MEAN GIRLS LIVE AT THALIAN: Opera House Academy makes fetch happen
- Kate Barber
- 5 hours ago
- 5 min read
When I arrived at Thalian Hall for Opera House Academy's performance of Mean Girls, I was swallowed into a sea of pink (even though it wasn't Wednesday). A group of girls and women ranging from elementary school ages to moms posed in front of the poster outside. A middle schooler wore a t-shirt featuring the original film stars. A girl in the bathroom was wearing army pants and flip-flops.
I'd never seen Mean Girls put on as a musical. I saw the film the night it opened, my 14th birthday, April 30, 2004. My friends and I grew up with these iconic lines, and even though I knew Tina Fey wrote the musical book, too, I'd always resisted, not wanting an alternate version of one of my favorite stories. But when I saw the production was coming to Thalian—and would be performed by actual teenagers—I knew it was time.
Opera House Theatre Company Academy, formerly known as the Apprentice Program, offers young actors under 25 years of age the opportunity to train and star in leading roles. Mean Girls, directed by Heather Setzler, is OHTC Academy's first main stage production.
A Cautionary Tale
The musical opens with a framing device not present in the original film. Janis and Damien warn us of a "cautionary tale," of what happens when you go too far to become popular and hot. Zac Baker and Eli Sandusky nailed the opening number as Damien Hubbard and Janis Ian, a powerful duo whose deliveries both paid homage to the original actors and made it very much their own at the same time.
Unlike the film, here, we start in Africa, before Cady and her parents have moved. We catch a glimpse of the old, original Cady, in only home she's known. There could not have been a more perfect choice for Cady Herron than Livia Ciarlo. In her first number, "It Roars," Cady celebrates her home in the jungle as she prepares to leave. Ciarlo's voice is sweet and almost soft, but huge and powerful at the same time. Her high notes shook the stage effortlessly, and her opening character creates an interesting contrast to the Cady we meet later.
Ciarlo portrays Cady seamlessly as sweet, innocent, but corruptible as she shifts the character from new girl to mean girl throughout the play. Her vocal range is astounding, eliciting gasps from the audience at several key moments, especially in "Apex Predator," "Revenge Party," and "Fearless." I loved Ciarlo's Cady: adorable, impressionable, vulnerable, and good, even when she loses her way for a little bit.
The Plastics
The Plastics could not have been more perfectly cast. This trio of terror is absent for the first few numbers of the musical, and when they do finally appear on top of a cafeteria table, looming over the rest of the student body, you can't help but gasp.
"That's Karen Smith. She is one of the dumbest girls you will ever meet."
Lily Rowan was so dumb (in the best way), it would've made Amanda Seyfried swell with pride. Her punchy, dumb blonde lines were delivered with all the bubbles and giggles you'd expect from Karen Smith. Rowan's joy overflows in each stride, stumble, and hair twirl. In her solo number, "Sexy," Karen wishes every day could be Halloween—but quickly revises her wish to first include "world peace." While some iconic lines are missing from this script (like the famous weather girl scene and Taco Bell), this version offers new iconic Karen lines, like: "Halloween is like the internet, only in person and with candy." Rowan delivers classics like "I'm a mouse—duh!" and "On Wednesdays, we wear pink," with sparkle and ditz.
"That's Gretchen Wieners. She knows everything about everyone. That's why her hair is so big. It's full of secrets."
Amelia Cox was born to play Gretchen Wieners. Her facial expressions, her movements, and her blocking were very Lacy Chabert reminiscent, but this musical-Gretchen has a depth and awareness that the film version doesn't. In her solo number "What's Wrong With Me?", Gretchen expresses awareness over the cruelty with which Regina treats her and a vulnerability present in all high school girls, and Cox moved the audience to tears as she asked questions we all have. But she also moved from pouring her soul out in gut-wrenching vocals back to sassy mean girl effortlessly. Her voice is incredible, and she hits just as hard with the shallow lines as she does with the deep ones. This performance truly captured the duality of a high school girl moving through life, and so many of her lines and key moments were ringing in my ears long after the curtain went down: truly one of the best performances I've seen in a long time. Cox is dazzling—and going places.
"And human takes evil form in Regina George."
Alexandra Avezova's Regina George would have had Rachel McAdams herself shaking in her heels. The power she exerts in her body and her voice is astounding, truly giving the illusion of a popular girl who could make you love her, hate her, and quiver a little when she walks into the cafeteria. Her guard is up until the very end, and she's so terrifying you can't even blame Aaron Samuels when he takes her back (yeah, he's scared of her too!). Avezova's vocals are strong and sure, and she delivered every last line and note with a confidence and boldness every teenage girl wishes she had, too. Avezova gave an amazing performance, start to finish.
An Incredible Supporting Cast
Photos by Bryan Putnam.
Other standout performances include Eli Sandusky as Janis Ian, Zac Baker as Damien Hubbard, Will Schraff as Aaron Samuels, and Nick Steigerwald as Kevin G.
Eli Sandusky not only kills the opening number and all of Janis's iconic lines, they absolutely slay "I'd Rather Be Me," flipping off the audience and hitting notes that had me shaking my head.
Zac Baker's smile is dynamic and contagious, and he moved through every number dancing his heart out and not missing a beat or a step. His delivery of the line "Oh my god, Danny DeVitto, I love your work!" had the audience howling.
Will Schraff's Aaron Samuels is soft, kind, and quiet in a way that makes him more sympathetic than the film version's. His numbers "Stupid With Love" and "More is Better" with Ciarlo were excellent.
It's hard for Kevin G not to steal a show, and Nick Steigerwal was no exception. Though his rap number is famously cut short in the talent show, Kevin comes back with his boys for"Whose House Is This" and "Do This Thing," and his performance was unmatched. I was crying.
Photos by Bryan Putnam.
In addition to an outstanding starring cast lineup, the production also featured an incredible ensemble, smart set design, and fantastic choreography.
It was refreshing and wonderful to see actual teenagers in these roles and to imagine these characters closer to the ages they were written to be. While growing up with a script always makes you partial to the original, I appreciated some of the updated references, language, and jokes that felt more appropriate for "the kids today." (In one scene, Cady responds, "Tits!" as an exclamation meaning "Awesome!", and the older woman in front of me whispered "This is a little mature, isn't it?")
Mean Girls was an absolute hit from start to finish. Well cast, well performed, well delivered, well directed. I can't wait to see where these young actors go and what the Academy puts on next!
Scenes from Iconic lines
