Maine West to present ‘Mean Girls High School Version’
Maine West’s Fine Arts Department is excited to present “Mean Girls High School Version” at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22, 23 and 24 and at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25. The show is directed by David Harmon.
Tickets are $7 for students and $12 for adults. To purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/MWBoxOffice.
This is the classical tale of geeks vs. jocks, emo vs. prep and wrong vs. right told in modern day banter. The story takes place in suburban Illinois where Cady Heron has just moved to after growing up on an African savanna. However, nothing has prepared Cady for the wild and vindictive ways of The Plastics. This trio of popular girls is led by the charming yet ruthless Regina George. How will Cady and all her naiveté rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? Will Cady have to learn the hard way not to cross Regina?
This high school version is adapted from Tina Fey's hit 2004 film. The musical was nominated for 12 Tony Awards and recently was released as a motion picture in 2024.
Behind the scenes is a tech crew of about 20 students, under the direction of auditorium manager Peter McManus. The crew is designing and constructing the set, designing and controlling the lighting, organizing all props and handling all of the sound engineering. Costumes are being designed by Mya Figueroa along with student assistants and parent volunteers. There is also an orchestra pit with 22 musicians under the direction of Mr. Bernie Gerstmayr.
Leena Lugo, a senior playing the role of Regina George, says: “I am enjoying having the opportunity to play this character. This is my favorite musical so I’m living my dream playing Regina George!”
Leena also discussed musical culture and how she loves to be part of it.
“I also really like the community that being in a musical creates and how we all respect each other. This is a fun production to be part of.”
Senior starring in his third musical production, Orion Hernandez, is a feature vocalist with the opportunity to play several roles.
“A great part of being part of this specific production, I get to play different characters that are very different from each other.” Orion adds. “The music is great and it’s fun to exaggerate characteristics of real life.”
Director, David Harmon, mentions: “This show has been an absolute blast to work on. Uniquely, this is my first musical where the cast is mostly teenagers playing other teenagers. There is an immediate understanding of these characters and their circumstances. While our leading cast members will certainly shine, I’m particularly pleased with how invested our ensemble cast has been. Their fully developed characters add so much to every scene and dance number; it’s truly been a pleasure to work with them.”
“Mean Girls High School Version” contains some adult humor and language and may not be suitable for all young audiences. The show is rated PG-13.