Another phenomenal show by the RHS New Players!
By Liza Williams
Regina George (Mary Ann Wright), Karen Smith, (Kelsey D’Alonzo), Gretchen Wieners (Ella DePalma), and Cady Heron (Julia Lebow) on stage. (Photographed by Stephanie Glazer)
The RHS New Players, followed another successful run of the student-directed New Players in Concert, with a spring production of Mean Girls the Musical. Based on Tina Fey’s hit 2004 film Mean Girls, the story follows Cady Heron as she leaves her life on an African savanna and gets her first taste of suburban America and public high school. After befriending outcasts Janis and Damian, they decide to take on “The Plastics,” a trio of lionized frenemies and rulers of North Shore High, led by the ruthless Regina George. As Cady begins to infiltrate the group, she finds herself caught in the throes of drama, romance, and her first taste of social popularity. Will she be able to survive her first year of high school and take down “The Plastics”?
This year’s show was directed by Alyssa Johnson, a math teacher at Ridgewood High School, marking her first time directing an RHS musical. When asked why she chose Mean Girls, she highlighted the immense female talent at RHS and the opportunity to showcase strong pop-rock vocal performances: “New Players hasn’t done a lot of contemporary shows in the past,” she explained, and “Since I loved the movie and enjoy upbeat shows, Mean Girls felt like the perfect choice.” Johnson is especially excited about the rehearsal process, seeing the cast develop their characters, and watching new technical elements like lighting bring the production to life. “One of my favorite moments is sitzprobe day, when we perform with the orchestra for the first time. It’s always a blast,” Johnson added.
Mean Girls is one of the most popular movies and musicals set in high school. As such, themes of bullying and cliques are prominent. When asked if she noticed these trends at Ridgewood High School or Ridgewood in general, Johnson noted that “Cliques exist everywhere, whether you’re a student or an adult. I’ve definitely heard people here complain about bullies. But I think our cast is doing a great job bringing the story to life in a way that uplifts the audience.”
Some of the cast and crew were asked the same question about the correlation between the themes of Mean Girls and RHS. When asked if Mean Girls reflects real-life high school experiences, opinions were mixed. Erin Harrington (Janis Sarkisian) remarked, “It’s not really a thing at RHS. The show is exaggerated, but that doesn’t mean these situations don’t happen elsewhere.” Caroline Schultz (Band Geek) added, “People should keep in mind that this show isn’t meant to scare people.” However, some students acknowledged the presence of social cliques. Izzy Esendir, Mean Girls’s stage manager, stated, “There are definitely cliques at RHS.” Carissa Austria (Lizzie) elaborated, “I think every school has social groups, but some have more of a hierarchy. Right now, I feel like the juniors ‘rule the school’ more than anyone else.”
The musical also features many recent or first-time New Players. Junior Joaquin Clark (Shane Omen) said that he decided to do Mean Girls because of previous experiences in New Players, stating that, “I had a lot of fun with Almost Maine and In Concert this year.” A few other cast members also decided to audition based on their experiences with this year’s New Players in Concert. Whether they are underclassmen or upperclassmen, New Players is open to anyone interested in trying theater.
The New Players production of Mean Girls: The Musical ran from March 20th to the 23rd to enthusiastic audiences and was the highlight of the season, until Much Ado About Nothing hit the stage on May 8th and like most New Players productions was a hit.