Homeschooled junior Cady Heron has just moved from Africa to a Chicago suburb with her biologist parents, and North Shore High is her first public school. Students Janis and Damian help her navigate the school, and then she joins the three most popular girls – manipulative Regina George, Gretchen and Karen – in The Plastics clique.
Cady eventually becomes its leader, ousting the previous one, Regina. The story then shows how the power in school cliques can play out amidst boyfriends, gossip, sabotage and redemption. And it’s Centreville High’s upcoming production, “Mean Girls, the Musical.”
Show times are Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 12, 13, 14, at 7 p.m., plus a sensory-friendly performance Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, adults; and $12, students, senior citizens and military, at the door or via www.theatrecentreville.com.
It features a cast and crew of 40, and Director Patrick McGee chose this show “because of its theme of being inclusive and finding your own voice. And I wanted to give the students the chance to do a more contemporary musical. It’s the most dance-heavy show we’ve done – with tap and modern Broadway-style numbers – and they’re working really hard. It also has a lot of songs, so they’re working on the harmonies about the characters’ intentions while they’re singing.”
“It’s exciting to see a movie I grew up watching come to life in the musical-theater world,” he continued. “And coming from New York City, two of my professional colleagues were in the original Broadway cast, so it’s nice to see my students doing likewise.”
The scenes take place in the high-school classrooms, cafeteria and hallways, plus in Cady’s and Regina’s houses. “The hardest part is that it was written cinematically for a movie,” said McGee. “So figuring out how to do it as a musical – with really quick changes from scene to scene – has been a big challenge, but a creative one.”
He said audiences will like the score’s contemporary-pop feel, and the story’s iconic jokes, such as, “Stop making fetch happen,” are still part of the show. “The nostalgia of the movie will be there, but with a twist,” said McGee. “And because of some mature situations, this is PG-13, so parents are advised to use their own discretion. Our theme this season is ‘You CAN sit with us,’ unlike what the mean girls say in the show, so we welcome everyone to our performances.”
Portraying Cady is freshman Riglee Bryson. “Cady’s kind and courageous and not afraid to stand up to someone who’s being mean to her or to others,” said Bryson. “She’s also adventurous, loves trying new things, is friendly and outgoing, and is happy to be in a new environment.”
Bryson’s delighted with her part because she relates to her character in many ways. “Cady’s not afraid to be herself; and if people reject her, that’s their problem,” said Bryson. “She won’t change herself to make them like her. I’m so happy Mr. McGee trusted me with this role and knew I could bring her to life.”
Her favorite song is the show’s finale, “I See Stars,” which she sings, with the rest of the cast joining her at the end. “Cady’s realizing what she’s done to her friends to fit in with a group she shouldn’t have, because it changed her,” explained Bryson. “It’s so wholesome, and the message is that being yourself is the most important thing, because the people who truly are your friends will find you and want to be around you.”
Bryson said audiences will like the special effects, especially the lighting. “In the number, ‘Whose House is This?’ there’s a part where the lights go down and then out – and come back up fast while Cady is drinking, mirroring what she’s doing and how she feels,” said Bryson. “People will also enjoy the dance numbers, which are flashy and entertaining, with things happening onstage the whole time.”
Freshman Luke Schmidt, who plays junior Damian, calls his character “an art freak who loves painting, drawing and doing theatre and is the junior co-chair of the Student Activities Committee. He’s gay and very flamboyant, enthusiastic and zesty. He’s outgoing, but because he’s gay, his only good friend is Janis.”
Schmidt likes his role because it’s his first comedic part in two years and, he said, “I’m really enjoying it. We’re both extroverted and love being around people. He doesn’t care about how others perceive him because he’s his own person and is OK with who he is. So he also makes large, flashy movements with his body and shows his feelings through them.”
Schmidt especially likes the number, “Stop,” which he sings. “It’s challenging for me because I’m having to learn tap dancing to do it while singing. But it’s so much fun because it’s a catchy song and a typical musical-theater number. After Cady joins The Plastics and starts becoming selfish and obsessed with popularity like them, I’m singing it to her and telling her to stop, chill out and think about what she’s doing.”
He said audiences will like that this show is campy while still relatable to high-school students. “It makes fun of how much people care about themselves in high school but does it in a cringy way that’s also enjoyable to watch,” said Schmidt. “A lot of love has been put into the set, and audiences will also love the choreography, the acting and the amazing voices singing.”
Senior Gigi Okey-Eboh plays two roles – Regina’s mom, Mrs. George, and Cady’s mom, Mrs. Heron. “Their personalities are so different, so it’s easy to tell them apart,” said Okey-Eboh. “Several of the guys also play two roles. Regina’s mom wants to really connect with her daughter, so she dresses like her, tries to hang out with her friends and uses the same lingo. But Cady’s mom is more like the stereotypical, over-protective mom and is a little controlling.”
Okey-Eboh said Regina’s mom is like a caricature of a mother, so “she’s really fun to portray. Most of her lines are meant to be funny and cringy; and stepping into that role while talking to girls my own age is a funny juxtaposition. But as Cady’s mom, I’m strict and proper, and I tell my daughter what to do. And since her dad is more relaxed, working that dynamic and contrast between him and her mom gives us more space to have real conversations and tell more of the story.”
Sung by student Divya Iyer, “Whose House Is This?" is Okey-Eboh’s favorite song. “Divya’s playing a nerdy student named Kevin G., who’s crashed a party Cady’s trying to throw behind Regina’s back,” explained Okey-Eboh. “Cady wants to get a boy named Aaron to like her, and Divya sings it at the party as if her character is really cool. It’s a rap number and is so different from the other songs in the show because this one is hip-hop and less traditional musical theater.”
Okey-Eboh said audiences will like how several of the actors make their characters so distinct and exaggerated to help get the story across and land the jokes easier. “People will also love the singing and dancing. There are a lot of solos, and the voices and crisp harmonies will absolutely blow everyone away.”
Portraying Regina is senior Kylie Henryhand. “She’s protective of her space and her status in the school,” said Henryhand. “She’s insecure and that’s why she lashes out at others. I think, deep down, she does care about people. But since she’s been the queen bee for so long, it’s scarier for her to let it go than to just maintain it. She was the leader of The Plastics until she got replaced by Cady, so she’s jealous of her and what she now has.”
Henryhand, too, likes her part. “I get to do things I’ve never done before, such as singing while being lifted into the air,” she said. “This role challenges me as an actor. I could play Regina as just one-dimensional and mean, but I wanted to go deeper with it and add subtle gestures and body language to show there’s something more to her. She’s always been rich, pretty and privileged and never had to work for anything. And I really like her songs, too.”
Henryhand particularly likes the number, “World Burn,” which she sings. “After Regina’s kicked out of The Plastics, she’s alone, angry and has lost everything,” said Henryhand. “So she’s saying, ‘If I’m going down, I’m taking everyone with me.’ I usually play harsh villains, so that song really connected with me. It’s also difficult for me to sing because I’m an alto and it goes high up into the soprano range. But with things like that, it’s more fulfilling to work hard and then finally get it right.”
She said audiences will appreciate the show’s humor and the overall talent of the cast and crew. “It’s a difficult show for a high school to do, with lots of tricky song rhythms, fast-paced dances and tons of lines,” explained Henryhand. “And I’m really proud of all my castmates who were able to pull it off and make this such an enjoyable show for people to see. I hope everyone likes it.”