Mean Girls – Courtesy of Jenny Anderson. Used with permission.
A 2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan that is practically embedded in American culture is the basis for “Mean Girls,” a musical comedy coming to the Murat Theatre at the Old National Centre March 29 through April 3. Presented by Broadway in Indianapolis, the production is on its first national tour.
“Mean Girls” features a book by nine-time Emmy Award-winner Tina Fey, based on her screenplay for the film, music by her husband, three-time Emmy Award-winner Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by two-time Tony Award-nominee Nell Benjamin. Tony Award-winner Casey Nicholaw directs and choreographs.
Nothing has prepared Cady Heron, who grew up on an African savanna, for her strange new home in suburban Illinois. Does this naive newbie have any chance of becoming popular? Does she have any chance, at all, taking on “The Plastics,” a formidable trio, led by the scheming, ruthless Regina George? Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, but she learns the hard way, if you cross a Queen Bee, you’ll get stung.
Gretchen Wieners, one of The Plastics, is Regina’s second-in-command, occasionally acting as Regina’s representative, and stringently enforcing the bylaws of the exclusive trio. Playing the role of Regina’s sycophant in this “Mean Girls” production is Megan Masako Haley. Haley, whose credits include a stint on a “Wicked” tour and an off-Broadway production of “Pacific Overtures,” is a 2014 graduate of Brigham Young University. Recently, I caught up with her by phone from Kansas City, where the tour had stopped a few weeks ago. Below is an edited transcript of our chat.
Mean Girls – Courtesy of Jenny Anderson. Used with permission.
When did you begin the tour?
I actually started in 2019 in September. Then we took an 18-month hiatus. I went back on the tour in October of 2021.
That gap was the lockdown, right?
Correct.
And how was it returning?
It’s such a dream. The people I work with every day are incredible, our cast, our crew, our management. So, I have just been itching to get back. It has been such a happy six months.
How was it for you during the lockdown?
It was a sad thing to mourn a job so many times because the date kept getting changed. I needed to find things that make me happy, so I made a lot of my own music. I practiced guitar every day. So, I kept busy and creative.
How are audiences?
Everyone is so happy to see live theatre again. It is honestly thrilling, and the show feels different than it did two years ago. I just feel like we are all different people and the lines just hit differently now. This is such a bountiful job because we get to share this piece of theatre with a new audience every single day with thousands of people and every day, they bring their own energy into the room.
Why does “Mean Girls” resonate with audiences?
I think it is because these characters are stock of people you know, parts of yourself, parts of who you used to be. Every character is so recognizable to people in their own lives. I know people who are like this. That’s a Regina. That’s a Damien. That’s a Karen. People just know what that means.
“Mean Girls” has become part of the public conversation. Do you find that is true?
Yes. It has taught me to let go of people who are projecting things on me. A lot of times people are just projecting their own insecurities onto others and that is why people become cruel or mean or catty in those ways. Sometimes, it is not even about you, so releasing yourself from any responsibility of having to carry that for someone else, who’s going through their own thing, is powerful. This is a great show to point a big finger at those dynamics. We are all going through our own thing.
Have you received feedback from those who experienced “mean girls” themselves?
There are bullies who are adults. There are bullies everywhere, so finding the people who are your people, who can support you and make you feel comfortable with yourself is important. Bullies don’t matter. Let someone say or think things about you and if they are not your friend, then you don’t have to care about what they think. I hope that message resonates with young people.
Is it fun playing Gretchen?
It’s fun to play a glamorous character, always having her hair and makeup done and wearing amazing costumes every night. But I think one of the interesting things about playing a villainous character is they don’t see themselves as a villain. Gretchen is the hero of her story. And the reason she does things comes from her own neurotic tendencies or her own insecurities and it manifests in being unkind, or at least, not very tactful. I think that is an important thing to remember too, at least in portraying the character realistically, is that no one is the bad guy in their own story.
Mean Girls – Courtesy of Jenny Anderson. Used with permission.
What is Gretchen’s storyline?
Gretchen is the Queen Bee’s right hand. Cady, the new girl, comes to school on her first day in America and she kind of shakes up everything and, at the end, I think Gretchen is a person who is used to pleasing other people or putting her own needs below impressing someone else or doing things so other people will like her. I think she comes to a place where she can realize she is her own person, by herself, and she should and can do things to make her happy instead of pleasing other people.
Do people say “fetch” to you a lot?
Yes, people love to quote the movie to me a lot, which I am more than happy to give right back since I have had the whole movie memorized since I was 12, maybe.
Both in person and social media?
Oh yes, for sure. Our fans on social media are some of the best fans of any Broadway show. They are so enthusiastic. They love the show so much. They send us playbills to sign. I think it is really cool that a lot of young people, those who feel left out or are theatre kids, love the show. I think this is a story about an outsider coming into a new place and changing everything for the better. As a young theatre nerd, that’s how I would have seen myself.
What’s the difference between the movie and the musical?
The biggest difference is obviously, the addition of music and dancing. The second biggest thing is that it set in present day. The movie came out in 2004. This was before Facebook, Instagram, before texting. They did a three-way call in the movie, which kids don’t really do anymore. So, the musical introduces social media, texting, that sort of thing. But because these characters are so beloved, they are so recognizable, you know who Gretchen is, so she doesn’t have to be wearing the same costumes. She has a lot of the same lines, but not even all of them, but you know exactly who she is.
What is Tina Fey’s influence?
Tina Fey wrote the book and was in the movie. She was the teacher, Ms. Norbury, in the movie. These characters are so beloved to her, so she thought a lot about this universe, about who these people are. So, a lot of lines are very familiar, but she also switched up some of the jokes. The setup seems very familiar, but the punchlines are going to be even funnier. I think people know what is going to happen, but then you don’t have to have seen the movie to get the laughs. And if you saw the movie, you may not hear the exact same jokes, but you still hear the jokes you love.
Do people like the musical better?
It is so hard to say. I love the musical because I love singing and dancing, but then the movie is like a gorgeous time capsule of early aught fashion for me. There is also the part of it, for me, that is so iconic and nostalgic, but you can’t get me on the record saying which one I like best.
What makes the music special?
Our composer, Jeff Richmond, has written a contemporary score, but each character kind of has their own genre they sing. So, Damien, obviously, is going to give you big, grand Broadway, like exactly what you think of as Broadway. The second Regina George comes in, you think, “That’s a Bond villain scene.” I remember thinking that when I first saw the musical on Broadway, a big grand entrance with smoke coming out all over the place!
How about the dancing?
Our ensemble is going a thousand miles an hour from the first number and it does not stop until the end. The choreography by Casey Nickolaw, our director/choreographer, is high energy and fun and truly our ensemble of dancers is so excellent. I don’t get to see them every day because I am doing things offstage, but once a while, I get to peek in and remind myself how amazingly talented my castmates are.
Overall, what can audiences expect when they see “Mean Girls?”
It is a classic story about a girl moving into a new place and she is on an adventure to find out where she belongs and where she fits it. You don’t have to be in high school to appreciate it. It’s for families and people of all ages and it is just a classic human story,
“Mean Girls” will play Old National Centre March 29-April 3 for eight performances. Tickets are on sale and available now at ticketmaster.com. Groups of 10 or more may call 317-632-5183. The performance schedule will be Tuesday-Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m., Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m., Sunday matinee at 1:00 p.m. and Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m.
