by Michael Buzzelli
“I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy. “
“She doesn’t even go here!”
When Cady Heron (Abigail Isom) moves away from Kenya, Africa, to a small, suburban town in the middle of America, she has to learn the behavioral patterns of a whole new species, teenagers, in Tina Fey’s hilarious movie-to-musical, “Mean Girls.”
It’s Survival of the Fittest, or, rather, Survival of the Fetchiest at North Shore High. The Queen Bee, Regina George (Landry Champlin), scares students and teachers alike. The prettiest girl decides to bring Cady into her posse, which consists of the completely self-conscious Gretchen (Sydni Moon) and dim-bulb Karen (Kaley Bender), much to the chagrin of Cady’s first friends, Damian (Jack Haroutunian) and Janis (Lyda Jade Harlan). The fledgling nerds, Damian and Janis, hatch a devious plan. Cady is going to be their “Man on the Inside,” and learn Regina’s deep darks.
When Cady meets Aaron (Quincy Hampton) in Calc, she’s suddenly interested in local mating rituals, which include “Acting dumb to get a boy’s attention.” When Regina kisses Aaron at a Halloween party, Cady’s inner Mean Girl rises to the surface, and she wants to take Regina down, lock, stock, and both barrels.
And that’s just the first act!
Before intermission, “Mean Girls” goes a bit long (hit that restroom before the curtain rises). There is a big payoff of laughs in the second act.
The cast, which features college juniors (Pace University’s Brett Barthelemy), seniors (University of Cincinnati’s Haroutunian), recent graduates (Point Park’s Ben Allen Carter), and Pittsburgh natives (Maile Oravitz), among others, is delightful.
Isom does a superb job, acting, singing, and dancing her way through the musical as the lead. She’s even got the comedy chops, though she’s more of the straight man, especially (literally and figuratively) around Haroutunian and Harlan’s characters.
Haroutunian and Harlan are a fantastic comedic duo. They get some of the best lines in the show. Both of them can sing and dance as well.
Bender is laugh-out-loud funny in every line and mannerism; her strut across the stage is guffaw-inducing.
Hampton does a marvelous job as the romantic interest. He has a magnetic stage presence.
CLO Academy Faculty member Jennifer Lybarger is cast in multiple roles. She is spot-on as Mrs. Norbury (Tina Fey’s role in the original movie) and hilarious as Regina’s mom.
Even though he only has a handful of lines, Brady Patsy, another CLO Staff member, delivers his punchlines with precision.
Director Mara Newberry Greer sticks close to the source material, creating an enjoyable evening at the theater.
Side Note: In 2024, a movie version of the musical debuted. Maybe because it’s live and in-person, or the movie was miscast, but this version is better.
Not every song in “Mean Girls” is memorable. Still, Robert Neumeyer, the conductor, and George Hoydich, the musical coordinator, do a great job with the music, and the Pittsburgh CLO orchestra always comes through.
The audience was mostly comprised of teenage girls, and that’s a good thing. It’s great to see a theater filled with young people (and not just on stage). The show, at its heart, reminds everyone to be who they really are and not be caught up with their social status, likes on their Insta, and follower numbers.
Bake a cake with rainbows and smiles and make the whole world happy.
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“Mean Girls” runs until July 12th at the Benedum Center, Seventh Street & Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For tickets or additional information please click here.
