Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back to the Bright lights of Broadway. This is the Cosmic Curtain, the official podcast of Cosmic Circus Broadway. I'm Brian Kitson, head writer over the Cosmic Circus and Cosmic Circus Broadway. And joining me as always is my co host and fellow box seat babe, R.J. miller. Zelinko. Welcome back, sir.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:00:20] Speaker A: I would ask you how you're doing, but if anybody listened to Wicked, they'll know.
It's cold, it's wet, it's rainy. And we're here to talk about Mean Girls, the musical which is currently in at the Fisher Theater as a part of the Broadway in Detroit's bonus shows. So we're very excited to break this down. Obviously, spoiler warning. If you have not seen Mean Girls at all, the original movie. If you have not seen the musical that came out a year ago, if you've not seen the touring show, I can't help you. I'm so sorry. Why are you here? No, I'm just kidding. We love you.
So we're just gonna jump right in. Rj, what is your experience with Mean Girls up to this point? What is your. What is your general knowledge? When did you begin this journey where. Where you're wearing pink? So you know that much.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: I know that much. It is Wednesday.
We wear pink.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: We do.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Somebody didn't get the memo.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: Well, I couldn't wear pink too because then we would match. Is that not what it's.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: It's true. It's true. It's fine. You just can't sit with us.
[00:01:29] Speaker A: Oh, Bird.
[00:01:32] Speaker B: My time with the show, very limited. I'll be honest with you.
Time with the show, time with the movie, time with literally anything. Mean Girls, fairly limited.
I think I maybe saw the movie one time ever and I was probably like half watching it. Like it was one of those things that I was probably at a sleepover and someone was like, let's turn on Mean Girls.
And it was like 2:30 in the morning and we had already watched everything else and we're basically going to bed.
So I'm not super. I'm not the most familiar. You probably maybe outdo me in this regard.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: You mean you didn't watch this multiple times through your adolescence? This wasn't like a staple in your.
There used to be a running joke, you know, in my friends group that Mean Girls was a staple in every girl's formative years and Brian's. Because I watched this film so much and that was just kind of the running gag because I knew this film backwards and forwards. I had seen it so many Times.
This was one that my friends and I would just quote. And I still will sometimes quote this film in normal day. Like I'm doing therapy and I will have throw in a Mean Girls quote. Um, so like, the fact that you like, you were just like, I've seen it like once maybe when I was falling asleep at a party just feels, I don't know, it feels wrong.
You can't sit with us, sir.
[00:03:12] Speaker B: I mean, it is a little bit shocking because I. I was obsessed, although clearly not enough, with Lindsay Lohan.
[00:03:26] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:29] Speaker B: But as you should.
[00:03:30] Speaker A: Lindsay Lohan is fantastic.
[00:03:32] Speaker B: I. I don't think I knew that she was even in this film because I was too busy, you know, watching like the Parent Trap and her Be Fully Loaded and what is it? Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. Yeah.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: So the Disney movies, they're not the quite the adult Lindsay Lohan.
[00:03:59] Speaker B: Correct. Yeah. Like, we must have broken off once she. Once she hit her teen years or something or. I was just so behind that I never actually pulled away.
[00:04:11] Speaker A: Fun fact. I'm gonna have to look it up. I'm pretty sure Mean Girls came out before her before Loaded, so I'm gonna go ahead and just say that you missed it somewhere and that's fine because you can just you Her Before Loaded is a fantastic film. Freaky Friday. Come on. That's also.
[00:04:27] Speaker B: I was obsessed with Freaky Friday. There was that. So it was Freaky Friday and Jamie Curtis. Yeah.
[00:04:34] Speaker A: And there's a Freakier Friday coming out. I digress. But Mean Girls was smack dab in the middle between Freaky Friday and Her before you Loaded. So you just missed that one. Which am I shocked? I was shocked for a moment, but maybe I'm not actually that shocked that you wouldn't see that one because this is a kind of an adult ish, like an adolescent adult film, you know?
[00:04:56] Speaker B: Well, and given my personality, particularly in my high school days, I will say, like from middle school through college, I went to a private Christian institution.
And so like, they weren't all walking Mean Girls.
Often anything with any type of connotation wasn't even allowed. Right. So it. Unless I was at a friend's house, there was no way that I would be exposed to this film.
[00:05:32] Speaker A: So chances are you've never seen Bring it on until you were an adult either then. Is that what I'm hearing?
[00:05:37] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: Okay, well, we got to focus on Mean Girls. But that. That hurt just a little bit.
So you have.
You didn't have a great store of Mean Girls knowledge, but have you seen the Musical before.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: I have, yes, I did see it a handful of times. Although, truly, as we'll talk about it, like, it's not.
The story is not my cup of tea. Right. Like, it's just. It's just not. And so I don't think I've seen it all the way through a bunch. I think I've seen bits and pieces. When I. When I worked at the theater, I'd pop in and out for some of my favorite songs and just wasn't the most appealing to me.
[00:06:35] Speaker A: That's fair. I will say that I have never seen Mean Girls live, which sounds crazy with as much as I love theater and I love Mean Girls, but I think that this came out at such a time.
This one is what, only not even a decade old, fairly new. I want to say that, like, I just. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, I missed it. I missed this film. I missed. I mean, not this film, this stage show. I just. It did not cross my mind. I've had friends. I wouldn't seen it live before. And I was just like, I think I'm gonna sit this one out because just the idea of going to see a musical version of Mean Girls, just, like, I felt like I was like, there's gonna be something missing. There's gonna be something that just like, how do you capture what Mean Girls is perfectly in a stage show, especially a decade later.
So my only entry into the musical was the film last year, which is not the best take on musical films.
Go see Wicked, everybody. That's better.
But I mean, in your opinion, is the. Is the film a good take on the show? Because you saw. You saw them both before. So.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Yeah, I.
So part of the problem, I think, is I just glanced at the date for the show. So the first performance of the show was 2017.
[00:08:04] Speaker A: Ooh, five years ago. Seven years ago.
[00:08:08] Speaker B: The movie to come out so. So soon after the show launched.
I will say, even from the last time I saw the show to the show that we just saw, there are some big staging differences. There were some big character like changes.
And so I think when I even first saw it, it truly, it must have just come out. I mean, it must have just like literally hopped on tour because it was free. I want to say it was pre Covid, so I don't know. And then the film, I mean, obviously Renee rap, we love. She is the og.
And so I think that kind of saved it. It gave it the clout that they wanted it to have.
But I, Yeah, I struggled with the movie. They Made some substantial changes to the jokes specifically. And I think the feedback that I got from friends who are not particularly musical nerds was that, like, the jokes are why they came. And so when you take those out, it just lost a whole. It lost attention, you know, in the theater, people were losing the ability to pay attention because they.
Everything that they were coming for or thought they were coming for, they didn't get.
[00:09:53] Speaker A: Sure. I did not know that Renee Rapp was the original until your sister told me last night. And I was like, no way. She was like, yeah, she was the original Regina George on Broadway. Which just feels crazy that they. She came back for that, and she did a great job of that. But I did. I did like that. Now that I know that. And I do think I have to go watch that film again, now that I've seen it live on stage.
And this is one of your sister's favorites. I know that she was very excited about seeing it. I had talked to her on Instagram about it a few times.
She ate that shit up last night. Where did this love of this musical begin for her, do you know?
[00:10:32] Speaker B: Totally random. Honestly. I think he saw it way back when, when I had seen it the first time was her first exposure to it. I'm not sure that he's even seen the film, to be honest with you.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:10:50] Speaker B: The. The original film. And so there is definitely an alignment that she feels with the Katie character, I think, in regards to kind of being like a bit of an outcast or a new person, because she has jumped schools a couple of times. And she's also dealt with a lot of the themes that we see in the show that are a little bit deeper rooted when it comes to bullying and hard to make friendships and all the things that couldn't. Right. I think she really relates to many of those themes, and so to then kind of see that character become the center of the universe. In this show, we don't often get to see an underdog in such a very transparent way.
Like, so clearly that, like, oh, here, let me introduce you to the underdog. You know that by the end of this show, this person will no longer be the underdog and just go from 0 to 100 very quickly.
So I think that she enjoyed that. And, I mean, she's a musical theater nerd. So the songs themselves, I think she can sing them, and that always helps when you are really enjoying something and you can relate to the character.
[00:12:19] Speaker A: So I do think that what you stated there is very interesting because I think that's probably why and I didn't connect it till now of why I love the film so much as a. As a teenager was because, again, being the underdog, being somebody who was bullied for being smart, you know, and that was always kind of the outcast and used to eat lunch by himself sometimes. And we're not going to get into that. We don't need to. But, like, there are these aspects of that. This is a real high school experience for a lot of people. Katie's experience is real to a lot of individuals. Getting to see that and then getting to kind of exaggerate that story a little bit is very appealing. And like, when you characters are relatable, you can see yourselves in them. You also see how they mess up sometimes in that we're all human because we mess up. There is just an attractability to that character and then therefore, to the show.
At least I would think so.
So the story is very close to the original. Having seen them all now, however, there are some changes that they made.
Do you have. This is hard to ask you now, because I was gonna ask you, how do you feel? Like, this story was translated well to stage, but you're not very as familiar with the original story. But I guess, like, as a show, do you think that this is a good representation of what you think Mean Girls is at its core?
[00:13:43] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think that a lot of the core pieces, at least that I remember from the movie, are brought into the show and highlighted, of course, as one does through music.
It is one of. Well, now we have a lot of contemporary musicals, but it is one of. I think at the time, it was one of a few contemporary musicals that is still kind of almost like a pop show, which makes it still feel authentic to the movie because that is. It's exactly the type of music and themes that would probably be happening in high school, so.
[00:14:29] Speaker A: Agreed. I think that one of the changes that I liked the most, and I don't remember this about the movie, about the musical movie. Gosh, I have to make that clarification now. There's two movies, but I like that the show is actually narrated by Janice and Damien, almost like they're telling the story of what happened to their friend Katie. And I thought that was really cool because it gives you like a.
It gives you that frame. Like that frame storytelling that I really love, frame storytelling.
But it also makes them, like, more like, integrated into the. To the plot and the story a little bit more, so that you almost feel like they're the main characters and like Katie and the Plastics are a little more like, yeah, it's their story, but, like, it's not their story. Does that make sense?
[00:15:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. Because if you take that off it, you kind of lose those supporting characters. Right? I mean, we know that they are there, but particular. I mean, the comparison to the movie especially. I think they're way more highlighted in the stage work on.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely. I mean, they are in the original movie, but there are, like, a handful of scenes. Like, they are not important because the narrator of the original film is Lindsay Lohan. It's her inner thoughts, her inner monologue. You know, she's kind of telling you the story.
And how does that translate very well into to a show? And granted, they do have some parts where they stop and they either, like, tell it. They tell someone the narrative through song, or they stop and they would freeze the moment and kind of explain what the character is thinking. But then you do have these moments where it's like, Damian and Janice are like, this is what's going on in our school. These are the people. These are the. Like, yes, is our friend. She's not really our friend. Towards the end, she becomes our friend. Like, there's these moments, and, yes, they kind of float back into, like, being sidekicks to Katie. But I liked. Like, I felt like. I honestly, I felt like this was Damien's show. Like, we were just all. We're just all kind of. This is Damien's world. We're just all kind of part of it, you know, which is really good because it gives you that, like, the quintessential, like, gay character up front that we don't always see. In a lot of shows, you know, you. A lot of traditional Broadway shows, a gay actor might be playing a very straight role. And this is very much a. A very gay character having his moment.
And I. And I loved that aspect of it. I thought that was a really cool update to Mean Girls.
[00:17:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And, of course, all of those added.
I mean, there are the number of songs in the production that obviously are completely centered around the two of them. Yeah, we have them opening and closing the show, basically. But I think Janice has got probably three to four, just mega solos, and Damian has at least two to three that are truly just kind of basically his.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: Absolutely.
Do you like the story?
Again, you're not a big comedy guy.
[00:17:47] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it's grown on me. It's not my favorite. We'll be honest and say it's my favorite.
I think I struggle with the storyline because I can't relate to it at all.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:18:03] Speaker B: And I think that a lot of things that I enjoy, as most of us do, we can relate to it. We really enjoy it.
And this, I just. This was not my high school experience. This was nobody that I know their high school experience.
And then add that onto the fact that obviously there's exaggeration happening for the sake of comedy. And once again, comedy, not my throne suit. It's just a mix bundle of things that I naturally would not find myself in the middle of. And so I can appreciate the show from a talent standpoint and for what it takes to be in it and do it and all of those details. But, yeah, it's not one that I'm, you know, standing in line to see 30 10s in a row.
[00:18:58] Speaker A: Are you telling me that you weren't the popular kid that was just, like, ruling the school?
[00:19:04] Speaker B: I mean, when you go to a high school where there's less than 300 people, I don't. Not sure, like, people probably thought that they were ruling the school, but, like, there's only. Your competition is 10 people. So it really wasn't just a different level. And of course, you know, we had uniforms or dress codes, your dress code, and all of those pieces. And chapel every day, so you know what you gotta do.
[00:19:33] Speaker A: It's like you're looking over your kingdom, but it's actually just a village and it's all dying.
[00:19:38] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, my school was. You could see the whole school from the entryway. It's one hallway straight, straight down. That was the entire school. So what are you ruling? I'm not really sure.
[00:19:51] Speaker A: That's crazy to me because, you know, I went to a high school where there was three floors and there's two sections, and you couldn't get to the third floor. Like, you had to go down to the second floor to go to the other part of the third floor because it wasn't connected. It was that big. So, like, for me, it's just like when you see, like, those. Those lunchroom, like, the scene where they're talking about, like, the different places where to sit in the lunchroom. Like, that was my high school. That was 100% the. There was the table for the jocks, and there was the table for the nerds. And granted, I kind of could go from table to table depending on what the year was.
You know, there was the band nerds, and, like, there was very. There was lots of clicks. But I also. My graduating class was originally 600 kids, I think. And I think by the time that we Were done. We were down to 400. But like, there was, that was just our class. Like, we were like, we were a huge school. And so like, for me, when I'm seeing this, I'm like, oh, yeah, this is, this is the high school experience. What are you talking about? But you went to a one room schoolhouse from. In the country.
But it's a very different experience.
[00:20:56] Speaker B: Well, and, but, and yet the same. Right. So we talk about the cafeteria and we talked about the tables. That still existed, for sure.
I will say I was a abandoner. Shocker. I think, I think the difference is that.
And like, God bless if anyone from high school is listening to this. But the difference being, because it was so small, like everyone, except maybe the athletes, but like, everyone was in everything all the time. So you had the smart folks who were also in band, who were also in cross country, who were also in the, you know, all these other clubs. You had it just like the overlap. There was so much overlap that then you had, I think, probably smaller groups of people because whoever you were overlapping with the most is who you hung out with rather than like, oh, the band kids are over here. And you know, God, we didn't have stoners or smokers because God forbid.
[00:22:17] Speaker A: But.
[00:22:17] Speaker B: You know, the theology nerds are over here and the over here.
[00:22:24] Speaker A: No, Devil's Letters.
[00:22:25] Speaker B: Like the jets were also the lead in the, in the school play because they could sing. You know, it was a little bit of. A little bit.
A little bit of the experience, I guess, but not to the extreme that it's portrayed.
[00:22:40] Speaker A: You're describing the plot. High School Musical here, correct?
[00:22:45] Speaker B: I mean it literally.
[00:22:47] Speaker A: Yeah, fair enough.
Do you feel when there was a new kid, did you have that, like, was it the Katie Heron effect of being like the whole school was just like, who is this new girl? Because we didn't get that in my school. Like, again, so many students, when someone new showed up, most of us didn't even notice that there was anyone but anybody new in the class.
[00:23:09] Speaker B: Yes. So on the flip side, we every. It was like a shockwave, right? When you only have 280 people across 9th through 12th grade.
And to add to that, like, this is a feeder high school, so you have middle school and elementary schools who have been filtering students up through this program for the last six years. And so they've all been going to school together. Well, six years for me, since kindergarten for them. So kindergarten through 12th grade, they've been going to school with the same kids. So when you had folks show up, you know, Especially if it wasn't freshman year. If they showed up in your class in sophomore or junior or senior year, you were like, we have to know absolutely everything about this person. Who are they? Where did they come from? What do they want? What are they doing? Where are they going? Who are they seeing? What? How are they different?
But also, that's because nothing exciting happened at the school.
So that was, like, the most exciting thing that could possibly happen is getting a new kid.
[00:24:26] Speaker A: Fair enough.
So with that aspect of Mean Girls, I think that they did a really good job of capturing what made Mean Girls enjoyable.
The original film. I do think that it was interesting that they did change quite a bit. I think there were some jokes that in Mean Girls, you couldn't say now if that makes sense, even though it wasn't that long ago. But, like, the one in my head was, I was waiting for the line where Karen's just like, if you're from Africa, why aren't you white? Cause I was like, oh, you can't say it. Like. Like, that wouldn't come off the same way. And they didn't say that. I thought, oh, that was actually interesting. They put in a different joke there, which just shows, like, how the show has adapted over time and how it's not the same show. And so I do. I do appreciate that, because I think I got something different from the show this time than I did from watching Mean Girls growing up. I think that's the big takeaway for me with. With this story.
It's not your mama's Mean Girls.
[00:25:21] Speaker B: Well, and there were some jokes where. I don't know. I'm just so curious to know who's in the room making those decisions, because, like you said, some of them are taken out. But then I know at least one time, I can't remember what the joke was where I remember you audibly being like, oh, they said that. They said that joke.
And it didn't. You're like, maybe that. That one could have been, you know, whether it was the delivery or just the fact that it shouldn't have even been there.
[00:26:01] Speaker A: There was. There was a few jokes, and I don't remember specifically which one it was because I. I was making a lot of audible gasps, but there were still a lot of jokes about. I think specifically about women's weight. And that's just like, ooh. Like, I get, like. Because part of the storyline is, like, giving Regina keltzing bars to, like, make her put on weight. And, like, still. That's still a very questionable, like, storyline. I Think in this day, we can question a little bit more. And we can say with that was, that's kind of awful, which is what you're supposed to do. But there's like. They got rid of the joke of being like when they're in the store. And regina George, Rachel McAdams is like, do you have something bigger than the seven? And the lady's like, we're five, seven, nine, or whatever. Why don't you go try Kohl's? Like, there's. They got rid of those, but then they replaced it with, like, other lines of just being like, women are supposed to be skinny to be attractive. And I just thought it was odd, especially because there was quite a few people on stage that weren't like, they're. They weren't what you would say are, like, the skinny model body type, but they were absolutely gorgeous. And I'm like, what is this? Like, the message was getting a little bit confused then of like. Like, I know we're not supposed to believe that skinny is beautiful, but then why do we. Why are we still laning some of those jokes? Why are we still trying to get people to laugh at some of those jokes? That felt icky. I think there was one. I can't think of what the joke was, but it hit. I was like, that is the wrong joke to have kept out of everything. We should have replaced that one.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Yeah. I'm trying to. I think it was at the Halloween party, and I can't remember exactly. It was.
Yeah. But then in the same breath, it was interesting to me because I don't remember it from the first time I saw the show where they were talking about.
Karen is talking about sending nudes.
[00:27:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:27:59] Speaker B: And, you know, saying that she did it and then that we shared it. And honestly, I can't remember if that's in the movie or not or what that looks like. But from the first time, and May. Once again, it's been a minute since I've seen the show, so she could have said it the first time. But in last night's performance, there's this pause because I think they still wanted a laugh. Because as we know, Karen's character is a little bit spacey, supposed to be just over the top, just irregular. But for her to then pull out this line of, you know, why this. Why do we think that this is okay?
[00:28:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:28:46] Speaker B: Like, this should not be okay for boys to do.
And. Which was very interesting to me to then see the audience's reaction, because I'm not sure that anyone thought that was going to happen. And then everyone kind of thought for a minute, and then they decided to cheer or clap or. Or respond. And I.
Maybe my memory is going. I mean, we know that it is. But.
[00:29:15] Speaker A: I will say what that scene is. Moment I was gonna say with that scene specifically, I think the. At least why I had a pause was because it almost felt like the actress was breaking character to, like, to say that line, because it didn't sound like Karen. But it was also something that was literally like, yeah, you're right. Why do. Why do guys do that? And, like, it was like that moment of being like, wait, Karen's actually smart. I think that's what stumbled people for a moment.
But, yeah, like, I. That is something that.
Yeah, you're right, 100%. But then they still put in the things. Like at the Halloween party, as she's getting pulled away, she's talking about. The joke is that she wants to sleep with her first cousin in the movie. And they put that in there. They kept that in there. I'm just like, why did you make that choice? Like, what is it? What was it about that joke that you were like, that's funny. We should keep that in.
[00:30:07] Speaker B: Well, and. Yeah. And it truly just makes me wonder, like, is it the fandom? Is it. You know, I know it's comedy. I know it's over the top, and I do struggle. I think this is why I struggle with comedy in general, is because I listen to comedians and I hear them cross these lines, and it's in the name of comedy. And this whole play, obviously in the name of comedy.
I just. The gray area between what is acceptable comedy and what's not. Like, if I'm going to say this joke is okay, but then I say that this other joke isn't okay, why. Which, once again, this is a whole rebel. But I think that that is part of this, why we've seen so much switching and changing for this musical, especially because the same thing happened in the new revamp of the movie where they took out a lot of the original lines and people were disappointed, but if you.
Someone was bound to be, you know, find it offensive. So where's. Where's the median on that?
[00:31:16] Speaker A: I do think that sometimes it speaks to, like, we talked about this with, like, Mrs. Doubtfire of being like, would that movie be made today? Probably not. It was a product of its time. And, like, 100%, you could tell that the mean girls that we had in my adolescence and the mean girls that we have on stage are very much products of their time. And I think I even turned to you during intermission, and I said, this is really young skewed. And I, like, I think I was starting to feel old in that moment. I was like, oh, my God, am I. Am I like, are my bones cracking? Is my hip about to pop out of place here? Because it wasn't my mean girls, but it was the mean girls that, like, people growing up now or who are younger. Like, your sister, she's a decade younger than us. Like, this is the story that she needed it to be. Like, I. Is that the right wording? You know, it's like, it's not the story that we needed when we were in high school, but it's the story that so many people, like, her age needed when they were in high school.
[00:32:15] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, I think.
And once, like you said, like, generational differences, all of our expectations are different, too. Like, whether the experiences are different or the same.
What we. What I deem as acceptable, for sure, is more than what my mom deems as acceptable.
And then what Becca deems as acceptable is different than what I deem as acceptable in more than just comedy. So, yeah, it's definitely this. You know, you have to. In shows such as this one, where it is such a distinct time, it's capturing such a distinct time experience, it's very hard to translate that without making a lot of changes so that the next gen can appreciate it just as much.
[00:33:14] Speaker A: I think that a perfect example of this is the lion scene, which I do want to talk about real quick. There's. During one of the musical numbers, after we find out that Regina George is having, you know, cheating on her boyfriend inside a mascot suit. The mascot comes out, and there is some stuff going on in that suit. All right? And there was the four of us. And just to set the scene for everybody, it was rj, his sister, me, and then our friend Marty.
And my hand went over my mouth because I just could not believe that we were seeing this. RJ and Marty both, like, turned their eyes, like, just, like, it was really hard to kind of watch. And then your sister was laughing through it, like, and I just thought in the head. I was like, this is the perfect example of, like, that comedy appeal to somebody who was younger. But we got to the point where just like, oh, no. What are we watching? Like, what is. What is going on on stage right now? Like, I couldn't stop watching, but I just couldn't believe I was seeing that. And the two of you were just, like. You were like, oh, this is so cringe. And, like, turned your heads away. But like, that. I think it sums up kind of Mean Girls of what was going on on the stage very well for the different generations of people that were there. Like, could you imagine taking your mom to this?
[00:34:28] Speaker B: I mean, she did. She has seen it.
[00:34:29] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:34:30] Speaker B: When we. And there's a reason that she chose not to come last night.
And there it is. Right. Like, there. That. That is the draw of who wanted to come and see the show again versus someone who's already seen it instead. You know what? I'm good. I don't need to. I've seen it, been there, done that, and that's all I need.
[00:34:55] Speaker A: Was there anything about the show, I guess, about the story that you thought was impressive or, like, the stage, like, the staging of it? You know, we're gonna talk about the music and the dancing in a second, but I will say this. I thought the bus was kind of cool because I wasn't expecting them to have a bus. I thought it was gonna be, like, implied that Regina and George got hit by a bus.
[00:35:12] Speaker B: And then when they pulled back light and.
[00:35:15] Speaker A: Yes. And then when they pulled back that screen and the bus was coming at us, I was like, okay, that's kind of cool. I wasn't expecting that at all.
[00:35:24] Speaker B: Yeah, well. And even since last time I saw it, I think there were some substantial set piece changes, which was kind of shocking to me because, once again, it wasn't that long ago. But the bus, obviously, like, I mean, it's just monumental.
I will say I was a little bit sad. The opening scene before had, like, anime. It had, like, safari feel instead of just like an empty stage.
Yeah. And I'm sure it's just because it's. It's a whole lot of quick changes. It's a whole lot of, you know, if you have a limited pass.
But it felt different. That opening number as basically just a solo kind of felt with an empty stage. Felt a little bit different.
[00:36:27] Speaker A: Yeah, it felt like there was a piece missing. I was almost expecting to open up like a. Like a child's version of Lion King again. I've never seen Lion King, as you found out this week on stage, but I was expecting something like that, just, like, some kind of animals to represent, like, her being in Africa. And, like, they talked about her being around elephants, they talked about her being around lions. And, like, there was none of that. I thought, oh, that's an interesting choice because it just feels. That felt a little hollow, you know?
[00:36:54] Speaker B: Yeah. But I thought the lighting was very well done. I Thought the set pieces that they did have were appropriate.
I remember from the first time I saw it, the first time seeing them roll out on those desks, very, very fun and different. And I'm sure shows since then have probably copied it, but I appreciate, you know, creative, creative ways of making scenes change and make you feel like you're in a different place in a very short amount of time.
[00:37:31] Speaker A: It reminded me of the wheelie things from something like a hot.
That like.
[00:37:36] Speaker B: Yes, that is what I was thinking of. I was like, we have. We recently saw something with Wheel. That's what it was.
[00:37:43] Speaker A: It looks like fun. Like they. When they're rolling in and out, they look like they're just enjoying themselves. And I'm like, I want to have a desk to roll out in and out of. Like, I don't want to be in high school again. But, like, give me that desk.
[00:37:55] Speaker B: Because it was a cool guy. Just wanna, you know, roll down the street 100%.
[00:38:03] Speaker A: I will say that I think one of the cool things about that first thing when they roll on the desk too, is I liked how they switched out the students with the teachers. And it almost was so flawless that you didn't even notice that the students were dressed as the teachers and that they just like switched in and switched out. And like, I thought that was a really cool way of like utilizing your cast really well. Like, you had this multiple roles, but, like, it felt flawless.
[00:38:27] Speaker B: Well, and I'll say the same thing for Act 2. I did not realize for time around seeing it that they have all of the men dressed up as women for that scene, which makes sense. I mean, once again, you have a limited ensemble and you have some choreography that requires some upper body strength. So why not take advantage of, you know, throwing some. Some wigs on some guys and really, you only see their backside. So it's. It's pretty.
It does exactly what they wanted to do.
[00:39:05] Speaker A: There was. There was one that Marty and I could not get over because he was just. He was. He was eating the roll up and he just loved it. He was like, getting so into, like the exaggerated movements and running around the stage and we were giggling like children at this. Like, we just were following around stage and it was. He loved it. And like, it was really. It was a really cool effect because again, you don't notice it. But, like, you're right. Some of those scenes of like when trust falls, that was a great way to have, like to make sure, like, you have extra people that are going to make sure that these people aren't falling on their ass on stage and looking caught off guard.
[00:39:42] Speaker B: Right.
And honestly, part of me was wondering if there was, because at one point, I think at the beginning of Act 2, so not like or through.
I think there was an individual that maybe was either either a trans woman or playing a trans woman intentionally.
[00:40:10] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:40:11] Speaker B: Honestly not quite sure, because the rest of the cast that was cross wrestling only came on for that. Those scenes.
Because that is something that I just. As we know, I have the ability to just kind of naturally track immediately. Sure. Or maybe I'm just. I don't know. There's vibes, and I'm immediately drawn to it.
But I'm wondering if that's the same person.
[00:40:40] Speaker A: Okay. That would be interesting to know. If anybody's in the production of this, let us know just so we can have some more information about it.
But also, there was a great representation on the stage, too. There was tall, there was short. There was every ethnicity we had, every colored skin. We had, like, you know, there was just such a great makeup. There was clearly some queer people. There was clearly, you know, some straight people. Like, I loved that. It felt very representative of, like, this is what a student body should be. And it wasn't just all like. Like, the first film is very. Like, the original film with Leon is very white. Like, cisgendered white females. There's a few characters, but they're like, literally, like, the girls in the background being like, you slept with the coach. And like. Like, there. There wasn't much to it other than very, very vanilla. And this was not like that. This was, like. The cast was very diverse. And I do appreciate that they did make some of those changes and. Or it seemed like it was more intentional that they were making choices to be more representative. What are your thoughts on that?
[00:41:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I agree.
Hold on. Don't mind me while I quickly let my dog out of my office here, because you can probably hear him this entire time going crazy.
[00:42:03] Speaker A: He's just trying to escape.
[00:42:05] Speaker B: Yeah. He's like, all right, I'm about mean girls.
But, yeah, immediately same thing I noticed just a variety of bodies on the stage. Which Broadway, I think, is leading the world when it comes to being inclusive and no longer requiring or having this, like, even ableistic thought process when it comes to being in theater and acting, dancing and singing.
I think it was so refined previously. Like, you had to be super fit. You had to be able to do all of these things. And now we're moving into a space where it's like, you can be an Insanely talented actor, an insanely talented singer, and maybe you're just not able to keep up with the dancing. Maybe you have a disability, maybe you know all of these things, but we can still bring you onto the stage and show off all of the talents that you do have.
And the same thing to you when you were talking about kind of the CIS white movie that we had, like, that's not the. That is not representative of the average pipe. Right.
In today's time.
So I, I think it's good that they kind of, you know, whether that was intentional or not, who knows? But it was exciting to see.
[00:43:53] Speaker A: I think that even. I think that I, I do wonder about the intentionality, but there was some intentionality in some of their choices. Like Regina's not blonde and like they made her brunette, which is interesting because they were all pretty much blonde in the original film, you know, and like, there was like. I felt like that was a clear choice and you were making a statement there of like the standard beauty has changed and it's different or it's more representative of everybody because they easily could have thrown a blonde wig on her. I'm pretty sure that wig that she had was a wig. Like, I do not think that was her natural hair.
[00:44:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. And I think it goes to show again that he. And maybe, I mean, who knows the. And the reasons why they're made, but the mean people don't always look like a blonde, blue eyed, super twig thin, you know, model status. Um, obviously there, There, there are direct rules in which all of those people fall under there. Right. Like we, we do have Karen there, who is.
[00:45:01] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:45:02] Speaker B: But yeah, so it's a variety, Variety of life.
[00:45:09] Speaker A: Right.
[00:45:10] Speaker B: It's, it's. But it's also. It's fun to see too, because it tells you that you don't have to stay and within the confines of what everyone has done before for it to still be equally. Right.
[00:45:25] Speaker A: 100%. So of course we can't talk about Mean Girls the musical without talking about the music.
Again. I'm not super. I was not super familiar with the music. I have had. I've seen the musical film. There's a few songs that stuck out to me. A few that I'm looking forward to.
Why is it that Janice is just like. The role of Janice is just a powerhouse. And I just want to give so much props to Alexis Moria. Moriaria. I'm gonna butcher that last name. I'm so sorry.
Mora. Alexis Mora. That's probably how you say it. But like, she Killed it. Like, there was. There was not a. There was not a song that. That Janice was not singing that was just not like, memorable. Top notch. One of the best songs of the show. And again, I think that goes back to Janice being kind of this narrative person, kind of it being part of her show. But who stood out to you in this production?
[00:46:24] Speaker B: I mean, echo everything that you just said. Janice is from a movie standpoint, from a stage standpoint, it's my favorite character in the show for sure. But the fact that her songs are just badass, right? Like everything about them, not just because the character is just this, like this, like gives no flying whatevers, but also the talent that it takes. And I was mentioning this last night, like, I've seen so many folks play this role and then go on to play other powerhouse roles. Similarly, in shows like others in shows like Wicked. Like, literally, you just see them one after the other other. Because the vocal skills that these particular songs take are so insane.
And it was super fun to watch Alexis perform these because, of course, we were relatively close to the stage and she really comes for a lot of the songs to the tip of the stage.
And as a vocalist, it was fun to kind of watch her effortlessly kind of change and shift through her vocal registers because just tapping in and out is clear Isabel. And a lot of the songs have like a powerhouse hold at the end of them, just holding that note forever and ever and ever.
Full power.
I mean, she probably could have lit up that theater without a microphone on. She was felting it.
So it definitely, yeah, I could go on forever. And she just like, she is the person that I would have. And once again, we talk about relatability. She is the person that I would have wanted to be friends with in high school. Like, she is that cool art kid. And honestly, I was. I did have friends, cool art friends.
So I definitely can relate on that level. But of course, you know, we have Whirl Burn, Everybody's. Everybody's Fave with Regina and the way they did that staging wise, very cool.
But yeah, I mean, those are probably the most notable songs for me, aside from, of course, Damien and his tap number.
[00:49:11] Speaker A: Because I was gonna get.
[00:49:12] Speaker B: So it's so out of place, but also exactly where it should be. But it's out of place regarding, like, oh, this is a very contemporary, you know, less than decade old music musical. And we're just. It's not even a little. It gives me Book of Mormon. Yes, it is. What's it called?
The light song. Light Bulb.
[00:49:40] Speaker A: I've only seen that. I've only seen that once.
[00:49:42] Speaker B: Turn it off. That's what it is. It is the equivalency to turn it off down to even kind of how the song comes to procton starting with him breaking into an ensemble and then coming back. So. Yeah. But have thought to that entire top numbers.
[00:50:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Joshua Morrissey did a fantastic job as Damian. Like there wasn't a song that he performed or a number he did that was just not like Chef's Kiss. It was like I love. I always love Damien, but like this was like this was a perfect Damien. What I love about the show is that everybody has a such a distinct way. Like their characterization in the songs have distinctness to them. Janice is very much that her I don't care attitude comes through with her music of just being like, you know, sticking the middle finger up to the world and like apex Predator. And Katie is very much like the cutesy girl next door. Don't know quite what I'm doing. Like, it's like traditional Rachel Berry vibes, you know.
And Regina is very sexy in the way she sings. It's kind of deep. It's kind of. It's kind of like, ooh. Like almost like Marilyn Monroe esque, but deeper than that, if that makes sense. Like you're just like you're trying to be the sexy queen of the school, you know, like there's. And then like Damien is very fun and he's very, you know, he's very powerful but very fun. And then you have Karen who is like fun but in a very like flighty way. And her music reflects it. Like everyone has such a distinct voice which sometimes when you have these musical numbers and shows, they sometimes sound the same, you know. Love, Hamilton. A lot of the numbers sound the same, you know, but everyone had such a distinct musical musicality to them that I thought was very interesting that you don't see in a lot of traditional musicals.
[00:51:29] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'll just give a shout out to Gretchen, Kristen.
[00:51:37] Speaker A: Christian, Amanda Smith, we love you.
[00:51:40] Speaker B: Yeah. Just also, I mean, even though her solos, they're relatively limited, the thing. I mean, her vocals were insane, but her acting was so on point even when you weren't paying attention to her.
The facial expressions and just. Yeah. Her maneuvering of that role. Because it is, as we know, it's a pivotal one.
But yeah. And just super, super fun to watch. So just shout out there.
[00:52:17] Speaker A: Absolutely.
So final question for you, sir. Rewatch ability.
Is this a show that you would go see again and again?
[00:52:27] Speaker B: I mean, as we know I've seen it before, and I did go see it again.
Truly, it's one of those ones where at this point, because I've seen it a few times, I know most exactly what to expect.
So I would say that I would go and see it every summer. It's not something that I feel like I need to see every single all the time, but it's entertaining enough that I feel like I would go see it if the opportunity arose.
[00:53:12] Speaker A: Absolutely. I think that it's one of those ones that I would enjoy more seeing with people that maybe who haven't seen it before to kind of get their reactions, to kind of get their feelings. But it's not one that I would probably seek out every single time it came into the city, but it's definitely one that I would probably every once in a while when you just want an enjoyable show that you don't have to think much about.
This is that kind of show, you know, you just kind of turn it on, you go to see it, you shut your mind off, you laugh, and then you walk away. Like, is it going to change the musical landscape? No. But is it going to be a fun time? Absolutely. And that's what theater is about.
[00:53:46] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, truly, if you're. If you're a Tina Fey fan, this is, as we know, she made it, she wrote it, she did all the things. This is for you.
[00:53:57] Speaker A: This is her baby.
So before we say, before we go real quick, we just want to give a thanks to Fifin for our headphones, which RJ is currently rocking.
We are going to be testing them and reviewing them and stuff like that, but we always appreciate our equipment upgrades and we're going to be working really close with them. So stay tuned for more information about them. And thank you for listening to another episode of the Cosmic Curtain, the official podcast of Cosmic Circus Broadway. If you're interested in finding us outside of our box seats, don't forget to, like, follow and subscribe to us, oxybabes or Cosmic Circus.
I'm Brian Kitson, and joining me, of course, is RJ Miller Zelenko.
So thank you so much. And until our next curtain call.
