![Hosting the SCLA Casptone Mentor Dinner outside allowed for more attendees on September 27, 2021 at Silver Creek. This event would’ve usually been held inside. According to Lauren Kohn, a SCLA 12 teacher, “If we have a higher number of people, as long as we can host the event outside, then that seems to be keeping every[one] safe”.](https://schsnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/sxMAIGbSYGodZkqmrvTi5YWcJ1ssWA08ApkeMLpp-900x675.jpeg)
“Mean Girls” was a Silver Creek High School theatre production that took place on March 5th through 8th. The musical was unique in that it had two different casts, one performing on March 5 and 7, the Maroon cast, and the other performing on March 6 and 8, the Silver cast. This review is focusing on the Maroon cast’s performance on March 6 and 8.
This was a unique format since it was the first performance done this way since French teacher Tracy Knick began her career as Silver Creek High School Theatre Director. The unique idea of double-casting allowed for more diversity in the cast and more days when the production aired.
The musical is based on the Paramount Pictures movie “Mean Girls,” based on the Broadway production of the same name, and the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. It follows the story of Cady Heron (Elsa Wirkkenan) after she moves from Africa to an average American high school where she discovers that she doesn’t quite fit.
Cady meets Damian Leigh (George Coupounas) and Janis Ian (Coral Buchalter), who help her navigate her new environment. They teach her about all of the cliques and introduce her to the iconic trio of North Shore High School. Deemed “The Plastics,” these three girls are known as the gossipy Gretchen Wieners (Allison Heydt), the sweet and dimwitted Karen Smith (Lily Fable), and, of course, the queen bee Regina George (Lyla Capparelli).
Cady decides to maintain good relations with them; however, her plans go awry when she falls in love with Regina’s ex, Aaron Samuels (Travis Weaver). Out of jealousy, Regina gets back together with Aaron, inspiring conflict between the girls. From there on, Cady decides that she needs to be the new queen bee and knock Regina off the stage.
The musical delivers the important theme of harmful social dynamics and encourages, albeit cliché, that your true self is your best self. The acting was realistic and evoked emotion and followed the storyline of the film “Mean Girls” with a few adaptations. The musical numbers sounded like studio-produced songs and were catchy enough to sing along to even after the musical.
It was evident that the actors practiced well before the performance because of their confidence on stage. Specifically, Cady was portrayed well by Wirkkenan with her optimistic demeanor throughout the performance. Along with that, the pit complemented the performance throughout the musical numbers making it clear that they were well rehearsed. Another example was with Regina George’s solo songs, they were powerful and captivated the audience.
The confession stands were based on the theme of Mean Girls and were a nice addition to the performance. Watching the production with a “burn book” of chips and a “fetch” drink immersed the audience into the performance. The production was a great remake of an iconic movie leaving the audience with a funny and meaningful message. Overall, the production was definitely “fetch.”
“Mean Girls” – Directed by Tracy Knick – Comedy, Coming of age, High school, Drama – PG – 2h
