When I started this process, I was thinking that the students had had several years of shows that were intended to include and support our elementary/middle school students and the community, as well as our high school cast, crew, and pit. Some comedic, some dramatic, all family-friendly, and all representing more classic pieces in the musical theatre repertoire. We have enjoyed so much putting on shows for all ages, but we thought it might be time for a modern piece that spoke more to this generation's musical tastes, dance styles, and that paid tribute to the universal experiences we all go through in middle and high school- the search for friends, a place to belong, popularity, self- respect, and enough confidence to break free of the process where we define ourselves more by the opinions of others than by our own ideas of who we want to be.
We found out along the way that Tina Fey, a Delaware County native and Upper Darby Summerstage alum, wrote a deceptively difficult show full of nuanced characters who play a range of emotions through an endless quantity of high-energy dance numbers and deliciously difficult vocal runs. There's a different energy to the 2017 musical than the original 2004 movie, but the iconic moments are still intact. What you don't expect is the complexity of the structure, the rolling scene changes, and the dependence on meaningful interchanges and scenic momentum that pushes us through this musical until the climax, where someone gets hit by a bus. : )
When I first saw and heard the show, I fell in love with the spirit of it, the sarcasm, the character development, and the idea of watching a really good kid make some really poor choices, because that can happen. As a teacher, I see it every day. Kids can go astray, choices can be made to impress the wrong people, and more times than not in our society, ego and individualism is prized above sensitivity and understanding. Our kids reflect the social structures we put in place and model for them, and like Cady, they sometimes see the world in terms of absolutes and stereotypes that get reinforced by TV, in movies, and online. Like Janis and Damian say in the beginning of the show, "Sometimes mean is what you are. Mean is easier than nice . . . would you resist temptation- no you would not." It happens, and sometimes mean is even rewarded, but what the musical does is take it all one step further to explore what is required for redemption. What do we have to do to step back from these behaviors and change our ways? Even Regina gets a redemption ending, a chance to talk it out and to admit that change has to happen to get out of the most destructive cycles in her life.
So we talked a lot about behaviors, reasons why people act, and how this stuff really is the "mean" - the average. It's what happens when you blend the best and worst of who you are, not some unusual fluke, something that only the bad people engage in, the irredeemable. They are, in fact, behaviors we all have to check and think about- that are more common and more pervasive than we realize.
We are so proud to bring our show to the 2025-26 PA State Thespian conference this year, where we hope our endeavors inspire the kind of sensitivity to others that would make this world a better place. The students have worked so hard, pushed their boundaries, and stretched so much to attack this mature show. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have, and that you remember, on a daily basis, to share your crown.
Enjoy,
Christina McGovern
