Dear Playhouse on the Square,

I recently saw your production of Mean Girls last Sunday. While I would like to say I enjoyed the show, I unfortunately cannot. There were several issues with the production that made it impossible to enjoy, and some issues so important that they need to be brought to your attention, especially the use of a Chick-fil-A to-go bag as a stage prop.

Really?

Given that company’s widely criticized history of supporting anti-LGBTQ causes, why in the world would you want to use them in your show? Was there no other fast-food bag you could have used? McDonald’s? Wendy’s? Burger King? Hell, even a generic brown paper bag would have worked. Seeing that prop placed front and center in a theatrical production was insulting. For a theater company with LGBTQ members on staff, one would have expected greater awareness of how that prop would land with our community. It wasn't just distracting; it was offensive. Had I not been trapped in the middle of the row, I would have gotten up and walked out.

And unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing wrong with the show. It’s just at the top of my issue list.

This was an ambitious attempt to bring life to yet another Broadway rehash of a movie that, in my opinion, didn’t need to be turned into a musical in the first place. That being said, the production simply didn’t live up to the hype of the movie or the thrill of seeing it on Broadway. From the time the curtain went up until it came back down, more than two hours later, the show was, unfortunately, a complete mess, I mean miss.

Besides the offensive prop, there were several technical issues throughout the show that were a huge distraction.

The most obvious was a microphone going out two songs into the production. The poor actor did his best to overcome the problem, but there is only so much an actor can do when the audience can’t hear him. Even from the fourth row, I found myself wondering, where is the sound tech? Why isn't someone fixing this?

Then there was the curtain drop at intermission. What was up with that? The actors left the stage, there was an awkward pause, and then the curtain finally came down. Most companies would drop the curtain and then bring up the house lights. Maybe this was an artistic choice. If it was, well, it was certainly an interesting one.

And while we’re discussing technical issues, could someone please remind the actors to find their spots and step into their light? We can’t see or hear the actors if they aren’t where they are supposed to be. Theater 101.

Now, as a theatergoer and someone who has founded their own theater company, I understand the importance of casting individuals in roles that best suit them, their talents, and the production itself. Unfortunately, this production missed the mark in several of its casting choices, especially with the leads.

The actress playing Cady frequently sang in a range that sounded much too high for her voice, making some of her songs difficult to listen to. Regina George appeared either tired or completely uninterested in what she was doing. Her performance was listless and lacked the commanding presence Regina needs.

Did she have somewhere else to be?

Then there was the love interest of both ladies. Here is a character who is supposed to attract the attention of two women who eventually seek to destroy each other, in part because of him. That's a lot of responsibility for one character. Unfortunately, I never understood what either woman was fighting over. His performance seemed to be phoned in. There was little energy, little excitement, and none of the appeal necessary to make that part of the story believable.

Which brings me to something I kept wondering throughout the entire production: Why were two of the most talented men in the show buried in the ensemble?

Karmeren Batty and B.K. King were two of the strongest performers on that stage. They were lively, engaged, smiling, and gave every spin, dip, and jump everything they had. Watching them, you would never have known they had been performing the show for the past week. Their energy was fresh, enthusiastic, and, quite frankly, drew my attention away from the leads more than once.

With much of the rest of the cast, unfortunately, you could tell they had been doing the show for a week.

And before I forget, this production also demonstrated exactly why trained dancers should be used in all dance numbers. There were several missed cues, missed steps, and missed turns. Watching actors looking at each other trying to figure out where they're supposed to be was a distraction and it made it feel like I was watching a rehearsal.

And I didn't buy a ticket to rehearsal!

And yet, that’s what it felt like I saw.

I get that things happen. Microphones fail. Actors miss cues. Someone steps out of their light. That's live theater, and anyone who has worked in theater understands that.

But when the microphones fail, actors consistently miss their light, choreography looks under-rehearsed, performances lack energy, and questionable casting choices affect the storytelling, those little issues add up to one very large problem, was this a professional theater production or a community theater attempt? This production was the latter.  Better luck next time.

Regretfully,

Audience Member