Behind the Scenes: Mean Girls Review

Written by: Suri Desai

I’m guessing the majority of people reading this have probably never read a play review written by someone who was in the show. As a crew member, I wasn’t involved in any jazzy musical numbers or complicated choreography. I didn’t memorize lines or stare into the eyes of the audience. Instead, I stood backstage, helping out with all that goes on behind the scenes. And so, I got to see for myself (many times) what an incredible show “Mean Girls” really was. 

Like many who sat in the plush seats of Jelks, I too was captivated by the enthralling story that was before my eyes, even if I did have a slightly different view. From the wide-eyed, enthusiastic Cady Heron, to the spunky Janis, to Glenn Coco, who everyone aspires to be like, there is a character for everyone to root for in this show. 

What captivated me most wasn’t the singing or the beautifully designed set (thanks Ms. Harrison and the tech theater class!), but rather the underlying story weaving the whole show together. Janis and Damian may have been warning audience members that if they didn’t heed their tale, they could be hit by a bus, but the story that made so many resonate with “Mean Girls” was one of change. 

Mean Girls undoubtedly highlights the changes, the hills and valleys we all go through on our way to figuring out who we want to be. Throughout the show, we saw so many of our favorite characters change (for better, for worse, or into a sweatpants lover), mess up, again and again, but still become awesome people, no matter how different they all were. 

As Cady sings at the end of the show, “we’re all stars” and even though I was invisible throughout the whole show, I know I, and so many other audience members felt like stars just watching it.