‘Mean Girls’ Musical Gives Pink a Wink

Through May 17, City Springs Theatre Company’s production of “Mean Girls” is a backpack full of song and dance in living pink punches and relevancy for those over 13.

We may never wear the color pink again without the consciousness of what it means in the context of being a high schooler.. Now playing at the City Springs Byers Theatre in Sandy Springs, “Mean Girls,” the regional premiere, is a rollicking, frolicking, heart-welling, upending musical adapted from the original screenplay and movie by Tina Fey.

Getting past the bubblegum aura and tight-fitting clothes reminiscent of a Manhattan workout gym, “Mean Girls” addresses some very keen issues woven into the short skirts of our society today — as we preach kindness to children and have a greater awareness of bullying, fat-shaming, gender issues, and how we treat “the other.”

City Springs once again nails the production quality of a five-ring circus. “Mean Girls” is entertainment on steroids. The stage transforms perhaps 50 times — with a flick of a light, the adjustment of a desk, a bus wreck, a glamorous bedroom, all evolve in seconds. The topsy-turvy set arrangement that City Springs does perhaps better than Broadway makes a five-second classroom change become something other-worldly. This does not distract from the heartbeat, the front-and-center story of teenage angst that has been there for decades but is more relevant now because of social media and more modern psychological molds.

Baby boomers faced some of the same issues in high school, but with less perfect bodies and less ability to talk about it. Who’s popular, who’s in, who’s out, gossip, cool boys, acting smart, not acting smart, pulling away from your mother to show independence, backstabbing. The real quality of friendship is not new. Perhaps the most redeeming quality of “Mean Girls” is its ability to right oneself, apologize, and chart a better path.

Most effective are the two truth-tellers who narrate the play and also have their own hearts on the line. Audience members may ponder, “What group was I in? Nerd? Was I a Plastic? — a materialistic, empty shell? Was I willing to show how smart I am? How would I treat an outsider?”

“Mean Girls” is not mean — it’s just pretty honest, piled on top of somersaults, dazzling dance scenes, and very talented voices. (And again — who has bodies like that?)

The denouement echoes Tom Wolfe’s book, “I Am Charlotte Simmons,” about a high school prodigy who goes off to college and is negatively influenced by her surroundings. Wolfe scientifically traces this to monkeys observed in studies where females become derailed when placed in a cage with promiscuous females. “Mean Girls” is not about promiscuity per se, but the influence of others as it relates to our true selves — or how we see that vs. the lengths we will go to impress others and blend in.

High school freshman Jordan Lazarus (in the audience) was enthralled by the play and is something of an expert having seen the movie. She explained, “The movie was done at a slower pace, and there were more details in the movie. The play kept me entertained and had more scenes. I don’t see much of this behavior at my school — sometimes newcomers sit at our lunch table, and we always welcome them.”

Levi Price, a high school sophomore, related, “’Mean Girls’ was actually really funny and way more entertaining than I expected. The music, jokes, and drama made it a really fun show to see.”

Bottom line:: whether you think like a teenager or not, this production is more fun than a room full of kittens, and gives us ample room for empathy, redemption, and toe-tapping Santa Clauses. Now get out the dictionary and discern what “fetch” really means.

www.CitySpringsTheatre.com