ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The past several months have provided me with some cool opportunities to see musicals as they’re touring through the U.S. and last Friday gave me the chance to visit Wichita for the national tour of “Mean Girls” with my college friend, Robyn.
I’d heard of the musical and had listened to the original cast recording once or twice, but last weekend was my first time actually seeing the show onstage, so I went into it slightly blind. For those who don’t know, the show is based on the 2004 movie of the same name, and follows Cady Heron, a teenage girl who transfers to a public high school after being homeschooled her whole life in Africa. At school, she befriends outsiders Janis Sarkisian and Damian Hubbard, who persuade her to infiltrate the 'Plastics,' a clique consisting of wealthy but insecure Gretchen Wieners, sweet but dimwitted Karen Smith, and 'queen bee' Regina George. Hilarity and humility ensue as Cady learns you can’t cross a Queen Bee without a chance of getting stung.
To start off, the cast of the show was ridiculously talented. Natalie Shaw was amazing as Cady and was able to portray Cady’s transition from innocent newbie to temporary queen bee back to newbie (but with a little more confidence). She has an absolutely gorgeous voice (particularly with her opening song “It Roars”) and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear more of her in the future. Another particular standout for me was Maya Petropoulos as Regina George, who was able to PERFECTLY capture being a high school queen bee rhymes-with-witch. Her vocals were also amazing, and I knew right from her entrance she would do an amazing job – her second act solo “World Burn” was particularly good and like Natalie Shaw, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear more from her in the future. I also have to give a shoutout to Maryrose Brendel as Karen Smith, because her facial expressions and mannerisms and everything else were just too perfect in capturing being a stereotypical ditzy blonde, and she also had a great voice. Ethan Jih-Cook and Alexys Morera also made for a good dynamic duo as Janis Sarkisian and Damian Hubbard, and I knew from their opening of the show they would also be a favorite. Morera also did a great job with her big solo Act 2 solo “I’d Rather Be Me,” and she was able to convey all Janis’ frustration and sarcasm so, so well. Along with the musical numbers, the cast all had great chemistry with each other, and all the comedic moments landed very well with the audience. Overall, whoever was in charge of casting nailed absolutely everyone, and it ended up making the show very enjoyable.
The technical aspects of the show were also well done throughout, starting with the choreography. There were more dance numbers in the show than I was expecting (though not in a bad way), and I was blown away at just how crisp and energetic every number was. I would argue the choreography was on the same level as “SIX” or “Hamilton,” and it was a very pleasant surprise. The lighting was also very cleverly used throughout and helped convey the mood in each scene perfectly – my favorite scene in terms of lighting was Regina’s “World Burn” solo because it starts out very minimal and builds up as the number keeps going, and the overall effect was pretty dazzling. Overall, the tech crew did a great job and deserve a huge shoutout of their own for their hard work.
Something else I noticed throughout the show was how, like with “SIX,” each character kind of had their own musical style associated with them – Cady’s music gave me a Disney Princess vibe, Damian’s music was straight-up classic Broadway, Janis’ music was along the lines of alternative rock, and all the Plastics’ music was more pop/R&B. Having all of those different styles might sound a little cluttered, but it all comes together so well and makes the show very enjoyable. It also gives everyone a chance to have their moment in the spotlight and with the cast being so talented, I was very glad to see that happen. Overall, there were many good creative choices made in regard to the music.
Something else I liked about the show was the overall pacing. Everything was so brisk and snappy, and the overall energy of the show was very high, and I’ll again credit the cast for that since everyone had such great chemistry and everyone involved was so talented.
Overall, I very much enjoyed my trip to Wichita to see “Mean Girls” and I would give it a solid “A” grade. The cast was absolutely perfectly picked, particularly with Natalie Shaw as leading lady Cady Heron, Maya Petropoulos as queen bee Regina George, and Maryrose Brendel as Karen Smith – again, I’m not sure who all was involved in the casting process, but they chose everyone perfectly, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear from some of these people in the future. The choreography in the show was also done really well throughout, and I loved how sharp and precise everything was in that regard. I also really enjoyed how each character had their own musical style attributed to them as the show went on, which really gave everyone the chance to shine. The show also moved along at a very brisk pace, and the energy was positive and very infectious, making it very enjoyable. I can’t say for sure if seeing the musical will inspire me to watch the original film, but I definitely had a good time and would highly recommend it.
