Review: MEAN GIRLS at BJCC Concert Hall is a Fetching Good Time

The opening song of Mean Girls is "A Cautionary Tale." It is a fitting title for the journey of these teenage characters. Cady Heron (Natalie Shaw) and her family move from the plains of Kenya to the song-n-dance musical safari found in American suburbia. Cady's previous homeschooling ends as she enters the teenage drama farm of North Shore High School. Cady is taken under the wing of the outsider "artsy" kids Janis (Alexys Morera) and Damian (Ethan Jih-Cook). They become fast friends and introduce Cady to the social pecking order and the three who stand at the top - The Plastics, Regina (Maya Petropoulos), Gretchen (Kristen Amanda Smith), and Karen (Maryrose Brendel). Cady quickly registers on the leader Regina's radar, who sees potential in making Cady a duckling-to-swan project. Cady becomes smitten with the most handsome guy in school, Aaron (Joseph Torres). Due to his previous boyfriend's status with Regina, jealousy and conniving ensue. Cady begins to lose herself in craving popularity and social status. She must decide if becoming one of The Plastics is worth losing the best parts of who she is and who her real friends are. 

This Tony Award-winning musical is born from the 2004 film Mean Girls, written by Emmy Award-winning comedian Tina Fey. The musical book is by Fey, lyrics by Nell Benjamin ("Legally Blonde"), and the Tony award-winning score by Jeff Richmond. Mean Girls writing hits with all the standard, albeit stereotypical, dynamics of a contemporary teenager tale. It has primarily peppy, fun, and powerhouse musical numbers featuring strong singers. All the leads dive into the roles and deliver impressive triple-threat packaging. 

The musical has a fast pace. You only get to learn a little or connect to the characters before being whisked into another musical number. I sat without feeling who the characters were, shy of being teenage stereotypes. As a result, some vocal numbers hit harder than others. 

The ensemble filled the BJCC concert stage perfectly. Scenic design by Scott Pask provides bright and expressive sets with the ability for quick transitions. The show's pace was so fast. Stage manager Emily Kritzman brings set changes going quickly from a classroom to a bedroom to the inside of the local shopping mall. Josh Marquette's hair, Milagros Medina-Cerdira' Makeup, and Gregg Barnes's costumes combined to provide a colorful and expressive feel of a standard "High School Musical." Kenneth Posner's lighting design brings creative elements from the school cafeteria to a Kenyan horizon as if you were at "The Lion King." John MacInnis tour choreography gives fun satirical nods to classic Broadway dance numbers. 

The press preview performance hurdles came from multiple missed lighting spotlight cues that lliterally left actors in the dark. The sound could have been better, for an unbalanced audio mix caused the orchestra to overshadow the singers. It took a great effort to hear the singer's voices. The performers gave excellent pitch, intonation, and harmonies, but you couldn't hear the lyrics to bring it all home. 

The heart of "Mean Girls" is obviously girl-centric, with encouraging voices to empower, support, and celebrate instead of trying to tear each other down. I left the performance wanting to download the soundtrack and watch the film. This touring company is an energetic cast with a "fetch"ing chemistry that you should see before school lets out.  

Mean Girls
BJCC Concert Hall
October 17-22
Tour website - meangirlsontour.com

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