Riedel on Mean Girls searing for a star and aiming for Spring 2018

[JennH]

Valentina3 said: "JennH said: "disneybroadwayfan22 said: "Valentina3 said: "Well, there's Auli'l Cravahlo... "

She's going to have her own show, but she'd be cute as Cady"

Apart from that, there's another potential problem...only potential though. If the line about Karen asking Cady why she's white if she's from Africa, plus the "I'm from Michigan..." line, will both lose all hilarity. Being the very modern day show this will be, for all intents and purposes anyone should be able to be cast in this, regardless of ethnicity, but the whole "Caucasian girl raised in Africa finally experinces American high school" plot point loses its comical nature. The whole plot more less revolves around this premise. If they don't keep those lines, then cast anyone you want, but IF those lines are kept, and my intuition tells me they will be, then sadly I have to say...Cady is gonna have to be Caucasian to make those lines work. "

 

Even a mildly smart book writer/director can fix that, and we have Tina Fey writing material unless I'm very much mistaken. If the actress playing Cady is black, for instance, the response would simply go from "why are you white if you're from Africa" to "oh duh! I should have known" to make it just as painfully stupid and ignorant. I can go on, but you get my drift.
 

As for your Plastics comment - how about Jasmine Cephas Jones as Regina?

 

"

That's fair to say, but somehow..someway, I think any change to that line would lose any and all comic punch it has. Maybe It's just me but DAMN that line is just hilarious, and I think it's a line that hardcore fans, and I'm one of them, will expect to hear in this. I'm not saying I personally (hilarious as hell though it is) expect it per se, but as I'm not an outside layperson to the theatre world, I know changes will be made.  It's nature of adapting material to stage or screen. It's the fans that are the laymen that will expect probably every quotable line to be in this script.

[RW3]

Wouldn't this potentially conflict with Casey bringing Dreamgirls to Broadway next season?

[Valentina3]

You have a point about fans expecting the joke. But I think you'll agree that we are well past the time when casting a person of certain race for one single discardable joke is going to sit well with folks. Imagine if Dawn in Waitress was required to be Asian for the sake of one "look I read Mandarin" joke during "Positive".

[JennH]

Valentina3 said: "You have a point about fans expecting the joke. But I think you'll agree that we are well past the time when casting a person of certain race for one single discardable joke is going to sit well with folks. Imagine if Dawn in Waitress was required to be Asian for the sake of one "look I read Mandarin" joke during "Positive".

 

"

I do agree, don't get me wrong. But when Karen LITERALLY states Cady's being caucasian merely by asking that question, especially since this movie is so mainstream, then it does call into question of who to cast. Waitress is by no means mainstream, or at least on the level that Mean Girls is. If they somehow change or get rid of that line, then by all means colorblind cast away!

[GreasedLightning]

Anyone can learn to speak mandarin. Not everyone is white. Lol. 

[gypsy101]

y'all really think they couldn't...change stuff? to fit the casting? it would be easy. her living in africa doesn't have to be ironic because she's white. she could have non-white research zoologist parents. i have faith Tina Fey and her cohorts will do a terrific job on this show! Jeff Richmond has done fantastic music work on 30 Rock and Kimmy Schmidt, to the point that i kind of wish it was just him writing the score. i'm very excited for this show!

[elphaba.scares.me]

Valentina3 said: "Littleshopofcarrie said: "What about Dove Cameron as Regina George?"

 

Hah! I said that when Hairspray Live happened; with Kristin Chenoweth playing Amy Poehler's character. I know the role is probably too small for Kristin, but they could beef it up. I wonder what Nikki Snelson (who played Brooke Windham in Legally Blonde) is up to these days. She was a hoot on stage!"

IIRC, they have combined several of the adult females into one track. Meaning that the actor who plays Ms Norbury also plays Regina's mom, and one other I think. At least according to the last casting notice I saw.

Makes sense, and whoever gets hired for that will have a blast!

[gypsy101]

it's Mrs Heron, Ms Norbury and Mrs George all combined into one, i believe.

[GreasedLightning]

gypsy101 said: "it's Mrs Heron, Ms Norbury and Mrs George all combined into one, i believe.

 

"

This seems stupid. 

[little_sally]

GreasedLightning said: "gypsy101 said: "it's Mrs Heron, Ms Norbury and Mrs George all combined into one, i believe.

This seems stupid. 

It really, really does. I feel like Mrs. George and Ms. Norbury should be two different tracks.

 

[HeleneIsASlut]

I can totally see the Ms Norbury, Mrs George and Cady's mom being one track. Mrs George and Cadys mom have maybe five minutes of on screen time and Ms Norbury has maybe 20-30 minutes in the film. None of their scenes are together and assuming the musical is like the movie it should work. It can work similarly to Chad, Dewie, and Kyle from Legally Blonde. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

The whole essence of Ms. Norbury is how independent and self-sufficient she is (as Mr. Duvall says, she "is a successful, intelligent, caring, graceful, young woman". I could see the parents possibly being played all together, but Ms. Norbury very much deserves to be a standalone character.