Beck Center Presents a Commercial, Crowd-Pleasing ‘Mean Girls’

When attending a production at Beck Center for the Arts, you will get a sense of the type of performance you’re seeing based on whether the piece is being staged in the Senney Theater, a traditional, proscenium stage space with ample seating, or the Studio Theater, an intimate black box that seats far fewer patrons.

Staged in the Studio Theater are often lesser-known shows that employ smaller casts and thus attract smaller audiences, such as “Speech & Debate,” “Andy Warhol in Iran” and “The Robber Bridegroom.” Compare that to the last three professional shows staged in the Senney Theater, “Mean Girls,” “Spring Awakening” and “The SpongeBob Musical,” and you will see an obvious difference in marketability.

And it makes fiscal sense! A theater needs to move tickets, after all. There is value in staging hyper-commercial, crowd-pleasing shows, but this can also come at the expense of memorability and bearing, as is demonstrated in Beck’s latest production of “Mean Girls.”

Based on the popular 2004 film, the musical version of “Mean Girls” premiered on Broadway in 2018. It follows Cady Heron, a naive teenager who transfers to a cut-throat high school after being homeschooled her whole life in Kenya. Initially oblivious to social norms, two artsy outsiders, Janis and Damian, show Cady the ways of the public school hierarchy. Motivated by revenge, Cady’s two new friends convince her to infiltrate the “Plastics,” a popular clique consisting of the insecure but loyal Gretchen, a dimwitted but sweet Karen and their leader, the hyper-beautiful but cruel Regina.

The musical, with a book by Tina Fey, lyrics by Nell Benjamin and music by Jeff Richmond, was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, but didn’t manage to bring home any wins. It received mixed reviews from critics, as did the 2024 film adaptation of the musical. Is the show groundbreaking? Not at all, but it is campy, entertaining and fun, something that director Scott Spence embraces in the Beck production.

Welcoming audiences into the production are Janis and Damian, played by Blithe Pluger and Tyler J. Sanderlin, respectively. These characters are traditionally fan favorites, but Pluger and Sanderlin’s shared numbers felt somewhat underwhelming. Plunger’s depiction of the dark, sardonic Janice lacked bite and subsequently, humor. While Sanderline depicted the flamboyant, genial Damian with skill, he appeared much older than a high schooler, which was perhaps a disservice from his styling considering that Sanderline is currently a college student.

The introduction of Lindsey Ross as Cady Heron in the second number, “It Roars,” set a steadier tone for the show. Ross has a beautiful voice that consistently awed throughout the production. She gave Cady a proper girl-next-door likability and charm that made for an engaging watch. Portraying Cady’s love interest, Aaron, is a charming Max Larson.

Samyah Henry stuns in her entrance as the most notorious of the mean girls: Regina. Henry not only has the gorgeous looks and malicious personality to portray a convincing Regina, but her silky voice is an absolute pleasure. Portraying Regina’s ditsy crony Karen is an adorable Cassie Woodward. Gretchen, Regina’s self-conscious, doting follower, is played by Abigail Sanford, who has a great voice but also a magnetic stage presence that consistently draws eyes.

It’s worth noting that every actor mentioned thus far is a student of Oberlin College (as are the majority of the ensemble members), which helps give the show the youthful edge it requires. They are dressed in typical high schooler garb–with the exception of the Plastics, who fittingly wear skin-tight dresses and skirts a hair’s length away from being inappropriate–by costume designer Inda Blatch-Geib, and execute energetic, punchy choreography by Lauren Marousek. The song “Where Do You Belong?,” which features the cast dancing with cafeteria trays and rolling tables, is especially impressive.

Laura Carlson Tarantowski’s set design makes use of geometric shapes to create an interesting space that can easily transform between the plains of Kenya to a sixteen-year-old’s bedroom. These transformations are aided by rolling in and out set pieces, but Val Kozlenko’s projection design does much of the heavy lifting. Kozlenko’s place-setting projections, such as posters layered onto the proscenium arch or a cafeteria projected onto the back wall, add flavor and depth to the design. However, the projections become superfluous and distracting when they are used to supplement characters–the addition of a crown at the top of the stage during Regina’s numbers being just one such example.

The music and humor of the Broadway production were met with a rather lukewarm response. While these are elements that the talented performers of Beck’s production can’t rectify, they do pack their performances with plenty of energy and are aided by a rather superb orchestra under the musical direction of Bryan Bird.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with staging a more commercial show–it certainly fills seats, and in the case of Beck Center, it entertains. While the entertainment factor alone might not serve as enough to make for a lasting impression, it does provide for a fun–dare I say “fetch?”– night out.

“Mean Girls” runs through Aug. 9, 2026, at Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Ave, Lakewood. Tickets can be purchased by calling (216) 521-2540 or by visiting beckcenter.org, $18-46.