Laura and Samara spend their days as non-profit unicorns and fill every spare minute exploring the world of musical theatre as BFFs (that’s Broadway Friends Forever). Follow @bffs613 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Broadway musical Mean Girls is coming to the National Arts Centre from October 18 to 23. Based on the iconic movie of the same name and penned by the incomparable Tina Fey, this is no regular musical, it’s a cool musical. The story follows newbie Cady Heron as she takes on the trio The Plastics, lead by ferocious Queen Bee Regina George. Turns out, high school is vicious and it’s not easy to rise to the top. Above all a story about friendship, kindness, and being true to who you are, Mean Girlsis a treat for movie fans and theatregoers alike.
The BFFs got to chat with Morgan Ashley Bryant, who plays beloved member of The Plastics, Karen Smith.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Apt613: What can fans of the movie expect from the stage adaption of Mean Girls?
They can definitely expect a healthy balance of stuff from the movie and a lot of new stuff that’s unique and specific to the show that people might not expect to be in there. The addition of all the songs obviously—no characters break into song in the original movie. People will enjoy hearing the different style of singing that’s happening to show the way characters are broken down into cliques and groups. There are a few lines [from the movie] that I’ve heard people say they were wishing are in the show—I won’t share which ones—but hopefully you will see yours in the show.
Apt613: There are countless iconic moments from the original movie that fans know and love—how do audiences react when some of these moments happen on stage?
We have lots of spontaneous applause with certain lines, which we love. We have had a lot of people talk back from the audience—I find it fun. My personal favourite is audiences will cheer for certain characters, like Regina George’s mom [played iconically by Amy Poehler in the movie] and it’s like your favourite sitcom guest just appeared—she just walked in, but people know and respond. Some [moments] we expect it will be a thing and pause for laughter—but some lines you don’t expect it and you realize you’re funny, which is nice! It’s interesting too, because different audiences across the various cities we’ve played in have reacted differently.
English Bernhardt (Cady Heron), Jasmine Rogers (Gretchen Wieners), Nadina Hassan (Regina George), and Morgan Ashley Bryant (Karen Smith). Photo: Jenny Anderson.
Apt613: Karen is a beloved character. Is it hard to separate how you approach the role compared to the movie or even the original Broadway cast?
Karen was interesting for me, because my first interaction with the role was seeing it on Broadway. I understudied Karen in the touring cast and watched our Karen. So through watching those two women making their role their own, I got the sense of knowing how everyone knows who Karen is and who she’s supposed to be, and how she affects the plot of this show as opposed to the movie, and so I felt safe to bring my own experience and what feels most natural to me in the role. I am the first black women who has been cast as a full-time Karen, so I asked myself: what do I do with this? What works for one person, no matter their skin colour, might not work for another person, so I took a lot of experiences from people I know, like my mom and my sister. They’re not dumb at all, of course [laughs], but they are extremely girly and their mannerisms are different from mine—I’m more slouchy [laughs again]. When they came to see the show it didn’t even register for them right away that I was exaggerating a lot of their mannerisms.
Apt613: The show looks like an absolute blast! What has been your favourite thing about being a part of this production?
That’s hard. I have two different perspectives because I did a year in the ensemble before doing Karen. In ensemble it was so rewarding because it’s very hard—you’re doing it all, dancing, acting, singing—but once you’ve got the hang of it, you’re like yeah, I did that! The touring cast is so kind and fun, and as Karen it’s always exciting to hear from audience members saying they never thought they could see someone who looks like me in this role. This is the greater good right here. You can just be you. It’s still a novelty to see a person of colour playing a role like this that’s for fun. Usually they’re heavy, dark material—which are stories that need to be told—but it’s nice to just be the comedic relief and is a joy to play. It’s very important to see as well.
Get your favourite pink ensemble ready and grab your tickets now to get a peek inside the battle to reign supreme at North Shore High. It’s sure to be a funny and joyful ride with great songs and a heartwarming message. I mean, it’s going to be totally fetch.
Mean Girls takes place from October 18 to 23 at the National Arts Centre. Evening performances are at 8pm except Sundays at 7:30pm. Matinees are on Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 1pm. The show runs two and a half hours with an intermission.
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