Interview: Adrianna Rose Lyons of MEAN GIRLS at La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts
BroadwayWorld’s guest teen reporter—and fellow “Regina George” in a local high school production—interviews La Mirada’s Queen Bee
Regina George, meet Regina George.
McCoy Rigby Entertainment’s production of “Mean Girls” is in full swing at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. The musical opened April 10 and runs through May 3.
But theirs isn’t the only “so fetch” clique in town.
Manhattan Beach’s Mira Costa High School Drama Department is also putting on the 12-time Tony-nominated musical, based on Tina Fey’s sharp and hilarious ode to high school social hierarchy.
So, to celebrate the enduring appeal of the Plastics, we thought it would be fun to have the high school version of Regina George—played at Mira Costa by sophomore Emery Gregory—meet the professional one, played at La Mirada by Adrianna Rose Lyons.
A Southern California native, Lyons has built an impressive career in regional theater, including multiple productions at La Mirada, and spent five years on Disney’s national tour of Frozen as a member of the ensemble and an understudy for Elsa.
Sixteen-year-old Gregory wrote 10 questions for Lyons. Here, the two talk favorite songs, favorite lines, wigs gone wrong, and what real-life mean girls need to hear most.
Emery: What is your favorite song in the show?
Oh my gosh. I would say World Burn is probably my favorite song to perform.
Emery: What is your favorite Regina George line, and do you ever use it in real life?
It's so funny because with all her lines, the big joke for me is like, ‘God, these lines are so mean.’ Like, I'm just so mean the whole time to everybody. I can't imagine using any of them, really, in real life! But I've noticed that I've avoided saying the word “fetch.” Like, everybody else uses fetch but nobody else uses fetch. Like, what is fetch? I like saying that line.
Emery: Based on your personality, is there a part in the performance that makes you feel uncomfortable?
You know, what I would say overall—because I've been told that I have the persona of a Regina in real life, just a very strong stance, a very strong presence—and as I've grown up, I’ve learned that that's a really good thing. It can be a really good thing in theater. But I think it's always been something for me that I felt a little self-conscious about because you don't always understand why people kind of look at you like that or think, ‘Wow, you’re so strong,’ because it's not how I think of myself.
So in a way, the entire role of Regina has been something that I've learned to grow into and love and appreciate about myself. That like, you have that type of strength when you walk into the room. And it's something that always made me feel a little uncomfortable, so just being able to stand on stage as Regina and be like, ‘Yeah, I know you see it, I see it, and I'm comfortable with it, and I'm no longer self-conscious about it,’ has been a really interesting journey for me personally with this role.
Emery: What costume in the show instantly makes you feel the most powerful when you put it on?
I love my pink outfit. Our Costume Designer, Adam, is so good. Like, he loves clothes, obviously, so he's had so much fun dressing us up. I would say all my outfits are really cute and monochrome, but I really love my little pink outfit: it’s a sheer long sleeve, it’s got a little corset thing, it's sort of see-through, and it's so pink. I love how it fits. So yeah, I would say my “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink” outfit is my favorite.
Emery: What is the most distracting thing that’s ever happened on stage while you were trying to stay in character?
I had a wig fall off. This was in college, and I was doing The Music Man, and I was playing Marian the librarian. We had a scene where I’m supposed to distract Charlie, and I kiss him. On our dress rehearsal, we had a live audience—it was like the first time with a live audience. I went to grab him and kiss him and he grabbed my head really hard, and my wig spun off.
I kept trying to keep going, but I have this red, fiery red hair underneath this blonde wig, and so some of my red hair had come out in front of my face. I kept trying to do the scene but the audience was laughing, and eventually we had to stop the show so I could reset it. But yeah, that’s probably one of my favorite moments.
Emery: If you had to choose who to get stuck in an elevator with, which other character in the play would it be?
Janice, because I think Regina and Janice are actually very similar. We express it very differently, and we’re very different characters, but in the show, we were supposed to have come from being best friends when we were in elementary school. So I think Regina and Janice have a lot to hash out and a lot to talk about.
Emery: If you could add one crazy Regina moment to the show, what would it be?
I think I would love more moments with Janice. I would love a scene with Janice to kind of get more of a background on where did their rivalry come from. We get a quick glimpse of it, but I would love to see more of that dynamic between Janice and Regina on stage for sure.
Emery: What would you tell the mean girls in high school today?
Chill out. Nobody’s better than anybody else. We’re all very much the same and we’re all very equal and we all are self-conscious and we all don’t know who we are yet. High school’s temporary, so your fame is temporary.
Emery: After people see the show, what message do you hope the audience takes away?
Very much a similar thing: that high school is such a temporary thing, and in the moment, you think it’s going to last forever. The meaner you are, I believe, the more self-conscious you are about who you are. Who you are in high school is not who you end up being.
I think it’s that kindness is everything, and knowing who you are is everything . . . We’re all equal. I think that’s the message at the end of the show—that we’re all the same and we all should find a way to see each other as human and not things, like groups.
Emery: Knowing how tough it is in the performing arts, what kept you going on the days when Broadway felt totally out of reach?
Oh my gosh, what a great question. My answer is there are plenty of times where I thought that it wasn’t going to continue, and you think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ I’m not getting paid any money, I have to ask my parents for help again. What I would say is that every successful performer has gone through that, and that it is not a reflection on your talent and your ability to make this a career.
A lot of people think that if you’re experiencing negatives—you’re not getting work, or you’re not making enough money—that means you should quit. And a lot of people quit when that happens. Obviously, the love for it has to prevail. What’s kept me going is I love this so much and I feel like I’m meant for it deep down. But that’s not to say that I haven’t had plenty of times where I don’t get hired, I don’t get the job, I have to go back to another day job, I have to keep going and then something happens again. Sometimes with a lot of space in between.
So I try to tell young people: If you really love this and you really want to do it, you have to get used to the rejection. And you have to expect it and don’t define yourself by it. You will have rejection and you will be said no to many times, and that is normal and a part of the journey.
Mean Girls is playing at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through May 3. Tickets are available at lamiradatheatre.com/current_events/meangirls. It is directed/choreographed by Dana Solimando, with musical direction by Anthony Zediker. The cast features Katie Roche as “Cady Heron,” Adrianna Rose Lyons as “Regina George,” Sarah-Anne Martinez as “Gretchen Wieners,” Grace Fluharty as “Karen Smith,” McKenna Michael as “Janis Sarkisian,” and Gavin Leahy as “Damian."
Mira Costa’s production of Mean Girls runs April 24 through May 2. Tickets are available at www.miracostadramaboosters.org.
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