Cape Elizabeth’s Mean Girls High School version. courtesy photo/ Christine Marshall
CAPE ELIZABETH — Cape Elizabeth High School Theater presents, “Mean Girls-High School Version.” The musical adaptation of the 2004 film, with a book by Tina Fey, will take center stage at Cape Elizabeth High School.
The show runs from Thursday to Sunday, Nov. 16-19, with evening performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m., as well as matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Christine Marshall, theater teacher at Cape Elizabeth High School, said the production offers a fresh twist on the classic story, maintaining the essence of the original while making it suitable for a younger audience.
“Mean Girls is a musical that is in constant, swirling motion, much like high school can feel,” Marshall said. “It’s really ingeniously constructed. Our spin on the show is what I consider a hallmark of our great theatre program at CEHS: characters grounded in reality, not so broadly played that we can’t recognize ourselves in them. Our student actors are so smart and nuanced, you can’t help but feel for each character, and our ensemble is defined by the recognition that every role matters.”
Marshall said the incorporation of projections into the show enhances the storytelling and offers students an opportunity to explore important theater technology.
“Our crew is incorporating projections into this show, where the graphics and images, unlike those seen so often in musicals nowadays as filler and flash, genuinely carry the story along” said Marshall. “They are an integral part of the storytelling. It’s challenging and fun, and an important technology for theatre students to explore. We’re pretty excited.”
Marshall said Fey’s creative approach allows schools to choose between original lines and alternate options for certain moments, giving them the flexibility to cater to their unique audiences.
“Performing ‘Mean Girls’ has been a dream for our students since it first played on Broadway,” Marshall said. “Its themes of the celebration of individuality, of compassion over competitiveness, and staying true to oneself are terrific. Plus, the characters are positively iconic.”
The storyline of “Mean Girls-High School Version” revolves around Cady Heron, who transitions from studying wildlife on the African savanna to navigating an American high school.
“Regina and the Plastics, Gretchen, and Karen are as delightfully awful as ever in this version,” Marshall said. “Their relationships to each other, and to the students they gaze down at from their thrones are familiar to anyone who’s had a Queen Bee in their midst. They have a code of behavior for themselves and others and speak coded language. Cady struggles to keep up with it all and causes trouble just by asking “Why?”
The central characters, including Regina George and her minions, are portrayed with the same qualities in this high school adaptation. Marshall said themes of friendship, love, popularity, and staying true to oneself are woven throughout the production, offering a message that resonates with the high school experience.
Cape Elizabeth high school theater Mean Girls rehearsal courtesy photo/ Christine Marshall
Marshall said the cast and crew of Cape Elizabeth High School Theatre have “poured their hearts” into the production, with a special mention of the senior class who have faced unique challenges during their high school years.
“This production could not have come to us at a better time,” Marshall said. “Our senior class in particular has an astonishing depth of vocal skill, and this play is a great fit for these folks, who have worked so hard, entering high school during a pandemic, and performing their first shows fully masked. They deserve the joy it offers. They earned it.”
Looking ahead, Cape Elizabeth High School Theater has a schedule of productions and events, including a one-act show in March, the Maine premiere of “John Proctor Is The Villain” in the spring, improv and sketch comedy performances, a Night of Song in April, and the annual spring CE Tonight Talk Show in June.
Tickets are available for $15 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and can be purchased at the door or in advance. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit showtix4u.com/events/capetheater.
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