PERPETUAL OUTSIDER Janis (Vasiliki Kouiroukidis, center) sings her personal anthem, “I’d Rather Be Me,” supported by “Mean Girls” cast members (from left): Victoria Cerqueira, Maegan Mabbett, Sina Nickerson, Elizabeth Ayer and Ceci Thomson. (Dan Mills Photo)
By EVA HANEGRAAFF
NORTH READING — For the past two weekends, North Reading has been transported into the satirical high school of “Mean Girls.” With a PG-13 rating, the show uses humor to discuss serious topics that affect high schoolers every day.
Before the show began, the screens that made up the backdrop of the show turned on and a video played. In this video, Director and Producer Allison Kane, Assistant Music Director Stephanie Lento, Choreographer Chrissy Bowman, Costumer Laura Hargrove, Masquers’ President and Sound Designer Sofia Naulivou, Eulalia Agganis, who plays Regina George, and Alivia Rowe, who plays Cady Heron, outlined a PSA on the profanities and mature topics that would be discussed in the show, as well as a description of the importance of these topics being discussed, especially in a high school play.
They urged audiences to reflect on these themes and understand their presence in today’s world. To solidify this message, the speakers describe common high school challenges such as the ideas of healthy and unhealthy friendships.
The musical begins with characters Janis and Damian, played by Vasiliki Kouiroukidis and Matthew Mulcahy, respectively, comically narrating the story. The two of them offered a comedic and fun dynamic that bode well for the overall satirical nature of the show. With lines like when Janis says, “and that’s how Regina George died,” immediately followed by Damian’s line to the audience of “again, nobody dies!” the two were able to embody their characters completely and create the desired entertaining effect on the audience.
Their narration begins with the new girl in school, Cady Heron, navigating American high school after being homeschooled in Africa. She is faced with exclusive cliques and loneliness, and over time, she learns lessons about self identity, values, and making mistakes.
CADY HERON (Alivia Rowe) wrestles with revealing her advanced mathematics abilities in calculus class to gain the affection of her heartthrob, Aaron Samuels, (Vinny Costantino) in “Stupid With Love” in this classroom scene from the Masquers’ musical “Mean Girls.” (Dan Mills Photo)
From the objectification of women to online bullying, students in the audience were able to identify with the dramatized versions of the reality of high school today. This primary message of acceptance, told in a comedic, and at points outrageous format, was the pinnacle of the show’s appeal, and set it apart from the movie that it was based on.
While, in the movie, the themes of feminism and being authentically oneself are present, the musical put on by NRHS’ Masquers more explicitly highlights the reality of these ideas, as through lines that discuss the ideas of sexualization, as well as bringing in many of its own themes that were not touched upon as much by the movie such as “sending nudes.”
Cecilia Thomson’s character, Karen Smith, addresses both of these themes. Karen is portrayed as dumb on the surface, however she has lines throughout the show that discuss the themes of women feeling that they need to be sexy more than smart and the online normalization of young girls feeling obligated to send naked pictures.
In the song, “Sexy,” Thomson sings about the sexualization of Halloween for girls, a standard that does not exist for boys. Over the course of the song, Thomson describes all the girls’ costumes on stage as sexy, even though they were items and people who were made bizarre when attributed with this adjective. One example was the “sexy corn” costume adorned by Ava Araniz.
Caitlin Milligan, who plays Ms. Norbury, a mentor for Cady, also has a line in the show that leaves a lasting impression on audiences, as she conveys the sentiment that bringing another person down does not make the bully any better. The main character, Cady Heron, learns this lesson through the course of the show, as she learns what true friendship is. Milligan’s character guides Cady to a life of authenticity that Cady eventually achieves by the end of the show after making numerous mistakes up until that point.
Overall, “Mean Girls, High School Version” tackles important themes in a satirical way that are relatable to NRHS students today while remaining highly entertaining and funny. The show’s important message about authenticity and learning from mistakes is important in today’s world of online bullying and identity oppression, making it an incredibly worthwhile show.
