Review: City Springs’ ‘Mean Girls’ is energetic fun despite some casting fumbles

When Tina Fey sat down to write the script for 2004’s Mean Girls, she probably had no way of knowing its full impact and that audiences would still be quoting it two decades later. Not only did the film become a pop culture sensation, it launched a lauded 2018 musical that’s now making its regional debut at City Springs Theatre Company, running through May 17 at the Byers Theatre in the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center. 

It’s a funny and smart musical, and this version gets a lot right. 

After growing up in Kenya, Cady Heron (Adagia Rueda) moves to Chicago when her mother accepts a new job at Northwestern University. Following years of being home schooled, she suddenly begins North Shore High School — and realizes she knows little about fitting in with her fellow students. 

The first people she meets are Damian (Cole Fletcher) and Janis (Terica Marie), who fill her in on the school’s who’s who. Most prominent of the classmates are The Plastics, a popular trio led by Regina George (Landry Champlin). Her constant sidekicks are the second in command: Gretchen (Ruth Mehari) and Karen (Ella Benward), who’s described to Cady as “the dumbest girl you’ll ever meet.” To Cady’s surprise, the three Plastics invite her to have lunch with them the rest of the week. A plan is hatched as Damian and Janis want Cady to go along with it and give them regular updates.  

As a musical,Mean Girls was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and was a commercial success on Broadway. It didn’t stray far from Fey’s original source material, who adapted the film (directed by Mark Waters) from Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002’s Queen Bees and Wannabes and wrote the book for the musical adaptation. 

Like the film, Mean Girls the musical is a satire and much more than a standard high school comedy. It’s a work that speaks on self-esteem, friendships and the way girls and women treat and sabotage each other. The music was written by composer Jeff Richmond — Fey’s spouse — and the lyrics by Nell Benjamin. The songs ultimately take a back seat to Fey’s stinging text but are still enjoyable. 

As directed by Anthony C. Daniel, Mean Girls is easily one of the most energetic productions I’ve seen from City Springs. It’s a technical triumph, with ace costume design by Amanda West and snazzy choreography from Elle-May Patterson, who also worked on the company’s Legally Blonde. I love the creativity and joy Patterson brings, particularly to some of the busy lunchroom sequences. 

As well, Scott Pask’s set manages to weave in and out of high school cafeterias and bedrooms and other locations seamlessly. 

Yet Mean Girls is not the production it could be because of some missteps in the cast. Champlin, a veteran of several regional musicals and a contestant on Season 23 of American Idol, certainly has the necessary vocal range, but she doesn’t bring much to Regina other than attitude. It’s impossible to compare anyone to the peerless Rachel McAdams from the original film, but what’s missing from Champlin’s performance is the depth and nuances her character needs.  

A few supporting players have the same issue. Benward’s Karen is rather one-note. Damian is described by Janis as “too gay to function,” and while Fletcher certainly brings that to the forefront, I wish his interpretation dug deeper into some of the character’s other dimensions.  

Luckily, Ruedas’ Cady is a formidable presence, especially as she grows in confidence. The actress is particularly effective once she blossoms and turns into her own unintended version of Regina, the classmate she used to make fun of. 

Mehari’s Gretchen may seem too eager to please but satisfyingly becomes her own person, while Asher Thornton as Aaron Samuels, an ex of Regina’s and Cady’s crush, and Wendell Scott as principal Mr. Duvall are also effective. 

Autumn Guzzardi also excels in three very different roles — Mrs. Heron, Mrs. George and (my favorite) Ms. Norbury, a math teacher who takes a liking to Cady and wants her to apply her skill and be on the Mathletes math competition team. She also has some of the best lines, chastising Cady for playing dumb to win Aaron. 

Yet the performer who stands out the most is Marie as Janis, who has an enjoyable comic rapport with Damian. She also gets one of the best and most satisfying numbers, the bouncy “I’d Rather Be Me,” just after Ms. Norbury has called an emergency meeting of the high school girls once the burn book has gotten out. 

Mean Girls is not nearly as successful as the company’s recent Come From Away or some other musicals I’ve seen at City Springs. Closing the company’s eighth season, though, it’s still a fun show, and the effervescent closing number “I See Stars” is staged so fondly, it makes you forget some of the earlier shortcomings.

Where & When

Mean Girls from City Springs Theatre is at the Byers Theatre through May 17. Tickets, $70.
1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs.

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Jim Farmer is the recipient of the 2022 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award for Best Theatre Feature and a nominee for Online Journalist of the Year. A member of five national critics’ organizations, he covers theater and film for ArtsATL. A graduate of the University of Georgia, he has written about the arts for 30-plus years. Jim is the festival director of Out on Film, Atlanta’s LGBTQ film festival, and lives in Avondale Estates with his husband Craig.