The cast of “Mean Girls.” Photo by Jenny Anderson, 2023.
Returning to The National Theatre after its 2017 pre-Broadway tryout, the National Tour of “Mean Girls” is still working on making “fetch” happen. Based on Tiny Fey’s 2004 film and inspiring the 2024 “Mean Girls” musical film, this catchy show features a book by Fey, Jeff Richmond’s music, and Nell Benjamin’s lyrics.
…it was refreshing to see some new life injected into the show with its return to D.C.
We enter the pink and plastic world of “Mean Girls” by learning that, above all, this is “A Cautionary Tale” of the formerly homeschooled Cady Heron’s failed attempt at socialization into a public high school in Chicago. After living in Africa, she must conquer the ins-and-outs of high school cliques, navigate crushes, and that she may, or may not, have pushed someone in front of a bus.
Janis Sarkisian (the powerhouse Alexys Morera) and Damien Hubbard (the hysterical Joshua Morrisey) act as our guides to high school, helping Cady (understudy Carly Ameling in this performance) learn where she belongs. Damien and Janis quickly introduce the Queen Bees of the school, The Plastics, led by the North Shore icon, Regina George (Maya Petropoulos), and her “drones,” Gretchen Wieners (Kristen Amanda Smith) and Karen Smith (Mayrose Brendel).
The trio effortlessly embodied the cool girl effect, having us all wish we could be invited to sit with them. Petropoulos’ vocal prowess was on full display in “World Burn.” Smith’s comedic timing was top-notch and Brendel stole all of our hearts with “dumb” one-liners and excellent dancing abilities in the hilarious song, “Sexy.”
The show features a busy ensemble of show choir performers, artists, jocks, and “Mathletes.” While they sounded phenomenal (kudos to music supervisor Mary-Mitchell Campbell), there were moments when the ensemble seemed to be lacking energy resulting in choreography missteps and what seemed to be missed lyrics. Both of these can easily be worked as the production continues in D.C. and on the road.
Standouts include Shawn Mathews as head Mathele Kevin G and Kristen Seggio with her portrayal of all the adult women (Mrs. Heron, Ms. Norbury, and Mrs. George). Mathews raised the roof in the upbeat “Who’s House Is This” and Seggio’s versatility is not one to miss.
While the musical could use some rewrites (do we really still need to see men dressing up as women for comedic effect?), the tour was directed well by Casey Hushion and featured new touring choreography by John MacInnis. While both Hushion and MacInnis took inspiration from Broadway director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, it was refreshing to see some new life injected into the show with its return to D.C.
Don your pink and see where you belong in “Mean Girls!”
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
The National Tour of “Mean Girls” runs through October 20, 2024 at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the National Theatre online or at the Box Office, open Monday-Friday, 12pm-6pm. Extended hours during performance days.
