‘Mean Girls: The Musical’ to Open at Paul Revere

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

Illumevate and Paul Revere Charter Middle School Personal Enrichment Program will present performances of “Mean Girls: The Musical” April 14 to 22.

The show, based on the 2004 Paramount Pictures film and subsequent tour, is directed by Lara Ganz, and produced by Julie Carlin and Rebecca Alvarez. It is choreographed by Rebecca Brancato Barragan, Mark Marchillo and Aaron Jung, and Nathan Heldman is the musical director.

“Come see Cady Heron navigate her way through the various cliques—Regina George and the Plastics, the Art Freaks and the Mathletes—at North Shore High School,” according to a synopsis of the show. “With its powerful story and musical score, ‘Mean Girls’ is an anthem to friendship, loyalty, girl power and being true to yourself.”

The cast includes more than 40 youth actors in sixth through eighth grade, who attend school in the Palisades and surrounding communities, as far away as Inglewood, Crenshaw and Pasadena, and have been working on the show since November 2022.

“The content of this show is so reflective of the lives of our young actors, they really understand the material on such a deep level,” Ganz shared with the Palisadian-Post. “This 2023 generation of middle schoolers is incredibly self-aware at such a young age.”

Ganz described their acting as “spot on for all the roles” because “they live through similar experiences and the resulting emotions every day,” sharing that pre-existing descriptions of student “types” at their respective schools have helped them connect to the character “quirks” of the fictional North Shore High.

“The material is complex and advanced for middle schoolers,” Ganz added. “However, I specifically chose this show because I knew I had the talent pool to portray these intense, angst-ridden, comical-yet-tender characters and reach the biggest notes of the challenging vocal score—thank you Ms. Cronin, PRMS choir teacher.”

Ganz, who also directs Theatre Palisades Youth, has worked with Paul Revere students since 2017.

“Understanding that middle school is such an impressionable time in children’s lives, and knowing how profoundly impactful these years are in terms of self-discovery, parents and teachers are always looking for ways to inspire our children to reach their highest levels of integrity and achievement,” Ganz said. “In an effort to help kids identify and process what they are experiencing socially at school, ‘Mean Girls’ was chosen to be the PEP Spring Musical.”

Standout moments in the show include the musical numbers, which Gan described as “poignant and powerful,” including the opening number, “Where Do You Belong?” and “Apex Predator.” She shared that “Whose House Is This?” is a “big fun dance party number,” with “incredible, explosive performances” given by the actors playing the role of Kevin G.

All performances will take place in the Paul Revere Auditorium, located at 1450 Allenford Avenue. Shows will take place April 14 at 7 p.m.; April 15 at 5 p.m.; April 16 at 2 p.m., April 20 at 3 p.m.; April 21 at 7 p.m.; and April 22 at 12 and 4 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit illumevate.ticketspice.com/mean-girls.