The weekend of March 9 to March 12, Chagrin Falls High School’s annual spring musical took place. This year, the drama club chose “Mean Girls,” a musical adaptation of Tina Fey’s 2004 cult classic. Directed by Dan Hendrock, music directed by Leo Zigmond, and choreographed by Amy Nally, the show had incredible audience turnout and enthusiastic reactions. 

The story follows Cady Heron, a new student at Northshore High School who transfers from Africa. She befriends Janis and Damian, who convince her to spy on the three most popular mean girls in school: the “Plastics.” Consisting of Regina George; the queen bee, Gretchen Weiners; the gossip, and Karen Smith; the “dumbest person you’ll ever meet.” Cady herself ends up inheriting their “mean girl” qualities. 

Senior Cara Myers, playing Cady Heron, loved the opportunity to play such a complex character. “I think it’s so fun to psychoanalyze everything about a person,” she said. “Theater gives me the opportunity to feel emotions that I don’t always feel on a daily basis.”

The show was not just an opportunity for the crowd to witness an amazing production, the cast also had an amazing time putting on the show. “My favorite part of the whole experience was when we finally got to perform the show for an audience,” said sophomore Frankie Ashkettle. “The energy from the crowd was amazing and gave everyone the adrenaline to put on a great performance.”

Ashkettle, who played Regina George’s comedic “cool mom,” also loved rehearsals and said that what makes her eager to participate every year is the people. “From cast to crew to directors, Chagrin’s musicals are top-notch, bringing in all types of students together to entertain. There’s so much talent and commitment in the people every year.”

Sophomore Lena Tucker, playing one of the Northshore High students, agreed, saying “My friends are truly one of the biggest reasons I go back. I love getting to hang out with people that I don’t see as often in school. I feel that through theater you really get to know people over really long hours.”

Myers noted that the biggest challenge throughout the show was building up her confidence. “I found myself getting really nervous over some of the notes I had to sing,” she said. “I realized I just needed to trust myself and my voice.”

Ultimately, Myers’s incredible performance was unforgettable. However, her favorite compliment was not about her performance, but her work ethic. “It’s easy for me to feel like I was just born with a talent in theater and that I don’t deserve the kind comments. But being given the reminder that I have put in a lot of work makes me feel really proud of myself.”

Ashkettle’s favorite compliment she received about her performance was from her mom. “She told me she couldn’t take her eyes off of me when I was on stage. My mom has always been my number 1 supporter and her kind words help me find confidence in my performance!”

Similarly, senior Maya Sutte, who played Gretchen Weiners, said the best compliment she received was when two girls singled her out and told her how much they loved the performance. “It meant a lot having two people I didn’t even know compliment the show because that means they genuinely liked it!”