, a Burn Book which slams students by commenting on their weight (“hips like a Hippo”), parents’ infidelities (“the only reason he made the team is that his mother slept with the coach”) and eating habits (“Vegan freak”), Cady taking over Regina’s place as Queen of the plastics, Cady being elected Spring Fling Queen and her surprising act of sharing the crown, all lead to a happy-ever-after feel-good ending. (Hey, this is a Tina Fey written high school Broadway musical, what did you expect?)
Though it received 15 Tony nominations, MEAN GIRLS, as evidenced by the fact that it won no statues, is not a great musical. This is definitely not DEAR EVAN HANSEN quality.
It is, however, enjoyable and, as evidenced by the screaming teens in the audience, it has caught on and has developed its cult following.
On Broadway, the teen-laden audience, mostly composed of girls, whether from their knowing the story from the film, or having attended previous performances, knew what was coming, both plot twists and songs, and constantly screamed their approval.
The serviceable score, the Tina Fey sharp tongued satire and one-liners gave a positive vibe to the goings on.
“Where Do You Belong” stopped the show.
The cast is strong. Grey Henson was delightfully endearing as the flamboyant Damian. He was nicely balanced by Barrett Wilbert Weed’s Janis, his side-kick, the outspoken bud. Their opening song, “A Cautionary Tale,” set the right mood for what was to come.
Erika Henningsen transitioned from curious newcomer to Queen Bee with charm and appeal. Her reprise of “Fearless” was well sung, as was “Stupid With Love.” “More is Better,” sung with heartthrob Kyle Selig (Aaron), had the female teens and tweens pining for more.
Taylor Louderman, Krystina Alabado and Kate Rockwell are character-perfect as “the Plastics.”
Capsule judgment: MEAN GIRLS is filled with music, characters and Tina Fey satire that will appeal to young audiences. It is a show that will do very well on tour (it will be on stage at Cleveland’s Connor Palace from December 3-22, 2019) and will be performed by every community theater and high school in the country when it is released for amateur production. Go. Enjoy.
WHAT: MEAN GIRLS
WHERE: AUGUST WILSON THEATRE
WHEN: OPEN RUN
