By John D. Gonzalez
WKTV Contributing Writer
“Mean Girls” is such an iconic movie that just about everyone has seen it or has heard lines from the film without even knowing it.
That’s what makes it so much fun.
Everyone can relate.
Whether it’s flashbacks to high school days or even in your current work environment, “Mean Girls” draws you in.
“This show is so relatable because every single person can see themselves in this show,” said Ann Arbor native Nadina Hassan, who plays Regina George in the Broadway touring musical that stops June 21-26 at DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids.
“You don’t even have to be a girl. …You find somebody that you relate to, that you may have been in high school or knew somebody in high school or even in your workplace now, you recognize these behaviors.
“Everyone leaves connecting with one or more of the characters.”
“Mean Girls” is a hilarious hit musical from an award- winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey – yes, that Tina Fey, from hit movies and the “30 Rock” TV show, as well as composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”) and director Casey Nicolaw (“The Book of Mormon”).
It tells the story of Cady Heron, who grew up on the African savanna, but now has to adjust with life in suburban Illinois. She falls prey to a “trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung,” according to the show notes.
The hardest part for Cady is that she “has to navigate all these clicks,” Hassan said.
And her character is at the center of the “mean.”
“Regina is head of the Plastics and they basically rule the school….They are untouchables,” Hassan said. She is the “meanest of the mean girls.”
If you loved the movie, which was released in 2004 and starred Lindsay Lohan as Cady and Rachel McAdams as Regina, then you’ll love the musical, Hassan said.
All the classic lines from the movie “we keep in the show,” she added. “And we’ve updated things to include social media, which is a big part of our lives these days.”
Growing up in Ann Arbor, Hassan fell in love with theater while acting in productions at the Pioneer Theatre Guild and attending Skyline High School. After graduation she picked up her studies in theater performance at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, near Cleveland. She graduated in 2020.
“I’m glad I went away to college,” she said. Baldwin Wallace “is a small liberal arts university where you have no choice but to stay super focused. I feel I left college ready to take on this kind of job.”
She did some Regional theater, performing in “Tick, Tick… BOOM!” (Susan), “West Side Story” (Maria) and “Be More Chill” (Brooke).
But “Mean Girls” is her first major Broadway tour. She actually auditioned during the pandemic from her bedroom while in Ann Arbor.
She calls landing the gig “a dream come true.”
“I’m so lucky, I never expected this. It happened so fast,” Hassan said.
Her advice to those who are on the same path?
“I know it sounds cheesy, but doing material that you genuinely like performing makes all the difference,” she said. “It opens up a lot of creative avenues for you.”
Right now she loves being in her home state of Michigan where “Mean Girls” wraps up on Sunday at the Fischer Theatre in Detroit before heading to Grand Rapids.
Along with having family and friends come to almost every show, she was able to visit on her day off some of her favorite foodie places like Café Zola, Blank Slate Creamery and Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor.
“I brought back sandwiches for the cast,” she said.
It’s a great cast, she added, and people will enjoy the show.
“I can guarantee you will laugh, you will cry, and you will be cheering,” Hassan said. “It is the most fun you’ll have at a theater performance. It’s 2 ½ hours of straight joy. You will leave much happier than when you arrived.”
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
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