The RHS Drama Club staged four captivating performances of the beloved coming-of-age musical “Mean Girls: High School Version” in the RHS auditorium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 3-5.
Following the original screenplay by Tina Fey, “Mean Girls” tells the story of Cady Heron, who moves with her family from Africa to begin her new life in America as a high school junior. At the start of the story, Cady befriends Janis and Damian, two fellow students with plenty to say about the cliques in the high school. When the popular but mean girls in the Plastics clique take Cady under their wing, she learns life lessons about the importance of staying true to herself and being kind.
“The cast was very talented—a lot of strong voices,” said sophomore audience member Katie Taggart after watching the show. “It was really well put-together, the sets were nice and I liked the choreography and use of mobile chairs.”
In addition to mobile chairs, the talented production team utilized moving desks and cafeteria tables as well as an incredible, flippable set for scene changes. The tech crew used different colored stage lights to represent Cady’s various dream states, from pink when Cady fell in love to orange and red when students morphed into animals in Cady’s mind.
“I really enjoyed working with and getting to know the cast, and getting to play one of my dream roles,” said freshman Sophia Dominguez, who played Cady Heron. “I learned a lot about how every single part is essential to put together one big show, especially when I needed an understudy for the first performance. I was really proud of everyone for pushing through and continuing to make it great.”
The cast members for this season were incredibly in sync, connecting beautifully on stage as one big family. Through intricate musical numbers and dances, they performed impeccably for all four shows.
“Life isn’t so small as it may seem, and there are people out there who want to be your friend and want to accept you for who you are,” said senior Mikayla Watkins, who played queen bee Regina George, about the play’s message. “Don’t feel so limited to be one person that other people want you to be.”
“It’s a story that’s timeless, something that we’re always going to go through,” director Jeorgi Smith explained. “Bullying and status within a school are always going to be there, and it’s not going to change when you get older. I wanted people to be reminded of the nostalgia of the movie and take in the different qualities of the story that have been told to us millions of times.”
The show could not have been as flawless as it was without the talented musical and stage direction of teachers Jeorgi Smith, Alicia Cadmus, Ethan Smith and Matthew Swiss. In addition, a team of student leaders worked their magic behind the scenes.
Watkins noted that the tightly knit RHS drama community was another reason for the show’s success. “Everyone was friends with everyone,” she said. “I hope that Randolph High School does more shows in the future that will highlight the talents of our cast.”
