On Tuesdays we wear pink. No, that’s not an autocorrect or typo. It was just the apparent preferred outfit of the day (#OOTD if you speak internet abbreviations) of many patrons attending Nashville’s Opening Night of Mean Girls National Tour and the hilarious Broadway show settles in at TPAC now thru Sunday, February 13 for their Music City tour stop. Of course the fit choice and misquote above are in reference to one of Mean Girls’ most quotable quotes when The Plastics, the girls that rule the school proudly proclaim to new girl Cady, “On Wednesdays we wear pink”.
Based on 2004’s teen comedy of the same name, from the brilliant mind of SNL alum, Tina Fey, the Mean Girls musical presents a cautionary tale about teens trying to fit in while simultaneously hoping to stand out. Though it’s based on the 2004 film, and does indeed contain the majority of the source material’s now quotable lines and catchphrases, the creative team wisely chose to update the pop culture references. This is evidenced even before the action begins as the scrim on stage is projected with images from the burn book, revealing current trash talk slang and digs.
As mentioned, this is a cautionary tale. Heck, the opening number is even titled A Cautionary Tale, in which emo-ish Janis (Mary Kate Morrisey) and the fabulously “too gay to function” Damian Hubbard (Eric Huffman), though song, neatly explain the primary plot of how far one would go to be popular.
The subjects of Janis and Damian’s warning are new students Cady Heron (Danielle Wade) and the aforementioned Plastics: Karen Smith (Jonalyn Saxer), Gretchen Wieners (Megan Masako Haley) and Plastics’ queen bee, Regina George (Nadina Hassan). Offering a hilariously relatable take on the tried and true fish out of water scenario, Cady’s family have recently moved from Kenya to Illinois, and as Cady soon learns and extols in the show’s second number It Roars, she’s basically traded one jungle for another. Even the school mascot is a lion and It Roars cleverly marks the similarities between the animals of the jungle and the animalistic traits of teens. As if the lion mascot and pride lands comparisons weren’t blatant enough, even the LED set design of It Roars smartly spoofs that other pride lands musical…you know the one. In fact, it just wrapped its latest Nashville visit last month, but I digress.
On her first day at North Shore High, Cady meets Janis and Damian. In the cafeteria, Damian channels the likes of Gene Kelly and Old Hollywood musicals as he poses the age old high school hierarchy query Where Do You Belong?. Y’all! I’m here to tell you the number’s all-in, over-the-top tray-ography is the best high school musical lunchtime number since Hot Lunch from OG high school musical movie, Fame. Think Stomp meets 42nd Street and you’re almost there.
Meet the Plastic, simply does as it suggests, it serves to introduce Cady (and the audience) to Regina and company. Regina begins the number with a sultry and seductive sequence that beautifully showcases Hassan’s vocal talents. Next up, it’s Gretchen’s intro featuring a fast-paced frantic tempo, perfectly mimicking the character’s position in regards to Regina. Masako Haley plays the unconfident second fiddle to the hilt. Lastly, Saxer’s Karen wraps the intro in the most concise and brief way imaginable. Spot on for the seemingly vapid Karen.
As is the case with most teen stories, in addition to the clique system, there’s also, inevitably, a love story. To that end, meet Aaron Samuels (Adante Carter), with his chisled features, no wonder Cady finds herself falling in Stupid Love at first sight. Spoiler Alert: Aaron is Regina’s ex. (Ok, so that shouldn’t be a spoiler alert to many, considering the movie upon which all this is based was released nearly 20 years ago).
Next up, it’s time for Morrisey’s Janis to shine as she warns Cady not to get too close to Regina in Apex Predator. Not to sound as dim as Karen, but I had never heard the term before, so I looked it up. This is one of my favorite moments in the entire show. Here’s the thing though, the entire show is filled with favorite moments. While attending Tuesday’s performance, my friend Kat Bailess and I found ourselves saying “that’s my favorite number so far” after pretty much every single numbers.
Not long after, Masako Haley’ Gretchen gets the spotlight in the telling What’s Wrong with Me? With lyrics like “Mama called me beautiful but I don’t believe that anymore”, it’s an anthem of uncertainty, that’s no double relatable to each and everyone who’s ever had even the slightest doubt about their place in the world. I’ve a feeling these past two years have made us all a little more uncertain on this front. Again, a prime example of the variety of tunes featured throughout the show. Some might say that makes this production formulaic, but to me, if honors the genre of musicals as a whole, from the expected big production numbers to the more intimate glimpses into the characters’ very souls.
Sexy follows. For fans of the movie, this is the Halloween costume party sequence. Saxer’s Karen is brilliantly funny in this number, as are some of the costumes, including Sexy Corn, Sexy Jaws, Sexy Abe Lincoln, Sexy Eleanor Roosevelt and yes, Sexy Rosa Parks. Choreo for this number also lives up to its name with a little shimmy, shake and the occasional bump & grind. Pretty sure I saw nods to everything from Hamilton to Magic Mike amongst the moves throughout Mean Girls, and I loved every one of them.
The remainder of Act 1 continues to escalate the drama. First Regina reveals to Aaron that Cady has a crush on him while simultaneously—and purposely—luring him back to her with Somebody Gets Hurt. Janis, Damian and Cady join forces to retaliate during Revenge Party. Then Fearless sees a shift in power as Cady stands up to Regina and in doing so, gets support from Karen and Gretchen, all four numbers lay the groundwork for the action of Act 2.
Following intermission, Damian, realizing Cady’s in too deep advises with the show’s most tap-tactic number, Stop. Next, Gretchen offers up a reprise of What’s Wrong With Me?. Then Kevin G (Nashville’s own Kabir Bery) who’s been primarily background during Act 1, steps front and center alongside Cady, Gretchen, Karen and the ensemble for the high energy Whose House is This? There’s just something magical about seeing a performer back in their hometown and whether the majority of the audience knew it or not, the energy of that performance was high octane fabulousness.
Another highlight of Act 2 comes midway through with World Burn. Yes, this is the moment when Regina takes the Burn Book and uses it to take down Cady. The lighting, the digital images and Regina’s stark, sinister monochromatic black on black fit blend perfectly illuminate the sinister nature of her actions.
Of course, like all teen drama, real of fictionalized, everything eventually wraps up in a neat little happy ending package but not before yet another high energy rap courtesy Kevin G, more revelations from Cady and a touching final number, I See Stars.
As she had done for the 2004 film, Tina Fey wrote the book of the musical, while husband Jeff Richmond (30 Rock, SNL, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and more) wrote the music and Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde, Because of Winn Dixie) crafted the lyrics. The entire creative team deserves praise, including director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, scenic designer Scott Pack, costumer Gregg Barnes, et al.
Mean Girls continues its Nashville tour stop through Sunday, February 13. Curtain for Tuesday the 8th -Thursday the 10th is at 7:30p.m. Friday the 11th’s performances begins at 8p.m. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are two show days with a Saturday matinee at 2p.m., a Saturday evening performance at 8p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 1 and early evening performance at 6:30p.m. CLICK HERE for tickets or more information.
As TPAC continues their commitment to their patron’s safety, certain protocols are in place. To that end, attendees age 12+will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test dated within 72 hours of their selected performance. All patrons age 6+ must wear masks inside the venue. CLICK HERE for more on TPAC‘s Patron Health initiative.
Not in Nashville or can’t make it to TPAC for Mean Girls? Be sure and check out Mean Girls‘ official site for future dates as the national tour continues. You can also follow Mean Girls on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
For the latest on TPAC and their upcoming Broadway Season and Special Presentations, including The Prom, Dear Evan Hansen, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, What the Constitution Means to Me, Come From Away, Oklahoma! and May We All, be sure to check out TPAC online and on socials by clicking any of the following: TPAC.org, TPAC on Instagram, TPAC on Facebook, TPAC on Twitter and TPAC on YouTube.
As always, if you wanna follow JHPEntertainment to find out who I’m chatting with for my next Rapid Fire Q&A, or for my take on the latest local and national theatre, music and movie offerings, find us at JHPEntertainment on Facebook, JHPEntertainment on Instagram and JHPEntertainment on Twitter. Got an event or show we should know about, drop us a line at the Contact tab. Till then, #GoSeeTheShow!
As The Lion King roars back onto the stage and returns to TPAC’s Jackson Hall, the pack will be lead by Kentucky native, Darian Sanders, who assumed the role of Simba during the company’s recent return to preforming following the aforementioned pause. Sanders previously understudied the role of Simba since joining the tour in 2019 and previously appeared in a number of regional productions at The Lexington Theatre, University of Kentucky and Kentucky Conservatory Theatre.
In addition to Sanders, the cast will include Spencer Plachy as Scar, a role he’s played since 2018, Pacific Islander Gerald Ramsey, who began his Lion King journey during the Gazelle Tour, is once again portraying Mufasa. Nick Cordileone, who has been with the show for a decade now, will once again give voice to wise-cracking Timon. Jürgen Hooper, who fans of TV’s Chicago Med, might recognize for his work as Dr. Jason Wheeler, is playing Zazu. Ben Lipitz, who has clocked in more than 6, 200 performances as Pumbaa as a longtime member of the Lion King family, is once again appearing as Pumbaa. Kayla Cyphers, who previously performed the title role in yet another Elton John/Tim Rice musical, Aida at the John W. Engeman Theatre in Northport, NY in 2019, is now starring as Nala. Gugwana Dlamini plays Rafiki, having played the role in a multitude of worldwide productions of The Lion King since 2002, mostly recently on the West End in London. Keith Bennett, Martina Sykes and Robbie Swift play the show’s secondary antagonists, Banzai, Shenzi and Ed, the trio of trouble-making spotted hyenas. 
Shore, as George Bailey, the character iconically portrayed by Jimmy Stewart in the film is simply splendid. Being only slightly familiar with Shore through mutual friends in the film and television world, I knew he’d be great, if for no other reason than the fact that his natural speaking voice is perfectly similar to the beloved low-tones and occasional hesitations of Stewart himself. Under the watchful, skilled eye of Patrick Cassidy, Artistic Director at Studio Tenn and the show’s director, Shore’s George Bailey is blissfully perfect. He teases the audience with the Stewartisms, but never to the point of mimic or impersonation, expertly conveying both the beloved actor’s treasured original, while simultaneously making the role his own. Early in the radio play, when Shore is portraying a very young George, the timidity in his voice builds the anticipation of the George Bailey to come.
As for the rest of the players–who tackle among them, somewhere around half a dozen characters each–they are Matthew Carlton, Galen Crawley and Gerold Oliver. Carlton, who is, in my humble estimation, the Grand Duke of Theatre ‘round here, plays radio personality Freddy Filmore. Alright, if you know me at all, you know I’m a huge Lucille Ball fan and collector, and if you’re a fellow Baller (yes, I just coined that because it’s hilarious), you, too will recognize the name Freddy Filmore, for that’s the character’s name in a particularly funny episode of I Love Lucy in which Lucy appears on a radio game show Females are Fabulous! Now, I’ve seen previous productions of It’s A Wonderful Life:
Galen Crawley plays radio ingenue, Lana Sherwood. Crawley, like Parris, might also be familiar to local theatre patrons for her work with Nashville Rep, having also appeared in their production of Urinetown, as well as The Last Five Years, but it’s this Studio Tenn debut that I’ll now forever remember her by. Compete with platinum blonde wig, a smart ensemble—courtesy the show’s costumer, Lauren Terry, whose nostalgic expertise wholly embodies the era for all the cast—and some gum-poppin’ to rival Jean Harlow, Crawley’s Lana easily voices Violet Bick. You remember that character. She’s the childhood friend of Mary and George, who, after admitting she likes George, Mary says, “You like every boy”, to which young Violet replies, “What’s wrong with that?” While her Violet is feisty and flirty, Crawley’s range as an actress comes through in a few of her other voiced characters, including George’s mother, Mrs. Bailey, but most notably as Zuzu Bailey, George and Mary’s youngest child. The audience knows we are looking at a grown woman, but Crawley’s childlike intonations and deliciously juvenile mannerisms are a bright spot throughout. Hopefully my face mask muffled not only my tears during the petal scene and the much-mentioned bell-ringing, but also my audible guffaw during the scene when the narrator mentions George and Mary’s children and Crawley not only voices the cries of the babies at birth, but physically bounds from one spot on stage to another to indicate the difference between Janie, the Bailey’s older daughter, and young Zuzu.
Following 
JHP: Christmas snow, or Santa by the surf?
JHP: You’ve been doing a Christmas show for a few years now. How did it originally come about?
A couple more mood-setting tunes and the show’s first magic trick of the evening. Of Bruce Amato’s magic tricks, they’re just complicated enough to have the audience guessing how he does it. Amato proves himself a seasoned showman. His presentation, engaging smile and movement, thoroughly engaging.
Keeping the snowy theme going, Jenny Norris gets in on the action with Do You Wanna Build a Snowman. Full Confession: Yes, I know it’s from Frozen, but I’ve still never seen it, not the sequel, or even the Olaf shorts and specials. But let me say this…after hearing Norris’ inviting take, I just might have to see the film this holiday season.
Dari Anne Amato’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is yet another highlight during this section as she pays perfect musical homage to Judy Garland’s who’s 1944 version introduced the world to the now-classic holiday tune in the film Meet Me in St. Louis. What’s more, Amato looks like a dream singing it.
From humor to heart, Reed is once again at the helm with the help of the guys in the cast as he takes the lead on a heart-felt salute to our military by way of a moving rendition of the holiday classic, I’ll Be Home For Christmas.
With a show open taken directly from the musical’s source material—2007’s beloved Israeli film of the same name—a screen displays simple intertitles that read, “Once, not long ago, a small Egyptian police band arrived in Israel.” The intertitles continue, “Not many remember this, it was not that important.” This simple setup leads into the show’s first musical number, “Waiting”, (a bit of extra irony for TPAC’s opening night crowd). “Waiting” is a surprisingly poignant tune in which the inhabitants of Bet Hatikva lament the doldrums of life in their small town with lyrics like “We’re experts at waiting” and “you keep looking off into the distance even though you know the view is never going to change”. But change and a bit of excitement come when you least expect it.
The action then shifts to Itzik’s where he, his wife, Iris (Kendal Hartse) their infant son and his wife’s father, Avrum (David Studwell) are joined by
Just as Tewfiq begins to open up to Dina and she begins to see perhaps a future with him beyond their change night together, Haled interrupts with news that the bus will indeed pick them up in the morning. The news instantly returns Tewfiq to his role as Colonel and he rushes off without even a goodbye. Dina then examines the meaning of their budding relationship with a Reprise of “Something Different”, after which, if by instinct of simply pent-up romantic tension of her night out with Tewfig, she kisses Haled after he offers a patented, but meaningless compliment of her eyes.
