From left, Abigail Carpenter as Cady Heron, Madyson Sabin as Karen Smith, Tori Ball as Regina George, and Anndru Lomber-Ginoza as Gretchen Wieners in the GPS and McCallie School presentation of Mean Girls | High School Version
Girls Preparatory School and McCallie present Mean Girls | High School Version as this year’s upper school spring musical. Director of Theater and Musicals for both schools, Chelsea Padro, shared why the message behind Mean Girls will resonate with audience members.
“Mean Girls is all about what life can be like for teens in high school—the pressure to fit in with the right group, or wear the right clothes, or sit at the right lunch table,” Ms. Padro says. “Why must we change ourselves, and what makes us each unique, to fit in with the in-crowd?”
GPS senior Abigail Carpenter plays Cady Heron, the lead character of the musical. At the end of the show, Cady says, “I thought I had to change myself to be good enough. We all do that sometimes, I think. But looking at you guys from up here … I wish you could see it. You're awesome.”
Ms. Padro says the musical version differs from the 20-year-old film that starred Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey and Rachel McAdams beyond the original catchy songs. “The musical version has a lot more energy than the original movie and adds an element of animal nature to the characters. Several times in the play, the high school students emulate wild animals to portray the often-vicious nature of teenagers.
"Another major difference is that Janis’s and Damien's characters lead us through the show, often narrating to the audience from their points of view.” To modernize the musical, social media and cell phones play an integral part in the plot. For reference, the original film was released the same year that Facebook launched. “We can't portray a realistic view of teenage life without the use of social media and how teens can use platforms to alienate and bully each other,” Ms. Padro adds.
Casting the show involved a weeklong audition process, in which each student had to sing multiple song parts in the musical, learn a short choreography piece, and read scenes from the script. Mean Girls | High School Version is Ms. Padro’s first musical at GPS and McCallie, so she wanted to make sure to see and hear as much as possible from each student.
“I think the audience will love the narration from Janis (played by Blythe Lavin) and Damian (Jack Rogers),” Ms. Padro says. “They keep you moving throughout the show and add an element of humor and fun to the story. The dances, choreographed by Jules Downum, are going to look amazing!” The music promises to be modern and upbeat and will keep the audience entertained. “I'm sure that everyone who has ever attended high school will find something to connect with."
Because of some mature themes, Mean Girls | High School Version is recommended for audiences ages 13 and up. Tickets are available at GPS.edu/Musical and are $15. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20, at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 21, at 2:30 p.m., in GPS Frierson Theatre.