Entertaining, edgy and timeless: North Canton Playhouse presents 'Mean Girls' musical

NORTH CANTON − High school students rehearsed a scene for "Mean Girls" the musical with verve, personality and purpose.

Filling the stage with song and lunch tray-toting choreography, the North Canton Playhouse cast surrounded Lukas Cinko, who portrayed Damian Hubbard while infectiously belting out the chorus of "Where Do You Belong?"

Labeling and describing the assorted high school cliques − Plastics, Sexually Active Band Geeks, Burnouts, Varsity Jocks and others − Cinko left no doubt that while the musical based on the 2004 film has been updated for the social media age, the fundamental themes of "Mean Girls" remain relevant.

Set at a suburban Illinois high school, the musical tells the story of Cady Heron, a new student who grew up in Africa and is desperate to make friends and fit into the high school social hierarchy. Navigating the pitfalls of becoming popular, she learns the value of true friendship.

"Mean Girls" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday before repeating at those same weekend times June 9-11. The shows will be at 525 7th St. NE on the main stage of North Canton Playhouse at Hoover High School.

Tickets, $15, are available online at https://www.northcantonplayhouse.com/shows. North Canton Playhouse also can be reached at 330-494-1613.

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'It's pretty much the full version they have on Broadway.'

Directors and cast members admitted the mainstream teen movie isn't a natural candidate for traditional theatre. But tweaks, narration and the inclusion of song and dance have turned "Mean Girls" into a Broadway success now available for high school and youth theatre productions.

"It's pretty much the full version they have on Broadway," said Tyler Jensen, co-director of the North Canton Playhouse version.

"I think it's fun," he said. "Just taking those school stereotypes and kind of exaggerating them and putting them on stage."

Musical is faithful to the movie, including mature content

"Mean Girls" the musical is faithful to the movie, including mature language and content, said Mindy Whitesmith, co-director.

"It's very bold," said Whitesmith, a 2001 Perry High School graduate and former choir director at Hoover High School. "It's in your face as opposed to other musicals that may have more innuendo."

The original movie is rated PG-13, and the Broadway production of "Mean Girls" is recommended for ages 10 and older.

Plot themes still echo familiar regardless of when audience members graduated from high school, Whitesmith said.

"The issues don't change," she said.

"Mean Girls' message at the end is what's so important," Whitesmith said. "Being true to yourself, being who you are, and the journey of finding who you are."

Although "Mean Girls" is ridiculously funny, Jensen said the musical is also about "just being kind to each other" and finding value in others despite your differences.

"We're all stars," he said, referring to the title of one of the show's songs.

'Perfect example of truth in comedy'

Cast members either were not born or are too young to remember when "Mean Girls," starring Lindsay Lohan, was released in movie theaters.

Cinko said "Mean Girls" is a classic teen movie ingrained in pop culture. Discovered by modern youth, the film transcends generations, similar to "Clueless" and "Heathers," said Cinko, a recent Archbishop Hoban High School graduate and 2023 Playhouse Square Dazzle Award nominee for best actor for his leading role in a production of "Footloose."

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"Mean Girls" features about 40 cast members, including students from Hoover, Jackson and GlenOak high schools, as well as from outside Stark County. Auditions drew 70 to 80 young adults.

Leading cast members include Jordyn Freetage, a student at Jackson School for the Arts.

Comedy and hilarity in the script don't obscure the unifying aspects of "Mean Girls," said Freetage, who starred in the 2022 world premiere of the musical "LAND OF OZ" at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights.

"I feel like this musical is the perfect example of truth in comedy," she said. "It seems like a parody at first, but it really is so real for so many people.

"I think the message is, where there may be people you don't like, it doesn't mean they're not people like you," said Freetage, who plays the role of Janis Ian. "We're all a lot more similar than you think, and when you open up to see that, (the world's) a little happier

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: From movie to musical: 'Mean Girls' story still relevant to teens