Listening with Lisa: Mean Girls the Musical!
| If you’re familiar with musical theater, you know that there are a lot of lyrics. The two-and-a-half-hour show felt like thirty minutes because my brain was on overdrive the whole time trying to absorb all the words. It was amazing. |
A few weekends ago, my sister Anna and I were lucky enough to score tickets to Mean Girls the Musical.
After searching for parking in downtown Jacksonville for half an hour, Anna and I finally made it to Moran Theatre on April 30th, one of the windiest days I’ve ever seen. I was wearing a blue and white, floral, two-piece shorts set but quickly realized that I dressed entirely wrong. All we saw when entering the theater was a sea of people in pink skirts, t-shirts, and dresses– immediate embarrassment for my blue outfit.
Anyway, on to the actual show.
I’ve seen the Mean Girls movie more times than I can count, but I wasn’t familiar with the songs in the musical. I was excited to see the show from a somewhat different perspective.
First off, musical theater moves so fast. The characters spoke at rapid speed and their movements were briskly elaborate. Nearly every song changed styles two or three times. Whether it was from musical theater to jazz to hip-hop, each song felt like three songs in one.
My favorite performance was one of the first, sung by the character Damian, Where Do You Belong?
The performance introduced the characters one by one, giving them each their own unique motif representing their personalities. Regina George was given a chromatic, slow, vindictive melody. Karen Smith sang a simple, nursery rhyme style tune with ascending perfect fifths.
Lunchroom tables spun around the stage while everyone danced with their trays. Being one of the most energetic performances in the show, Where Do You Belong? excited everyone in the audience. Although the show had only begun, people were already whistling and applauding for more.
I was surprised to see so many children at the show. To say the least, Mean Girls is explicit. It was probably for the best that the young girls didn’t understand half the jokes made.
In comparison to the movie, we got to see and understand Gretchen more as a character. As Regina’s under-appreciated sidekick, Gretchen revealed her dilemmas and insecurities in her song What’s Wrong With Me?
Gretchen’s inner monologue allowed the audience to feel a deeper connection with her. Pleading for an answer to why she feels self-conscious, Gretchen goes back and forth between blaming Regina and blaming herself.
In the piece, Gretchen ends a few phrases with hums rather than words. It was refreshing to hear the beautifully sad melody sung in a gentle hum. The hums made the song feel even more personal.
Although Anna already knew the whole Mean Girls soundtrack, after listening to What’s Wrong With Me? in person, it became her favorite song in the show.
Karen’s song Sexy had surprisingly crude humor. Nonetheless, it was hilarious, but I’ll spare you the details. Go watch it on YouTube…
Now, one of the best artistic choices of the entire musical: Aaron Samuels dressed as Stephen Curry at Cady’s Halloween party. As Warrior’s fans, Anna and I thought it was so funny when Aaron came out with the blue and yellow Golden State uniform with a 30 on his back. (Just in time for the NBA playoffs…)
If you’re familiar with musical theater, you know that there are a lot of lyrics. The two-and-a-half-hour show felt like thirty minutes because my brain was on overdrive the whole time trying to absorb all the words. It was amazing.
Even though Mean Girls isn’t showing in Jacksonville anymore, I recommend you find a musical to see soon! Every time Anna and I go to a musical, we say, “Wow, we should go to more musicals!” Being musicians, we have such appreciation for the intricacies and complexities of musical theater.
Listening to musical soundtracks on Spotify is one of the best ways to make a mundane car ride entertaining, but nothing compares to seeing the live performances. Now, go buy tickets to a musical!
