I was at the second preview this evening and have some pretty mixed thoughts about the show. Mean Girls is generally pleasant to sit through; it rarely hits cringeworthy or boring territory, but I also don’t know if I actually laughed out loud once the whole night. Everything is bubbly and upbeat, but it doesn’t really soar. (My favorite song was Gretchen’s more introspective character number What’s Wrong With Me; the group numbers at the school become repetitive and feel generic- completely interchangeable with Louderman’s other teen show, Bring It On, and that’s not a compliment. There even was a dancing lion mascot that reminded me of that awful dancing leprechaun in Bring It On.)
Structurally, the show has the same problem the movie has, which is the plot comes apart in the second half. The plastics and all the fun we have with them are pushed aside for ballads about stars, school assemblies about bullying and a mathletes competition. Gretchen and Karen essentially disappear and Regina, despite being given the tenth belting-as-high-as-she-can beltorama beltfest in a row, doesn’t make much of an impression in act two either.
Janis and Damian, who really feel like minor characters in the film, as often put center stage. Damian gets two big production numbers near the top of each act and Janis gets an 11 o’clock belterpiece inbetween Regina’s aforementioned belter and Cady’s final song about stars (again).
The actors are all likable and pass the belt as high as they can test. There can be daily shuffles with Regina, Elphaba and Elsa if any of actors feel like they need a break from their current roles.
So much of dialogue is lifted right from the film and delivered in the exact same way as the film actors delivered it. It’s hard to laugh at the fetch lines when we’ve not only heard the joke so many times over the years, but we’ve also seen it parodied on SNL and other teen comedies. It’s a testament to the original screenplay that so much of it has entered the pop culture lexicon, but that makes Mean Girls the musical feel like a nostalgia trip rather than something fresh and exciting.
A word about Kerry Butler- I knew she was playing Tina Fey’s role in the film (among others), but I didn’t realize she would actually be asked to play Tina Fey. She does a pretty damn good impersonation of Fey and there’s certainly a meta quality watching an actress impersonate Fey after we’ve watched her impersonate so many famous people on SNL, but it’s weird that they didn’t let Butler just create the role of teacher.
I normally am not a fan of projections, but they mostly worked for me here. There is very little physical set though and this can leave the stage looking barren at times.
I think Mean Girls will have a Legally Blonde-esque trajectory and eventually become a popular choice to put on in high schools.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
