Review: MEAN GIRLS at Robinson Center

It was so Fetch that Celebrity Attractions brought MEAN GIRLS to Robinson Center, 426 West Markham St., in Little Rock, this past weekend Feb. 2-4. Half of the audience was dressed in pink, even though it wasn’t Wednesday, because we totally wanted to sit with The Plastics. Ok, that may not necessarily be true, but hanging with this cast for a couple of hours had us laughing nonstop as we were reminded of what high school hierarchy was like.  

Mean Girls, based on the Paramount Pictures film Mean Girls, and written by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, follows new girl Cady Heron (Natalie Shaw), who moved in from Africa and was homeschooled, and thrown into North Shore High School where The Plastics-Regina George (Maya Petropoulos), Gretchen Wieners (Kristen Amanda Smith) and Karen Smith (MaryRose Brendel)-are high school royalty. Before Cady is invited into The Plastics, Janis Sarkisian (Alexys Morera) and Damian Hubbard (Ethan Jih-Cook) sing about “A Cautionary Tale” and show Cady around singing “Where Do You Belong.” When The Plastics take an interest in Cady, Janis and Damian encourage Cady to join so she can report back to them about what is going on with them. Cady soon develops a crush on Aaron Samuels (Joseph Torres), who just happens to be Regina’s ex, and the shenanigans ensue. Does Cady survive the attacks from the “Apex Predator”?  

This musical is so funny...and a little inappropriate. I did not see the movie prior to this, so I was a little surprised, even though I was aware of Tina Fey’s background with Saturday Night Live. This cast really worked well together. They were very entertaining. The singing was awesome, and the comedic timing was everything! Shaw’s Cady was wide-eyed and hopeful of making the most out of her high school experience. She and Petropoulos clicked as frenemies. Petropoulos made being a mean girl look like fun. I loved her lesson about not apologizing for being the boss. Smith and Brendel’s characters were great minions, who had their own distinct personalities and struggles. It was hard not to feel sorry for Gretchen, and Karen’s dumbness was oddly charming. Also, I loved the pairing of Janis and Damian. Both Morera and Cook were a powerhouse team that led the audience through the musical with ease. I loved them all! 

The music was sensational. Confession: if I’m sitting in a good spot, I like to turn around on occasion to see the conductor in the tiny tv hanging from the balcony. It was so fun to see Conductor/Keyboard 1 Julius LaFlamme jamming out and having a good time leading the orchestra.  

The way they changed sets was entertaining to watch as well. I loved how the set pieces flowed with the ensemble rolling in and off the stage. Chasing each other around with their desks was great.  

If you missed this production of MEAN GIRLS, they do have a tour schedule on their website at https://meangirlsontour.com.     

Next up at Robinson Center is THE ARKANSAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS: BOND & BEYOND, which hits the stage February 10 and 11. For more information, visit https://www.littlerock.com/events/the-arkansas-symphony-orchestra-presents-bond-beyond. 

CAST: Natalie Shaw (Cady Heron), Maya Petropoulos (Regina George), Kristen Amanda Smith (Gretchen Wieners), MaryRose Brendel (Karen Smith), Alexys Morera (Janis Sarkisian), Ethan Jih-Cook (Damian Hubbard), Kristen Seggio (Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George), Joseph Torres (Aaron Samuels), Shawn Mathews (Kevin G), Justin Phillips (Mr. Duvall), Megan Arseneau (Swing); Ensemble: Thalia Atallah, Darius Aushay, Lucas Hallauer, Mikey Corey Hassel, Tyler Jung, Reagan Kennedy, Joi D. McCoy, Oshie Mellon, Victoria Mesa,Brandon Moreno, Jonah Nash, Justin O'Brien, Mikaela Rada, Emily Ann Stys (Swing, Dance Captain), Ryan Vogt (Swing, Assistant Dance Captain). 

CREATIVE: Tina Fey (Book), Jeff Richmond (Music), Nell Benjamin (Lyrics), Casey Nicholaw (Original Direction and Choreography), Casey Hushion (Tour Director), John MacInnis (Tour Choreographer), Scott Pask (Set Design), Gregg Barnes (Costume Design), Kenneth Posner (Lighting Design), Brian Ronan (Sound Design), Josh Marquette (Hair Design), Milagros Medina-Cerdeira (Make-up Design), Glen Kelly (Dance and Incidental Musical Arrangements), John Clancy (Orchestrations), Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Music Supervisor), Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Jeff Richmond, Natalie Tenenbaum (Vocal Arrangements), Julius LaFlamme (Music Director), John Mezzio (Music Coordinator), Emily Kritzman (Production Stage Manager), Liam Millward (Company Manager), Allied Global Marketing (Tour Marketing & Press), Situation Interactive (Online Marketing), The Telsey Office / Bethany  Knox, CSA (Casting), The Booking Group / Meredith Blair (Tour Booking), NETworks Presentations / Walker White (Production Management), Gentry & Associates / Madeline McCluskey (General Management), Mimi Intagliata (Executive Producer). 

ORCHESTRA: Julius LaFlamme (Conductor/Keyboard 1), Braden Chudzik (Assistant Conductor/Keyboard 2), Christopher Burrow and Megan Trach (Reeds), John Johnson (Trumpet), Thomas Woytko (Trombone/Bass Trombone), Andrew Shield (Guitar), Ryan Crum (Bass), Chris Cerreto (Drums). 

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