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| Mean Girls last night (spoilers) | |
| Last Edit: mikem 10:15 am EST 03/08/19 | |
| Posted by: mikem 10:14 am EST 03/08/19 | |
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| So I finally got around to seeing Mean Girls, and I was fortunate to see the full cast last night. The show was a lot of fun, but I wish some elements had been aimed at a higher level. I wish the score had been more memorable. I wish the choreography had been less "busy" and more compelling. I really don't like projections as the core of the set, although these were done well. I think the show also brings up serious topics but only gets to their surface and then shies away. I think the show would have been a lot more interesting if there were more characters like Ashley Park's Gretchen, who is funny but has serious, major issues with low self-esteem. This is Park's last week, and I'm glad I saw her. She brings an undercurrent of desperation, and she turns her featured role into the most interesting person out there. And of course, she has a great voice. Standout actors for me were Taylor Lauderman, Jennifer Simard (who replaced Kerry Butler) and Park. Kate Rockwell is great in a one-note character, but it is a little weird that one of Regina's sidekicks is cardboard and one is complex. I liked having the same actress play the 3 different main adult female roles. All in all, a fun evening, with a very professionally presented show that doesn't quite get to the next level. I can see why it tied for the most Tony nominations last year, and also why it didn't win any. But there are a lot of laughs, and I think you'll enjoy it if you go in with the right set of expectations. |
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| re: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) | |
| Last Edit: singleticket 11:14 am EST 03/08/19 | |
| Posted by: singleticket 11:12 am EST 03/08/19 | |
| In reply to: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) - mikem 10:14 am EST 03/08/19 | |
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| The biggest problem was Tina Fey's book. It had to have all the jokes and plot elements of the movie and then there were further additions to bring the teen morality tale up to date. The show's book felt leaden and weighted with too much authorial comment unlike the movie's brilliant quicksilver script. The savior of the evening, for me, was Casey Nicholaw who cleverly built the energy of the young ensemble into a kind of ecstatic gender-fluid cheerleading rally. | |
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| re: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) | |
| Posted by: mikem 12:33 am EST 03/10/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) - singleticket 11:12 am EST 03/08/19 | |
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| I have never seen the movie so I don't know what the differences are, but I was surprised by how predictable the plot was in Act II. And I think the attempts to be weighty/PC were too scattershot to be effective. | |
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| re: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 10:59 am EST 03/08/19 | |
| In reply to: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) - mikem 10:14 am EST 03/08/19 | |
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| On one hand, I honestly have no interest in this material. On the other hand, I'm so glad that Jennifer Simard (who I worked with some years back in the long-running Boston production of Nunsense) is surely lighting up that stage. I love her work, and I'm always excited to see her name in a Broadway cast. | |
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| re: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) | |
| Posted by: mikem 12:35 am EST 03/10/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Mean Girls last night (spoilers) - Chromolume 10:59 am EST 03/08/19 | |
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| Simard is really good. And I have to give credit to the creative team, because she is given the chance to put her own spin on the material. I can't imagine Kerry Butler playing the part in the same way. Although Simard does somewhat of a Tina Fey imitation in the role played by Fey in the movie. | |
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