MEAN GIRLS take over Nutley High
Dozens of students from the Performing Arts program took part in the spring musical, Mean Girls, on March 7, 8, and 9, 2025.
The high school foyer was decorated with many items and paintings that resembled various items in Mean Girls, like the infamous burn book, headshots of the cast with quotes from their characters, and pink streamers, which reflected the desired atmosphere for the play before it had even started.
Once everyone was seated for the performance, the real great things started to happen. The audience was introduced to Cady Heron, who was played by senior Isabella Dimasi. Dimasi was an outstanding Cady as she expertly portrayed her character's transition from the stereotypical nerd to another Plastic. She was also able to consistently sing well throughout the show, even with constant singing and talking that took place throughout the play.
Another outstanding performer was senior Sophie Seckler, who played the character we all know and fear, Regina George. Seckler gave justice to the iconic song “World Burn,” and her facial expressions and body language throughout the song really established her role as the manipulative, socially intelligent, and powerful leader Regina George. Her take on Regina was great, and it made the show more enjoyable.
The set also had many amazing props, and the most noticeable was the projections that were projected onto the back of the auditorium's stage. The projections would change according to the scene in the play, which was efficient for the set crew as well as being more adaptive to different scenes, which made understanding the settings easier.
Cast members had a difficult time knowing that Sunday’s performance was their last. Sophomore Bethany Duffy, who played Lizzie Therman, said how even with the happiness of the show, taking her final bow was difficult: “Although I was so proud of everything we put into our performance each and every night, knowing that the show came to an end was a hard pill to swallow.” Even with all the bad feelings, Duffy still made many good memories and bonds that she’ll take with her from the show: “The most important thing I took away from this show was the memories we made as a cast. I am especially grateful for the new friendships I made, and the ones that grew, because of this show,” Duffy said.
Another cast member Makayla Albert, who played Karen Smith, was worried about how the outcome of the performance would go, but was ultimately proud. “I was honestly so proud of the way the show came together. Obviously we were all nervous to first perform it for everyone, considering it’s such a popular and well-known show, but in the end it came together in the best way possible,” Albert said. As well as Duffy, Albert also had memories that evolved around new friendships made from making the show, “We were always goofing around and having a good time, and we came up with so many jokes and made so many memories,” said Albert.
