Subtitle Mean Girls [PORTABLE]
Produced by Lorne Michaels, Stuart Thompson, Sonia Friedman, and Paramount Pictures, MEAN GIRLS gets to the hilarious heart of what it means to be a true friend, a worthy nemesis, and above all, a human being.
subtitle mean girls
Playwright Jocelyn Bioh long wanted to name her 2017 work about the social interworkings of young women in Ghana simply "School Girls." But it wasn't until she added the subtitle, "African Mean Girls Play," that she fully nailed what she was doing.In full display in a rollicking performance at Bethesda's Round House Theatre, Bioh brings all the elements of what's been associated with Tina Fey's movie and subsequent musical; or popular movies from "Clueless" to "Heathers" - all in the distinctive Ghanian accent.The year is 1986 and the school is atwitter about the impending Miss Ghana competition, which this Queen Bee, Paulina (the splendid Kashayna Johnson) is confident in taking. She makes her orbit believe she's the best candidate as well.Each of them may be wearing identical school uniforms, but in Nicole A. Watson's direction, they each flourish into their own personalities, particularly Jade Jones' proud Nana, Debora Crabbe and Moriamo Temidayo Akibu's comic cousins, and Awa Sal Secka's skeptical Ama.
So what is largely a hugely enjoyable ride from an widely talented cast is girded by some significant and relevant issues as well.One caveat is that at a time when casting is increasingly becoming colorblind, casting here was not just based on color but shadings of color. Likewise the mean body shaming of the Nana character seemingly necessitated casting based on size. But I suppose these are additional issues to consider arising from Bioh's provocative writing.The Round House's production of "School Girls" is one of 10 being mounted in regional theaters this fall after a successful off-Broadway run. But one could hardly imagine a better treatment, from the vivid and compelling cast to the accurate, yet colorful African cafeteria set by Paige Hathaway.That it comes with the grand reopening of the theater, bringing the audience closer to the stage, makes it a good reason for celebration.Running time: About 85 minutes, no intermission.Photo credit: C. Stanley Photography.
Cady throws a house party while her parents are away, and drunkenly admits to Aaron that she has been deliberately failing math class to make him help her, but he rebukes her for becoming as manipulative and image-obsessed as Regina. Janis and Damian confront Cady for lying to them about the party and remaking herself in Regina's image. Cady accuses Janis of being in love with her, and Janis declares her a "mean girl" and renounces their friendship.
Realizing Cady's betrayal, Regina retaliates by distributing the contents of the Burn Book throughout school, inciting chaos among the girls of the junior class. She avoids suspicion by inserting insults about herself, and blame is placed on Cady, Gretchen, and Karen. To restore order, Principal Duvall and math teacher Ms. Norbury gather the female junior students in the gym to apologize to each other. Regina insults Janis' sexuality, prompting Janis to reveal her entire plan to destroy Regina's reputation as the students cheer. Regina storms out, pursued by an apologetic Cady, and is struck by a school bus, fracturing her spine.
When Ms. Norbury is investigated as a drug dealer due to comments Cady wrote in the burn book, Cady takes full blame for the book. She is shunned by her peers and distrusted by her own parents, but gradually returns to her old self. She joins the school Mathletes at the state finals, answering the tiebreaker correctly and winning the championship. The team arrives at the Spring Fling dance, where Cady is elected queen, but declares that all her classmates are wonderful in their own way, snapping the plastic tiara and distributing the pieces to other girls in the crowd, including Janis, Gretchen, and Regina. She rekindles her friendship with Janis and Damian, makes up with Aaron, and reaches a truce with the Plastics.
Fey named many characters after real life friends. In a 2014 interview about the movie, she told Entertainment Weekly, "I tried to use real names in writing because it's just easier."[6] Main character Cady Heron was named after Fey's college roommate Cady Garey.[7] Damian was named after Fey's high school friend Damian Holbrook, who went on to become a writer for TV Guide.[8] Minor character Glenn Coco is named after a friend of Fey's older brother; the real Glenn Coco works as a film editor in Los Angeles.[6] Janis Ian was named after singer Janis Ian, who was one of the musical guests on the first Saturday Night Live episode, in which she sang the song "At Seventeen", which can be heard playing in the background when the girls are fighting at Regina's house.[9]
Lindsay Lohan first read for Regina George, but the casting team felt she was closer to what they were looking for in the actress who played Cady, and since Lohan feared the "mean girl" role would harm her reputation, she agreed to play the lead. Rachel McAdams was cast as Regina because Fey felt McAdams being "kind and polite" made her perfect for such an evil-spirited character. Amanda Seyfried also read for Regina, and the producers instead suggested her for Karen due to Seyfried's "spacey and daffy sense of humor". Both Lacey Chabert and Daniel Franzese were the last actors tested for their roles. Lizzy Caplan was at first considered too pretty for the part of Janis, for which director Mark Waters felt a "Kelly Osbourne-like actress" was necessary, but Caplan was picked for being able to portray raw emotion. Fey wrote two roles based on fellow SNL alumni, Amy Poehler (whom Fey thought the producers would not accept because of being too young to portray a teenager's mother) and Tim Meadows, and the cast ended up with a fourth veteran of the show, Ana Gasteyer.[9] Evan Rachel Wood was offered a role in the film, but turned it down.[10] Blake Lively did final tests for the role of Karen Smith but the producers decided to keep looking. Ashley Tisdale also auditioned for Gretchen Wieners.[11] Mary Elizabeth Winstead was asked to audition for the role of Gretchen Wieners, but her mom declined as she disliked the script.[12] Jonathan Bennett was a last-minute cast replacement after the actor originally slated to play Aaron Samuels got fired. James Franco had previously been considered for that role as well.[13] Fey's decision to hire Bennett was due to his resemblance to her longtime SNL co-star Jimmy Fallon.[14]
On January 28, 2013, Fey confirmed that a musical adaptation of Mean Girls was in the works. Fey wrote the book of the show, 30 Rock composer and Fey's husband Jeff Richmond worked on the music, and Casey Nicholaw directed. Paramount was also involved.[102] The musical premiered at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. on October 31, 2017.[103] Mean Girls opened on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre, with previews beginning March 12, 2018, and opening on April 8, 2018.[104] On January 23, 2020, Tina Fey announced that a film adaptation of the Mean Girls musical was in active development. "I'm very excited to bring Mean Girls back to the big screen. It's been incredibly gratifying to see how much the movie and the musical have meant to audiences. I've spent sixteen years with these characters now. They are my Marvel Universe and I love them dearly," Fey said.[105] During the film's cast reunion on October 3, 2020, Fey shared that fans could be involved in casting actors for the new adaptation by sharing their dream cast on the project's website and be featured in the musical film's "burn book".[106]
School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play runs from June 15th-25th. Seats are limited, and available while supplies last. Student discounts and Pay What You Will tickets are available at every performance in 2022. Learn more or buy now at hangartheatre.org/event/school-girls-or-the-african-mean-girls-play/.
The Hangar thanks Premier Performance Sponsor Tompkins Trust Company, Mainstage Media Sponsor Cayuga Radio Group, and Media Sponsor Ithaca Times for helping to make this production possible. Additional show information can be found online at hangartheatre.org/event/school-girls-or-the-african-mean-girls-play/
Pay What You Will tickets are available for every performance in 2021! This program gives patrons the option to choose a ticket price within their means. The goal in this program is to give everyone in our community the opportunity to enjoy our exciting outdoor theatre this year. Seats must be reserved in advance. To learn more or reserve visit hangartheatre.org/ways
After The Burn Book is leaked and all the cliques have their own problems to sort, the Vietnamese girls have translations on screen, seen here. This is one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie, especially the "nigga please" line. However, watching it on Netflix today saw that the translation isn't on there anymore, whether close captioning is on or off
The plot centers around a girl named Cady Heron (Lohan), who's a new student at a high school that is socially dominated by "The Plastics", a clique of popular-but-cruel girls led by Regina George (McAdams). Cady's Cool Loser friends Janis and Damian persuade her to join Regina's Girl Posse for the purpose of spying on Regina. The plan works too well; before long, Cady ends up identifying with Regina's whole value system. There's lots of bitchy backstabbing, lots of lessons learned, and lots of funny situations along the way. Overall, it's something of a Lighter and Softer Spiritual Successor to the black comedy Heathers, especially given that the writer of that film and the director of this one are brothers.
The drama comes to a head with all the girls in the class being summoned to come together and quit picking on one another, at which point, they realize they are all being mean to one another. By the end of the movie, Cady helps the girls become a group of friends and helps them be true to themselves. 041b061a72
