When she was 10 years old, Maya Petropoulos played the mean aunt in James and the Giant Peach. And although she says she’ll play any type of character today, she’s apparently retained the ability to be a meanie on stage.
In the national tour of Mean Girls brought to Houston by Theatre Under the Stars, Petropoulos plays the meanest of the mean: Regina George, leader of a trio of girls known to be manipulative and cruel to fellow students.
The musical version of Mean Girls (2017) was based on the wildly successful 2004 movie of the same name. In both cases Tina Fey wrote the script based on the 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman.
It tells the story of Cady Heron who moves to a Chicago suburb from Africa in 2019 and rapidly encounters a less than welcoming atmosphere in the school. She accepts an invitation to eat lunch with “The Plastics” composed of Regina, Gretchen and Karen but is betrayed by Regina when she discloses that she likes a particular boy.
Without discounting the negative aspects of her character and the bad things she does, Petropoulos also points out the good and is understanding of what she does. “She is very strong. She’s just a kid at the end of the day. She doesn’t wait for things to happen., she makes things happen.
“I think the theme of that show is that everyone in that show can do better. Realizing that people you don’t like are still people too and you don’t have to like everyone. You don’t have to be besties with everyone but you should be kind to everyone.”
Petropoulos first acted in a musical when she was in first grade. It was Babes in Toyland which she calls “not super exciting for a 6 year old.” She grew up in Detroit and it wasn’t until she was in middle school that she became caught up in theater which lasted through high school and college at Montclair State University in New Jersey where she studied musical theater. In fact, she was still a senior there when she auditioned and got the part in the national tour of Mean Girls.
Other cast members include: Katie Yeomans as Cady Heron, Kristen Amanda Smith as Gretchen Wieners, MaryRose Brendel as Karen Smith, Alexys Morera as Janis Sarkisian, Joshua Morrisey as Damian Hubbard, José Raúl as Aaron Samuels, Kabir Gandhi as Kevin G, Kristen Seggio as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George and Tym Brown as Mr. Duvall.
“[The musical] is all the one-liners and the plot you know and love, but it’s so amplified by such an intense score and such electric dancing,” she says. “It makes the story pop and shine so much more and it’s so in your face. You can’t look away. It’s so loud and it’s so proud.”
There are 20 quick costume changes during the show, she says. “It’s really nuts back there. The costumes do bring a lot of chaos to the show. There’s a lot of moving parts,” she adds, laughing.
Asked if she had ever encountered anything in her high school days ike the premise of Mean Girls Petropoulos replies : “Not really because in high school I was very career-focused.I was very much involved in the theater program in my school and it was pretty much my entire life. So I didn’t really have the most lively social life,
“You know girls can be mean; I’ve dealt with that kind of behavior. But I never really had a Regina in my life. I definitely had some interesting dynamics with girls of that age. Coming into our own and realizing that things are changing and they’re changing fast and deciding how you’re going to deal with that and how you’re going to treat other people.”
“The thing I love about the show is it is so extremely diverse. There’s so many communities represented in our show. And I think it’s really important for young kids to see that. If I was able to see casts like this when I was a kid it would have changed a lot for me.
” I just think the show is so much fun. It’s such a feel good piece and it’s such an easy casual feeling especially for families too. The story is timely but it’s also timeless.”
Performances are scheduled for January 28 thorough February 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays through February 9 at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information call 713-558-8887 or visit tuts.com. $34.50 to $148.50.
