Mean Girls
Segerstrom Hall
Reviewed by Dana Martin
Through March 19
RECOMMENDED
Mean Girls, a new musical book by Tina Fey, music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, has landed at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa. The musical, adapted from the movie of the same name, premiered on Broadway in 2018 and explores high school popularity at its most primal. And there’s nothing scarier than being the new kid in school.
Cady Heron (English Bernhardt) has recently moved to the suburbs of Chicago, far from her idyllic upbringing in the savannas of Kenya, where she was home-schooled by her biologist parents and deeply connected to the animals, earth and sky. She’s quickly befriended by fellow social outsiders Janis (Lindsay Heather Pearce) and Damian (Eric Huffman). Otherwise, Cady finds herself navigating a very different kind of wilderness: North Shore High School. Her sights are soon set on the school’s most fetching trio of popular girls, the Plastics. Queen bee Regina George (Nadina Hassan), second fiddle and anxiously attached Gretchen Wieners (Jasmine Rogers) and endearingly clueless Karen Smith (Morgan Ashley Bryant) are the most exclusive and sought after clique in school.
Teenage angst in all incarnations is a central theme throughout. Determined to overcome a lifetime of solitude, Cady joins the Pride of popular girls at the expense of her own identity. She downplays her intelligence, betrays her true friends and abandons her own authentic expression. As she shoves her identity into the plastic mold of popularity, she discovers just how empty popularity can be. If corn flakes were a person, it would be Cady Heron.
Bernhardt finds a charming and likeable Cady Heron. She has a strong, trustworthy voice and carries the show with seeming ease. Hassan’s Regina George rules with an iron and well-manicured fist. Her powerful vocals compensate for Hassan’s lean into caricature. Rogers finds a marvelous mix of melancholy and neediness as perpetual #2, Gretchen Wieners. She desperately vies for the attention of whomever she deems leader of the pack, and it’s both satisfying and painful to watch. Bryant’s performance as Karen Smith is delightfully ditzy and endearingly authentic. Pearce finds wit and sarcasm in equal measure as Janis Sarkisian, and Huffman’s Damian Hubbard is sweet and solid. Heather Ayers provides solid support and impressive versatility in an array of adult roles, identifying the fragility, heart and humor of each character.
Scott Pask’s playful set design finds school desks, lunch tables and lockers, bedrooms, bathrooms and homerooms gliding around the stage, highly complimented by video projections designed by Finn Ross & Adam Young. The projections add vibrance, humor, style and a larger-than-life quality that is sometimes lacking in the music.
Most of the songs are generic pop songs and rather forgettable. The sound mix is uneven; it’s almost impossible to hear solo singers over the full might of the orchestra, though the sound is well-blended in the quieter moments. Still, the evening is enjoyable. Casey Nicholaw’s direction and choreography are top-notch. Nicholaw keeps the pace rolling, often quite literally as most of the set is on wheels and incorporated brilliantly into the actor’s choreography and transitions. The dance numbers are exciting and feel fresh and youthful. Gregg Barnes’s costumes are fetching AF. Lighting designer Kenneth Posner keeps the lights simple and direct.
Mean Girls is updated from the movie in order to reflect an era of smartphones and selfies but still manages to feel dated. Even the most feared book in school, the almighty Burn Book, loses a bit of its sting. Yet — Mean Girls doesn’t talk down to its audience and doesn’t clobber them with message either. In fact, Fey leaves room for interpretation, which speaks to the staying power of Mean Girls: Be a good friend. Be a good person. Be yourself. Girl power. Plastic is pretty but worthless and true authenticity is rare and valuable.
Segerstrom Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa; Tues.-Sat., 7:30 pm; Sat., 2 pm; Sun., 1 pm & 6:30 pm; through Mar. 19. (714) 556- 2787 or SCFTA.org. Running time: two hours and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
