This May, the Mean Girls Musical is set to come to the stage at Portsmouth High School. The cast list was announced over break and this past Tuesday, the cast had their first rehearsal. 

The director, Katherine Reis, as well as all of the cast members, are super excited to be starting rehearsals and stoked to see this show come to life. 

According to Reis, all of the cast members sang, danced, and acted well during their auditions. She has high hopes for the show and is most excited to see all of the “contemporary” and “wild” dancing that the musical has to offer. Reis believes that the show “is going to be really special from the performance end.” 

The cast members are excited to dive into their characters and spend time with each other. Many members of the cast are seniors, so they are making sure they cherish every moment and want their final show to be a memorable one. 

Senior Kira Bailey, who will be playing Cady, one of the leads in the show, is most looking forward to “working with all [her] talented friends and hopefully, putting on a fun show for the rest of the school and community to see.” 

One of her co-stars, Nick Tavares, who is playing Damian, another lead in the show, is most excited to see “everyone’s take on the iconic characters.” 

Both Reis and the cast hope that a lot of people come to see the show and are able to relate to it, as well as find the humor in it. 

Briar MacDonald, who is playing Regina, the lead mean girl, “hope(s) to create a positive, exciting atmosphere for everyone in the cast or attending the show.”

The Mean Girls Musical came out in 2018 and its rights have only ever been available to high schools. Reis says that this is because it is a show about high school. She says that the show “tells an important message about bullying” and “at its core has a really nice message about how important it is to be kind to people.” 

Reis thinks Mean Girls is a perfect high school production because “it has a really nice moral, but it’s also a really fun show with a lot of fun singing and dancing.” 

Since the musical is relatively new and in high demand, it took a while for Portsmouth High School to get the rights for the show, but they eventually did. 

The dates of the musical are Thursday May 4th at 7:00pm, Friday May 5th at 7:00pm, and Sunday May 7th at 2:00pm. Come and support Portsmouth High School Theater! 

What is Mean Girls about?

Mean Girls follows the journey of Cady, a high school girl who just moved to the United States from Africa, as she navigates what high school is like in the US and learns how to be an individual. She learns about all the high school clicks and tries to find a place where she belongs.

Eventually, Cady ends up becoming friends with three girls, who are referred to as “the plastics.” These girls are fake and mean, and are led by Regina George. Cady joins their group and inevitably becomes a mean girl herself. 

Mean Girls is a “widely relatable story” about a teenage girl learning how to be an individual and staying true to herself. 

Cast List 

REGINA – Briar MacDonald

JANIS – Shea O’Keefe

DAMIAN – Nick Tavares

CADY – Kira Bailey

GRETCHEN – Nina Little

KAREN – Charlotte McVeigh

AARON SAMUELS – Max Cavanaugh

KEVIN G. – Logan Reis

NORBURY – Lilly Hirsch

MRS. GEORGE – Ella Jorgensen

CAITLYN CAUSSIN – AVA PUGLISI

DUVALL – Ranger Ledoux

MRS. HERON – Kerris Parkington

TAYLOR WEDDELL – Emerson Rosato

RACHEL HAMILTON – Pearl Hoekstra-Toste

SONJA ACQUINO – Marley Lake

FRENCH TEACHER – Hugh Gatchell

DAWN SCHWEITZER – Olivia Annunziata-Blaisdell

COACH CARR – Aaron Gonzalez

LIZZIE THERMAN – Sophie Cosgrove

JASON W. – Caruso Tucker

SHANE OMAN – Sulley Otis

GLENN COCCO –  Alyssa Duma

SOPHIE K. – Ava Leslie

GRACE A. – Maddie Tauber

TYLER K. – Charlie Thomas

MARTIN J. – Hugh Gatchell

CHRISTIAN WIGGINS – Noelle Gagnon

HERON – Aaron Gonzalez

TEARY GIRL – Alyssa Dumas

MATHLETES MODERATOR – Lydia Gawron (#19)

MARYMOUNT CAPTAIN – Ava Puglisi

MARYMOUNT 1 (CAROLINE KRAFFT) – SOPHIE COSGROVE

MARYMOUNT 2 – Evie Thibeault

MARYMOUNT 3 – Skye Turrietta