There are few movies more iconic and quintessentially 2000s than Mean Girls. Need a group costume for Halloween? Mean Girls. Need a funny and easily recognizable quote? Mean Girls. Need an excuse to wear pink? You guessed it, Mean Girls.
So there is no doubt that many people, performers and viewers alike, were thrilled to hear that it was the pick for this year’s musical.

Mean Girls is a hilarious, witty show with a touching twist as it follows Cady Heron, the new girl in town. Throughout the show, she will befriend, oppose, and again befriend characters such as Janis Sarkisian, the contrarian, and Regina George, mean girl extraordinaire.

“The characters are some of the most compelling parts of the show,” said senior Teagan Sharkey, who plays Cady Heron. If you know anything about the movie, you know that Cady’s character’s development is anything but linear.

And it’s not just Cady. Other characters are also shown in a lot more complexity, such as Regina. Emily Churak, who plays Regina, comments that although she plays an “intimidating,” “intense” and “larger-than-life character,” she also has had to “find a balance between [that] and also showing Regina’s humanity,” and it is this very balance that makes many characters in this show so interesting to watch.

Besides the lead actors, there are also many other things that make the show work.

“Pay attention to what’s going on in the background or off to the side,” Sharkey said. “There’s lots of fun little details that might help you guess what’s gonna happen later.”

Another “great thing about [the show] is how fast-paced it is,” Churak said. “There’s never a point in the show where I feel bored or like there’s nothing going on.”

Die-hard fans of the movie should know that the show is, at some points, “a bit different than the movie, but mostly true to the Broadway version,” Churak said.

Besides small changes in lines and certain scenes, “you [will] see and hear a lot more from other characters, like Janis,” Sharkey said, and that this will definitely affect the tone and focus of the story. However, although there are differences, the show captures the most important part of the movie, which is how it portrays being in high school.

“I really like playing a character that’s in high school,” Sharkey said, “and I think that the audience will like it, too, because it feels familiar and it’s something we all can relate to.”

If you are looking for a campy, fun, and relatable show, then check out CG’s production of Mean Girls, which will run from March 3-5 and 9-11.