BroadwayWorld: Paramount Theatre presents the Chicago area premiere of MEAN GIRLS, the hit musical based on the beloved film, in a fresh, Gen-Z take set in 2026. Directed by Devon Hayakawa, the production leans into everything that makes the show fierce, campy, bright, satirical, and surprisingly honest, while introducing a newly revised version of the script to Chicagoland audiences.
3 comments:
As someone who has been to the Paramount and has a lot of connections to designers and production people who work there, it's awesome to see the inside scoop on how the directing works. Especially seeing how the directing process changes in the show and how directors approach it. As a designer who's observed productions and worked primarily on them, I haven't seen the director in the beginning phases of the show just due to the nature of my high school theatre. I also though that how they choose a show to appeal to the audience, how they at least claimed to refresh it for Gen Z audiences, and how that impacted their choice of director and maybe even the location. I also hope this will bring more refreshes to the Chicago area and help diversify some of the choices made by other theatres in the area. Personally, as a production staff member, I've worked on a lot of movie musicals in the Chicagoland area for community theatres, and frankly it got a bit stale. Hopefully they get inspired by Paramount's choices.
I had the fortunate opportunity to design the lighting for a production of Mean Girls this summer. The production opened the day I moved into Carnegie Mellon, so I feel I have a recent and deep connection with this show. Personally, I was not aware of the depth of the production until I worked on it. I knew it from the movie and from snippets of the Broadway soundtrack. The director of the Paramount Theatre’s production encapsulates the show's core in their messaging. The show is, surprisingly, deeply honest - particularly for my generation - but also incredibly fun and joyous. For a lover of musical theatre, this show is no doubt a joy. Design-wise, this show is a beast; Janis and Damin take us to a variety of locations. The Broadway production made extensive use of video and media design to achieve the locations, and I find it deeply interesting to see how designers interpret and adapt it into their own effective versions.
Mean Girls the Musical! That is a musical I really loved back in high school!! Especially the movie, which is such a classic. I remember I was so excited when it first got released. The cast album even came out on my birthday! I still remember that afternoon coming home from school, on the transit in the hot summer weather, clicking into the album full of excitement and loving the music. I was never able to see the show in person though. But I really liked the Broadway cast album and I wish I could see it live someday. Now it is getting its Chicago area premiere at Paramount Theatre in Aurora! Not that I can fly out there just to see it. But a show getting regional productions means it will eventually reach a theatre near me, so I feel like I am one step closer to seeing it.
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