Musical Review: "Mean Girls"

Many of us have seen the classic movie Mean Girls featuring Lindsay Lohan, but it took on a new form on Broadway about 18 months ago. The musical is based on Tina Fey’s book about the original movie. Despite its well-known predecessors, the Mean Girls musical manages to bring some creativity to its newest form.It opens powerfully with the dynamic duo of Barrett Wilbert Weed and Grey Henderson playing the roles of Damian Hubbard and Janis Sarkisian, respectively. The audience is introduced to the story’s outline through the song “A Cautionary Tale.” The two complement each other fantastically and the chemistry on stage is undeniable. Not only do the two provide an excellent source of comedic narration, but their voices are well up to standard for a high-profile play on Broadway. By the fourth song, the audience finally meet the Plastics, Regina George, Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith. I personally find the staging of this particular number to be better than the movie’s introduction. It starts with a powerful riff, and both Cady Heron and the audience feel truly starstruck by the Plastics. Taylor Louderman enters the stage beautifully as George. George in the musical is much more arrogant than the character in the movie, but the new personality fits within the musical.An interesting shift comes as Wieners speeds up the song with a hyper verse. It suits the “worker bee” persona assigned to her in the musical. Smith is established as the comic relief from the moment she steps on stage, and her ditzy and flowery verse embodies this perfectly. The notes aren’t difficult or impressive, yet it sounds like she’s trying too hard. I’m not sure if actress Kate Rockwell is performing the songs as they are written, but most of her singing in the show sounds like she wants to not seem smart. Rockwell does perform this role well, and is always a noticeable presence on stage. Aaron Samuels is as dazzling as the crowd expects, and Kyle Selig perfectly suits the role. He won Prom King back in high school, and definitely gives the audience guy-next-door vibes. This rendition of Samuels is quite like that of the movie which doesn’t make him stand out too much. Kevin Gnapoor is still hip, but not so hopelessly urban. However, I’m not sure if I prefer this version or Gnapoor from the movie. Cheech Manohar acts well, but this may be another stylistic choice from the director.My favorite song was one of Smith’s because of the high energy. In “Sexy,” she breaks out of the “dumb blonde” stereotype for a while in preparation for Halloween. The sexy versions of famous women are funny and the choreography here is terrific. The upbeat song brings us to the Halloween party with flare, and she finally has some power. Smith also begins to have some political zingers. Of course, she mentioned her white privilege and a Trump Cheeto joke, but it’s all fitting. Hubbard gets his own song, which lightens the mood. He and the girl ensemble members unite to stop Heron from her obsession over Samuels. They also have a fun tap break during their confessionals and Smith has another powerful moment as she begs boys to stop objectifying women. The audience of mostly girls loved this line, like her others, and the cast fed on this energy while they began to talk directly to us.Heron’s party is a wonderful trainwreck, and the progression towards the end of the show settles in. Sarkisian’s heart is broken and Samuels is disgusted by the plastics, so this is a great climax. George plots her revenge in “World Burn” and sings in the style of her theme song from “Meet the Plastics.” Weed delivers again during her emancipating song about being authentic and the cast gathers to support her. Viewers also experience another basic moment of girl empowerment, which is done so obviously that it keeps the song from reaching its full potential. The show ends well with “I See Stars” and peace is restored rather quickly. The song is exceptional but sounds like a basic musical ending. Since the storyline can’t be changed because the show’s based on Fey’s book, another song arrangement would have been stronger here.Overall, I enjoyed the show and wouldn’t discourage anyone from buying tickets, but there were moments that could have been stronger. The cast is full of talented people, and this was a wonderful musical deserving of its place on Broadway.