Mean Girls by Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, PA
Photo by Charlotte Horetsky
February 28, 2024
Review submitted by Keeva McNally of Interboro High School
Seriously, whose production is this? It’s Strath Haven High School’s production of Mean Girls: High School Version! Not seeing this show would be like not wearing pink on Wednesday!
Mean Girls: High School Version, an adaptation of Mean Girls the Musical, is written by Tina Fey and composed by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin. The musical follows Cady Heron’s transition from being homeschooled in Africa to the antithesis of an American public high school. The show highlights Cady’s interactions with the self-proclaimed “mean girls” of the school. Cady changes into the superficial girl she once didn’t understand. Through many hardships, she regains her original, unique personality from the beginning of the show.
While many people shined brighter than plastic and glitter, Cady Heron (Josie Tolson) shined especially brightly. Her bright, controlled vocals sent shivers down the audience’s spine. Her performance of “I See Stars” was emotional and uplifting. Janis Sarkisian (Eli Graves) was another bright star. His angsty acting and marvelous comedic timing made for a gratifying performance. Graves’ vocals were also excellent, putting everyone in a trance during “Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise)”. On the flip side, he had an inspirational effect on the audience during “I’d Rather Be Me.”
A fearless performance that stood out was that of Gretchen Wieners (Brianne Caldwell). Her dancing and acting were awesome, but her vocals were so totally fetched! There was not a dry eye in the audience during her performance of “What’s Wrong with Me?”. She had such a gentle yet passionate feeling behind her voice. Another remarkable performance was from Paige Trout, playing both Ms. Norbury and Mrs. George. She grasped both roles with both hands and stunned the audience with her motherly acting. Trout’s performance in “Do This Thing” was definitely noteworthy. The ensemble as a whole lacked energy, but the cast beautifully executed the dances with ease. Generally, the harmonies were heard and added another layer of intensity to the already intense show.
Strath Haven’s set was beautifully designed, with extreme attention to detail with notes in the bathroom stall to details on Regina’s bed. The stage crew worked swiftly with the large set and made quick set changes with little to no noticeable pauses between scenes. The stage crew also stunned the audience with surprise papers from the ceiling during “World Burn”. While things backstage ran more than smoothly, the sound struggled. However, it did not take away from the integrity of the show. The costumes were another highlight of the show, accurately depicting a modern high school in the United States. Overall, the crew-ran aspects of the show were enjoyable.
So, if I could change the world, I’d make it Halloween – actually, let me start over. If I could change the world, I would make everyone see Strath Haven’s production of Mean Girls: High School Version, and I’d make it Halloween every single day!
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Review submitted by Carly Marcus of Harriton High School
It is devastatingly true that the plastics run North Shore High School, however, talent, skill and unbelievable energy runs Strath Haven High School, as displayed by their captivating production of Mean Girls: High School Version.
Tina Fey’s esteemed musical adaptation of the hit 2000’s movie, Mean Girls, is a cautionary tale of the quintessential high school stereotypes. Both the movie and the musical follow the identical story of a new student, Cady Heron, who has never attended the conventional American High School before. In her journey at North Shore High, Cady faces many conflicts while trying to find where she fits in, ultimately learning important lessons about friendship and identity.
It is evident that Strath Haven does not lack talented dancers; there was a surplus of skill and energy in numbers such as “Sexy” and “Stop.” The featured female dancers, specifically the captains Jaina Livingstone and Claire Ross, were standouts as they showcased their talent and stayed in-sync, with the music and each other, during their many group numbers.
The leading lady, Josie Tolson, did an excellent job in her portrayal of Cady Heron. The character requires a wide range of acting skills, as she goes from the shy new girl to a ruthless mean girl, and Tolson demonstrated this shift well. Eli Graves concurrently did an excellent job as Janis Sarkisan. His vocals were what really stood out, particularly in his performance of “I’d Rather Be Me.” His energy, mannerisms, and facial expressions were always accurate to the character and matched the emotions in the scene.
The “Mean Girls” of this musical did not disappoint, as they all tapped into their characters admirably. Brianne Caldwell and Lily Newport (portraying Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith, respectively) were a necessary comedic duo. Both had their moments of hilarity, specifically Newport in “Sexy,” but also found ways to convey comedy in unconventional scenes, such as in the trust-fall scene towards the end. Julia McLean as Regina George also had stellar vocals, especially during “World Burn.”
The stage crew did an admirable job trying to quickly move things about the stage, including the many large set pieces, which they made the crucial decision of putting on wheels. The sets were impressive, specifically the bathroom stall featured both at the very beginning and end of the show.
The plastics may say that “More is Better,” but it really does not get any better than Strath Haven’s production of Mean Girls: High School Version.
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