In recent years, musical adaptations have taken over the musical world, including the chick flic 2004 movie “Mean Girls”. This Wednesday, we had the pleasure of going to the Emerson Colonial Theater to watch their performance of “Mean Girls: The Musical”, which, like the classic movie, is an adaptation from a highly creative, funny, and witty show. With the works from an award-winning creative team and a soundtrack and plot that dives into high school social dynamics, it is not a musical you want to miss!
The show was incredible, the most professional show I have ever seen. The lighting, the singing, the props, and the dances were beautiful from beginning to end. Big, ambitious set pieces like the mall, the lunchroom, and Regina’s bedroom were impressive and seamlessly transitioned into one another. Sometimes I couldn’t even tell anything was changing until it already did!
One of my favorite parts is in the beginning when Cady (played by Natalie Shaw) is going from class to class. The transition was simply the desks (that were on wheels) all turning in a different direction and a different actor standing in as the teacher; it was something you had to see and believe. It was all so fast and seamless, one of the most impressive visuals of the show. Another fantastic set was the mall set, massive walls and a large crowd turned the stage into a mall in seconds, and for one scene!
However, The Plastic’s introduction was one of my favorite visuals in the show. In the lunchroom, a wall in the back of the stage opens up to a cloud of smoke, it opens up to a bright, hot pink room as the table showcasing the silhouettes of The Plastics is wheeled out onto the stage complete with a big dramatic score. And as the theater erupted in cheers and applause, I genuinely got chills. One of the most extraordinary moments of the whole show! Another incredible scene was when Regina George was hit by a bus. As Cady and Regina argued, a giant school bus appears in the back of the stage, as it crawls closer with beaming headlights, and then hits Regina as the whole stage turns dark, only being able to see the headlights of the bus and the tumbling silhouette of Regina getting hit. A moment that will be clear in my mind for a long time. Such a genuinely impressive visual moment!
The songs are something I initially was slightly worried about, but this show did NOT disappoint! The sound design was so loud and clear, with giant speakers that lined the sides of the stage, as the actors hit unbelievable notes with perfect harmony and with dances in perfect sync. I especially loved every time Regina sang (played by Maya Petropoulos); she did an amazing job! It was a spectacle that made every single song such an enjoyable ride. No song was ever static. The set would transition smoothly from one location to another. Watching these songs never got boring; they all kept it with high energy and big, bombastic sets and scores. Brought this incredible show to life in ways I didn’t even know were possible!
I love Mean Girls so much because it is genuinely hilarious, and this show had laughs in spades—so many funny deliveries throughout the entire show. Not 10 minutes passed without a moment that genuinely had me laughing out loud. Karen (played by MaryRose Brendel) and Gretchen (played by Kristen Amanda Smith) especially stole the show, with many of their lines being hilarious. Their songs, to a large extent, showed this off, with Sexy and What’s Wrong with Me?, I love these songs; their actors brought them to life with their incredible voices.
One of my favorite character portrayals was Aaron Samuals. Maybe it’s just because he never stood out to me all too much in the original movie, but his actor made him one of the most likable characters in the whole show. His lines came off so well, making him seem like a more believable love interest. He comes off as a genuinely nice person, and it surprised me how much I liked his portrayal in this show. Hats off to José Raú for this astonishing performance!
Once again, thank you so much to Emerson Colonial Theatre for giving us the opportunity to see this show live! This is one of our favorite musicals of all time, and seeing it displayed in such a professional way was such a treat. If you can get seats, we highly recommend you go and check it out. It will be worth your time and one of the most enjoyable musical performances you’ll ever watch!
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