[MUSIC PLAYING]
[VIDEO PLAYBACK]
[MUSIC - JEFF RICHMOND, "REVENGE
 PARTY"]
- Wait, why don't I know you?
- Regina George is not cool.
She's a life ruiner.
ALL: [SINGING "REVENGE PARTY"]
- They want me to have
lunch with them all week.
ALL: [SINGING "REVENGE PARTY"]
It's so fetch.
[MUSIC - JEFF RICHMOND, "I SEE
 STARS"]
ALL: [SINGING "I SEE STARS"]
- Wow, are you trying to make
the rest of us feel dumb?
- I'm not trying to.
It's just happening.
ALL: [SINGING "I SEE STARS"]
- You can't sit with us.
- You are filled with lies.
- Whatever, I'm
getting cheese fries.
[END PLAYBACK]
JOEL NEWMAN: Can you
all join me in welcoming
the cast of "Mean Girls"
on Broadway to the stage?
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
[INAUDIBLE]
KATE ROCKWELL: Hi, guys.
RENEÉ RAPP: Hi.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Hello.
KATE ROCKWELL: Yo.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Hey.
Hi, everyone.
JOEL NEWMAN: Welcome.
Awesome.
Hey, everybody.
My name is Joel Newman.
As I mentioned
before, we're here
with the cast of "Mean
Girls" on Broadway.
So before we get started,
for those of you who
haven't seen the film, let
me give you a quick recap
of the film and the play.
So unless you have been
living under a rock,
you probably know that
"Mean Girls, the Musical"
is based off the
2004 cult classic
by Tina Fey of the same name.
"Mean Girls" tell the story
of Cady Heron, a teenager who
moves from the African savanna
to the suburbs of Illinois,
where she has to
learn to navigate
the new world of high
school hierarchy.
The play follows Cady's
attempts to find her place
in the popularity pecking
order and her struggle
with the Plastics--
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.
It's an awesome play for those
of you who haven't seen it.
KYLE SELIG: That was a
really good synopsis.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah, that is.
KATE ROCKWELL: Did
you write that?
JOEL NEWMAN: Thank
your PR people.
They're right back there.
KYLE SELIG: Google.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Nice.
JOEL NEWMAN: So
before we get started,
I think it would be
great if you wouldn't
mind just introducing yourselves
and saying what part you play.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Yes.
Hi, I'm Erika Henningsen.
I play Cady.
RENEÉ RAPP: Hey, guys.
My name is Reneé Rapp,
and I play Regina.
KRYSTINA ALABADO:
I'm Krystina Alap--
oh, my god.
I am Krystina Alabado, and
I play Gretchen Wieners.
KATE ROCKWELL:
I'm Kate Rockwell.
I play Karen Smith.
KYLE SELIG: I'm Kyle Selig,
and I play Aaron Samuels.
GREY HENSON: I'm Grey Henson,
and I play Damian Hubbard.
JOEL NEWMAN: Awesome.
So I thought maybe
a good way to start
would be to talk a little bit
about the show's trajectory.
So I know-- let's see--
Erika, Kate, Grey,
and Kyle, you guys
have all been with the musical
for quite a while now, right?
You've been here pre-Broadway
for sure at least.
So I was thinking
maybe you could tell us
a little bit about your
journey with the show.
How did you first get involved?
And then I'd like to hear
a little bit about how
the show has changed over time
because obviously, musicals
in development take a long time,
multiple years, so how has it
evolved since it started
to Broadway today?
KATE ROCKWELL: Well,
Grey and I have actually
been with it since its literal
very first out loud kind
of anything.
It's called a table read.
And we kind of sit
around in a circle,
and we're handed a script,
and we just literally
read the words out loud
for the first time.
And we only did act one.
GREY HENSON: It was
like four years ago.
KATE ROCKWELL: It was 2015.
I was actually just looking
at this the other day.
It was like June 1st of 2015.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Wow.
Whose house was it at?
Was it at somebody's house?
KATE ROCKWELL: No, it
was at Casey's studio.
It's like right around here.
GREY HENSON: And they just
called in favors basically.
I knew Casey from
"Book of Mormon."
KATE ROCKWELL: And I knew Nell
Benjamin, who was lyricist,
and she called me.
And then a bunch of people
from "Kimmy Schmidt"
were there reading
because they were working
on the TV show at the time.
Some other people that
Casey knew were there.
So it was just a kind of
a it had nothing really
to do with the actual
production of the piece
as much as it was
like, you understand
this general kind of character.
Can you just read it out loud?
JOEL NEWMAN: And Casey
Nicholaw is the director?
KATE ROCKWELL: Yes, Casey
Nicholaw is the director.
And Tina Fey was there
and so was Jeff Richmond,
who wrote the music.
So they kind of just
listened to that out loud,
but it's basically like a thank
you so much for your time.
Goodbye, we'll never
see you again usually.
GREY HENSON: Well, Casey
literally said, he's
like, when we actually
do this on Broadway,
we're going to hire real
teenagers to play these roles.
KATE ROCKWELL: None
of you will be in it.
GREY HENSON: Because, like, I
mean, we were in our late 20s.
Like, you know,
Kate, you look great.
KATE ROCKWELL: Yeah, sure,
that's what I am-- my late 20s.
GREY HENSON: So he was
like, so you're not going--
he was basically like, you're
just not going further.
KATE ROCKWELL: Yeah, you
will not get this job.
GREY HENSON: It's
Tina Fey humor.
Like it's adult humor.
I mean, it's for
kids or whatever,
but we grew up with the movie.
I knew that high
schoolers, apart
from this 19-year-old
girl in front of me,
like you know I mean?
Like couldn't really nail
it the way that I think--
KATE ROCKWELL: And
comedy is hard.
Like comedy takes--
GREY HENSON: Maturity.
KATE ROCKWELL: Yeah, and
understanding of rhythm
that comes from--
unless you're really
lucky, that comes of age.
So I think that's why we all got
lucky enough to still be here.
But we did that was
a long time ago.
And then we did--
there was one more
reading-- a full reading
called a 29-hour reading
where basically it's
a week of that same thing,
but you add music in.
And then we did what we
call a lab or a workshop,
which is four weeks of rehearsal
where you basically put up
a fake version of the
show with fake set,
and no costumes, and no any
kind of technical element,
but fully staged
and choreographed.
And that was in
the spring of 2017.
And then the fall of 2017, we--
and you were part of the lab.
KYLE SELIG: Yes, that's right
where I came-- third place.
KATE ROCKWELL: That's
where Kyle came in.
And then for our out of town,
which was in DC, fall of 2017,
we acquired Erika.
And then that got us basically
into the holiday season
of 2017.
Then we started the Broadway
process in the spring of 2018.
And now, it's the fall of 2019.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
It's been a long time.
JOEL NEWMAN: And how different
is what you were doing let's
say like in DC versus
what's on Broadway today.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
So what we did in DC
was called a pre-Broadway
tryout, which was basically
we mounted the show fully
realized at the National
Theater, but it
wasn't in New York.
So it didn't have the pressure
of, like, New York critics
coming down.
Maybe some of them came,
but it was listed as,
like, this is the
pre-Broadway tryout.
It's still in development.
It changed not just
between DC and New York,
but in DC we were there
for a month performing it.
It changed so much.
We had-- I mean, we all
had a ton of changes.
Simply because I operate
as the character who
you see the story through--
I just watch everything or
I'm partaking in everything--
there were, like, seven
different versions
of the opening number that
we did night after night.
And we'd try it on Tuesday,
be in rehearsals on Wednesday
with the new lyrics, put
those lyrics in on Wednesday
night, scrap those, show
up on Thursday morning
for rehearsal, new
lyrics, put those in.
There was a night where Grey
sang a duet with me that never
existed after that evening.
So it was kind of insane.
It was all over the place.
And I think that happens when
you have somebody like Tina,
who works in television, so she
can write like lightning fire.
She's in the audience
watching it one night.
And if something doesn't land
or something doesn't work,
she has six other
versions ready to go, just
from writing on her
notepad that evening.
JOEL NEWMAN: And when would you
guys get these revised scripts?
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
The next morning
to do that night usually--
usually.
GREY HENSON: And we
putting those changes
for like 2,000 people for
the first time that night.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: You
just forget the audience
is there at a certain point.
You're like, you don't matter.
I just have to say the
right words tonight.
GREY HENSON: So I open
the show with a picture
of George Michael that Damian
holds and he sings with.
And every day in
previews, we would
have new lyrics for the
very beginning of the show.
And so I'd write my lyrics
on the back of George Michael
because I was like, I do not
know what I'm saying today.
KRYSTINA ALABADO:
That's why I always
say if you ever see a
Broadway show in previews,
remember this conversation
because you are seeing actors
and dancers doing a dance
number they have never done
before until that afternoon.
So it is an interesting process.
KATE ROCKWELL: It was the
script that was changing,
but also the score was changing,
the choreography was changing.
I mean, the opening sequence
is such a good example
because there were
nine different songs--
not just lyrics, but
like melody lines and how
things were cut together.
And at one point,
we had her parents,
and then we cut her
parents, and then
there was a big fight
sequence, and then
we cut the fight sequence, and
then we put her parents back,
but they were singing
something else.
And I mean, just
the whole number
was new every single night.
KYLE SELIG: And
for reference, this
is also all just Washington,
DC, and then we did it again
once we came to New York
to do it on Broadway.
Again, like changes
that morning,
we'd do it for a
New York audience
on Broadway for the first time.
JOEL NEWMAN: How long
would previews generally
be on Broadway?
KYLE SELIG: I think both
times, we did six weeks.
But also in DC, we
opened the show,
and then went back into previews
for the last two weeks of our--
so it was always like
this is not the version
that we're going to land with.
We still have more work to do--
different songs, like
death by a million cuts,
just a million tiny
little changes.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
If you see the tour,
the tour is also different
from the Broadway version.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah, that's true.
JOEL NEWMAN: And the
tour just opened.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: And
the tour just opened.
Yes, correct.
JOEL NEWMAN: Wow.
So looking at where
you guys started,
I guess, or even DC to Broadway,
beyond songs changing here
and there, were there big
sort of thematic changes
or was it really just,
yeah, switch a number here
and there, a joke didn't
land, let's replace it?
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: I
would say, I think we all
experienced a lot of changes.
I felt a very large
amount because if you
are familiar with the
movie, Cady has voiceovers.
She has the ability-- you can
see what she's going through
from a close-up, from a
voiceover, from a really
close cut to just like
this part of her face.
You can't do that on a
massive Broadway stage,
especially in a massive
Casey Nicholaw musical.
So when we were in
DC, the biggest thing
we were dealing
with was how do we
make Cady an agent of her
story and not a recipient,
if that makes sense.
It was like things were just
kind of happening to her,
and she wasn't really the
engine behind any of it
or we didn't know how
she felt about it.
So that was the biggest
thing for me that changed.
And I think it's still
something that they
kept retooling in
the tour of how do we
make this character
that in the movie,
we can empathize with her
because we can zoom in
so close to her, but how do
we do that on a Broadway stage
when she is surrounded
by 25 dancers working
their butts off, and a
huge orchestra, and lights,
and everything like that?
So that was a big thing.
And I think thematically,
we can all probably
talk about this-- about how
it was updated in terms of,
like, it went from it was
a movie of the early 2000s,
and now it's a movie
of Gen Z for sure.
KYLE SELIG: And speaking
specifically of my role--
the love interest
for this girl--
it became about how do we
make it very 2019, where
is this girl, like,
doesn't necessarily
need to fall in love at the--
how do we make the whole
story not about that?
And what it turned
into was there
was a version of the show where
we didn't end up together.
It happened for,
like, one night or it
happened in rehearsals
right before we
took the show to tech.
And I remember specifically Tina
coming up to me and being like,
I don't know if we're going to
stick with this because people
are paying $200.
They should probably kiss at the
end, do you know what I mean?
But it's just finding
the balance of a thousand
different issues like that
that are very topical in 2019
and finding the right balance.
JOEL NEWMAN: Sure.
So Krystina and Reneé, these
guys have been with the show
for a long time.
You guys are much
more recent additions.
Krystina, I think
you were April?
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Yes, I
started in March of-- yeah,
so I've been in the
show for six months.
I replaced the original
Gretchen Wieners,
so I'm Gretchen Wieners
number two or number three--
3.0 because Lacy
is 1.0, I guess.
JOEL NEWMAN: And
Reneé, you joined very,
very recently in
September, is that right?
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Just
a couple weeks ago.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah.
I'm like, did I?
I don't-- yes.
JOEL NEWMAN: So what
is it like jumping on?
This is a moving train
with a well-oiled machine,
a lot of history.
What has that been
like for you guys?
RENEÉ RAPP: For me,
honestly, it was a really,
really big change to what
I was doing in life before.
But also, like, I was last
year, I guess-- right?
I don't know.
The clock is all
wrong, you guys.
But like last year, I was
living in high school.
So then to do a show which--
right.
It is almost comedic.
I'm like, yes.
But to go into a show that
takes place in high school now,
I think there were a lot
of really hard things
to deal with because
I do not have
the experience and the expertise
that these guys do honestly.
But also the advantage
and the thing
that I've found most
helpful is that they are all
literal experts at
what they're doing,
so I'm learning from them
literally every night.
Sitting here listening
to them talk right now,
I'm like, yeah, guys.
That's amazing.
Keep going.
Tell me more.
GREY HENSON: But let's be clear.
Reneé has taught us so
much about being a Gen Z.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Yes, I've
learned so many words from her.
GREY HENSON: Like how
to zoom in on Instagram.
KATE ROCKWELL: She speaks
a different language.
KRYSTINA ALABADO:
She really does.
KATE ROCKWELL: All the
words are familiar,
but they're in a
totally different order
than I know them to exist in.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: We've
learned a lot from you.
KYLE SELIG: She came
in the first week
and was like, oh, that slaps.
And Erika and I looked at
each other, and were like,
what does mean?
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: To
your credit though--
KYLE SELIG: Do you guys
know what that means?
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
--the best thing
about having you is,
like, you're true.
You have the confidence
of true Regina George,
but none of the bite
in your real life.
And that's the thing where I
just think if you haven't seen
"Mean Girls" in a
while or if you, like,
haven't seen it at all, come see
it and also because you'll get
to see Reneé because
she just started.
And it's like it's insane.
She's awesome.
RENEÉ RAPP: Thanks.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: But it's
a really nice place too.
You know, when you are
placed in a Broadway show,
it is a machine that
you kind of like get on
while it's still going.
So it definitely takes
a lot of focus for us
and also trying to
meld in, but also
be our own authentic
version of those characters
within something
that exists already.
But this company
specifically and the people
that taught us our roles
were so good at allowing
us to find our own way
into these characters.
And then the company behind
us-- all these people on stage
and our entire cast and
crew at the theater--
is so welcoming of new energy
and new people, and so really
it was, I mean, easy--
like just an easy
transition for both of us
as newer company members.
JOEL NEWMAN: Was it intimidating
because you were both stepping
into some pretty big shoes?
Ashley Park, Taylor Louderman--
those are big names.
What was it like to
come into those roles?
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Yeah.
You know, For me, I had
known Ashley before--
Ashley Park, who I replaced.
She and I were friends
before, so I texted her.
And she was so
excited that I got it,
so it was a very sweet
transaction for us
because we had known each
other for many years.
And so it was really cool to
have that experience with her.
And I've replaced once
before in a Broadway show,
and then I originated a
Broadway show in 2016 or '15,
so I knew what I
was coming into.
You know what I mean?
So intimidating, of course,
because we can never
replace the people
that we're replacing.
And I think if you go into it
thinking about it that way,
it's better.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, it's just it's--
it's like being a
different-- your own version
of how you perceive
their roles in the show.
And, like, I mean, like I'm
a fan of all of the people
who are sitting
right next to me.
Like, I'm a fan first.
Like, I still go to work and
it's like I'm going to a club
where the bouncer is like,
you shouldn't be here,
but I'm like trying really hard.
And I'm like, no, I need to.
And he's like, OK,
fine, go ahead.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: [INAUDIBLE]
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah, right.
But you know, like, I was a fan
of all of these guys and Taylor
too.
So it was really
intimidating in the sense
that wow, these guys are
all really, really good
at what they do.
And I have no clue
what I'm doing,
but we'll just like wing it.
But they're so supportive that
the intimidation kind of just
fizzles out and it just becomes
more of like a grateful feeling
to be a part of the family.
KATE ROCKWELL: I will
say too that we're
really lucky in this show
because we don't want anyone
to come in and do a carbon copy
of what-- just like we are not
expected to come in and be
carbon copies of the film
actors.
Like no one ever asked
me to be Amanda Seyfried
and do things like
Amanda Seyfried did.
We sort of process
the new people
that come in and
take over in our show
the same way, which is we
want you to do it your way.
And that goes all the way up--
I mean, Tina, and Casey, and
everybody on the creative side,
but also us on stage.
I want us to build our own
friendship, and inside jokes,
and comedy timing,
and stuff because I
don't want to be replicating
what we did before.
I want us to have
our own version.
And I want us to
have our own version.
And that's true
across the board.
Everybody is encouraged to do
it their way because that's
what makes a show
come alive and that's
what makes comedy funny
is truth and honesty.
And if you try to force a
square peg into a round hole
just for the sake of making
it the same, which, look,
there are plenty of machines
out there that do that.
Ours is not that way, and I
think that's one of the reasons
that it's just as
joyful now as it
was when we first
opened with a totally
different company of people.
JOEL NEWMAN: It
makes total sense.
Well, I can testify that
you were absolute-- you
both were absolutely amazing.
RENEÉ RAPP: Thank you.
JOEL NEWMAN: But maybe a
great way of showing it
would be for you to have
you sing your first number.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: [SINGING]
JOEL NEWMAN: The personality
you bring into the role.
KRYSTINA ALABADO:
I stand you Reneé.
RENEÉ RAPP: I
stand you Krystina.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: I never
got to watch you sing this.
I'm so excited.
RENEÉ RAPP: Oh, my gosh.
It's uh-- it's wild.
It's wild.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Get ready.
RENEÉ RAPP: Let's see.
Hey, guys.
How's it going?
[MUSIC - JEFF RICHMOND, "SOMEONE
 GETS HURT"]
Got it.
[SINGING "SOMEONE GETS HURT"]
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
Thanks, guys.
Thanks, guys.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
She's also like dancing
in a full-on, like,
bunny Halloween
costume at the same time.
It's insanity.
RENEÉ RAPP: Giant heels.
KATE ROCKWELL: Y'all, carried
around by six very attractive
men.
It's a tough job.
RENEÉ RAPP: Very attractive
men, but let me tell you,
that corset--
uh-uh.
It's tight.
It is tight.
Yes.
JOEL NEWMAN: So I can ask you--
I mean, that is one
of there's what?
Like 20 plus numbers
in this show?
KATE ROCKWELL: It's 265.
JOEL NEWMAN: How on Earth--
RENEÉ RAPP: So many.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Really?
KATE ROCKWELL: 265.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Oh, yeah.
JOEL NEWMAN: How on
Earth do you guys
keep your voices in
good enough shape
to do this eight times a week?
Are you on vocal rest any
day you're not singing?
Do you have to do special
training specifically
for this kind of singing?
How does that work?
RENEÉ RAPP: Well, I think
just for me from going
into the show, I have never
done a show really before.
I mean, like I did stuff
in high school of course,
but that's like a weekend
run of, like, three shows.
And I actually notice
now because Regina
doesn't have much of a vocal
tract that is like hit it,
hit it, hit it, keep going.
Like, I have some good
downtime during the show.
I snack a lot [LAUGHS] and
then the corset doesn't fit.
But yeah, so I've
found that actually
being in the show
every night, I feel
like I'm in better vocal
shape than I have ever
been in my whole life.
And I think it's just
because, like, you know,
you're using your full
range every night.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: You
build up your stamina.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah, yeah, you
build up stamina, just like,
you know, you go to the gym and
work out so you're going to be
stronger.
But I mean, there are
some days when I'm like,
uh-uh, not today, not today.
But yeah, I feel like it keeps
you in really good vocal shape
for this track specifically.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
Yeah, I mean, there
are so many tricks
and stuff that we all
use between like steaming
and tea and all that.
And we could talk
about that for hours.
I feel like everybody's
regimen is a little different.
For me, the biggest
thing was learning
how to talk properly
because it's high school,
so we feel everything.
And I'm like a very
nervous character
in the show who wears
a backpack, so I spend
the whole first act like
this-- just like, oh, my god,
there's so much happening.
And I was noticing that
there was so much tension
all over my body, so I ended up
doing a bunch of speech therapy
as I opened the show on Broadway
because the singing was not
the hardest part.
It was yelling over the music.
It was, you know, we're yelling.
I don't know if it's
because it's high schoolers.
You're just very much like,
life is so dramatic right now.
So you feel the need
to push sometimes.
But it was figuring out a
way to keep the energy up,
but to not bring it so
much into my voice--
into my speaking voice--
because that's what was making
me lose my voice.
KATE ROCKWELL: I mean, we are
ultimately vocal athletes.
I'm not an athlete
in anything else,
but we train
vocally the same way
that a marathon runner
trains for the marathon,
or a sprinting runner
trains for sprints,
or people who jump hurdles,
or whatever other people do.
I don't know.
We train for it.
And we know our
voices inside and out.
And our bodies are
our instruments,
and so we are very, very
aware of every minute change.
I mean, just listening
you talk about that
is so funny because the notion
that you were aware that there
was tension coming from
shrugging your shoulders
is something that, like,
vocalists just know.
We understand.
And we work our butts off
to make sure we understand,
so that we can show up
eight times a week and do.
And there are people who make
the choice to go on vocal rest
when they're outside
of their work.
Some jobs require it.
I mean, I don't know
any Elphaba that's ever,
like, gone out
partying after a show
because it's just too much.
But part of the job, in
addition to singing every night,
is coming out representing your
show and marketing your show.
And so, like, there
isn't really an off time.
You have to learn how to
maintain your job at night
and give the performance
that is deserved and expected
by the audience, and
then also go out and do
the rest of your life as well.
Otherwise, there's
no long-term plan
if you hole yourself up in a
room outside of doing the show.
You have to learn how to have a
sustainable lifestyle, not just
your job, but also everything
that comes with it.
KYLE SELIG: And to speak to the
other side of that, a lot of it
I find is a mental game.
It's about--
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Agreed.
KYLE SELIG: --it's about if
you go into the show thinking,
oh, my god.
There's eight this week and
like, I'm already tired.
And nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh.
You're-- my shoulders are up.
You know, that's part of it.
So it's about finding this
balance for yourself, which
is healthy in multiple
ways than one.
JOEL NEWMAN: And how
about is it the same
for dancing because
this show also
has a ton of dancing in it?
And I don't think I've
ever seen musical leads
dancing the entire show.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: OK,
Grey, I did not know.
I got to watch the show,
like, six months ago.
Just I was out one
night back from vacation
and I got in time to see it.
And I watched from
the spot booth.
And I did not realize how much
Grey Henson dances in our show.
KRYSTINA ALABADO:
Grey, it's amazing.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
It is insanity.
Also he has a knee injury.
Explain.
GREY HENSON: Well, I have--
[LAUGHTER]
Thanks, Erika.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: How, how?
I don't understand
how you're doing it.
GREY HENSON: Well, I play
the gay role in the show,
so of course he
dances the whole time.
No, I did "Book of
Mormon" before this.
And I played Elder McKinley, the
gay role in that shows, so LOL.
Call me for all your gay needs.
But I did-- I rented a--
KATE ROCKWELL: Well,
that's on the internet now.
KYLE SELIG: Now, you're
going to get some calls.
GREY HENSON: Call me
for your gay needs.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Put that
on your business card--
Grey Henson, call me
for your gay needs.
GREY HENSON: Yeah, oh,
that's a good tagline.
I did "Book of Mormon"
and I did a tap dance.
I played Elder McKinley.
I sang "Turn It
Off" in that show.
And so I did that
with Casey Nicholaw
in the first national tour,
and so he knew I could tap.
And so "Stop," the tap number
that we opened the second act
with, was added into
the Broadway show
after DC because he
knew I could do it,
and so he just threw
me that tap dance.
And then it has kind
of become a dance role.
I started dancing when
I was three years old,
but no one expects me to
dance because I'm like six
foot three and built
like a linebacker.
So, like, I think that's why
it's impressive and it's fun.
And also I've made
dances out of where there
were no dances in the show.
KATE ROCKWELL: Yes,
chose this dance.
GREY HENSON: But it's fun.
I mean, the best part
of the show for me
is, like, leading a
tap dance on Broadway
as like a gay teen who's
not a teenager anymore.
RENEÉ RAPP: I will say, I when
I saw the show before I went
in, I saw it and I actually
had my dad with me one night.
And my dad is now Grey's
literal biggest fan
in the whole wide world
because he originally didn't
know that much about theater.
So we go to see "Mean Girls."
And of course, like, they
are all so impressive.
It's sickening.
But Grey comes out in
the middle of act two
and my dad has been like
deadpan silent this whole time.
And Grey starts tapping, and
my father just like lights up
like a Christmas tree.
He's like, yes.
He's like, this guy can move.
And he's like speaking
audibly, which you're not
supposed to do in a theater.
And he's like goes off.
GREY HENSON: Doesn't
he coach football?
Like that's his--
RENEÉ RAPP: Oh, my gosh,
he's coached like basketball.
Like he's, like, you know.
GREY HENSON: What he told
me after the show was like,
I just want to put a
football in your hand.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah, yeah.
It was so funny,
but it's amazing.
It is amazing what he does.
Like amazing.
GREY HENSON: I mean, we all do
pretty cool stuff in this show,
but yeah, I guess I'm
the dancer of the show.
That's so weird.
KATE ROCKWELL: You're
Grey the great dancer.
KYLE SELIG: There's a
lot of ensemble members
that are really upset
with this conversation.
KATE ROCKWELL: There are 25
dancers also in the show that
are here right now.
GREY HENSON: But
your question was
how do you physically
stay up whatever.
Yeah, I do have a knee thing.
I have like a back thing.
But the dancers in the
ensemble of the show
dance the entire time.
And so we have physical therapy
every week at the theater.
So we have a physical
therapist that comes
and you can sign up for slots.
And you go in and
just kind of work.
You do tune-up stuff.
And people take classes
if that helps them.
It's a lot of rest
for me actually
to get through eight shows a
week because it's your job.
You wake up every morning.
You're like, can I sing?
Can I dance?
How's my body so I can do
that thing later on tonight,
you know?
KRYSTINA ALABADO:
Yeah, and it is like--
I dance a little
in the show too.
And I tried getting
into a workout regiment
that I could do.
And I remember I was trying to
do like squats or something.
And I jump a lot in the section
of the show that I dance.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: In heels.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: And I
regretted it immediately.
So I'm still even
six months in trying
to figure out how to give
my body what it needs,
but also be able to do the show
because I was so sore that I
had a hard time jumping at full.
I was like, oh, that
was such a mistake.
Never again, never again.
So it is like a trial and
error a little bit too.
KATE ROCKWELL: And in
this show especially,
everybody's jobs
are so different.
Like, the things that I need
to get through my show because
of my physicality are the
exact opposite of, like,
what Grey needs for
his physicality.
There is no one thing in
this particular show that's
good for everyone
because everyone
is doing a completely
different--
we all have our own tone.
Like everybody has their
own literally music tones,
but also, like, character
physicality and everything.
So it's really varied.
JOEL NEWMAN: So
pivot a little bit
from sort of some of the
logistical stuff to I
guess maybe some of the
deeper elements of the show.
I think everybody knows
"Mean Girls" as a comedy.
Obviously, Tina Fey's
book, hilarious.
But it actually does deal
with some deeper topics
around insecurity, bullying,
finding your place.
Which of those--
I guess how do those
themes resonate with you?
And Krystina, maybe I can go to
you in terms of your character
particularly, she's really sort
of at Regina's beck and call,
tons of security.
How does that resonate
with you or how do you
find that character?
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Yeah, you
know, it was interesting
auditioning for Gretchen because
even in the film, she does
want to be liked so
much and accepted.
And she wants
Regina to want her,
which I mean, I think we
all have experienced that,
whether it's auditioning
for a show for us,
or applying for a
job, or wanting that
from your partner or a friend.
And so it was very easy
to tap into the song
that I sing in the show, "What's
Wrong With Me," which is what
I auditioned with, because
it is just something
that not only did I think
about a lot in high school
and I think we all
probably did, but still do
as an adult at all
times, just checking in
with like am I enough?
Is this enough?
Am I good enough?
And so I think that that's--
a lot of young people reach
out to me in particular,
and I'm sure other people,
but about feeling that way.
I get a lot of letters
and stuff on social media
about, like, I don't feel
adequate enough in school.
This song, I connect
with so much,
like it's made me
want to be stronger.
It's made me want
to love myself more.
And I don't know that Gretchen
gets there in the show,
but I always believe that
when the show's done,
Gretchen gets there.
She hears it for herself.
But I do think that
that really resonates
to the young people that see our
show, specifically that song,
and Cady's journey
too, and wanting
to be enough and fit in.
And she makes bad decisions,
and then she figures it out,
which is good too.
JOEL NEWMAN: Would you
mind giving everybody
a little taste of it?
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Yes.
So I will sing my song,
"What's Wrong With Me?"
for you right now.
GREY HENSON: This is
one of the original ones
from the very beginning too
that's been with the project
from the very beginning.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Also, Gretchen
is Tina's favorite character.
Just a tidbit.
KYLE SELIG: Don't mess it up.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: OK.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: You never do.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: All right.
[MUSIC - JEFF RICHMOND,
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?"]
[SINGING "WHAT'S
WRONG WITH ME?"]
[APPLAUSE]
JOEL NEWMAN: Beautiful.
So that was a
lovely, a little sad.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: Yes.
JOEL NEWMAN: So to
lighten things up,
I'm sure one of the
things you guys get
asked about all the time
is obviously Tina Fey's
association with this show.
She's an amazing
writer, but I know
she's been heavily involved
with the show, both
in its development, but I
understand still to this day.
Do you guys have funny
stories about working with her
or what's working with
her been like in general?
KATE ROCKWELL: I think
about a lot the day--
she was with us
every single day,
every moment of the entire
development process.
She is not the person who,
like, put her name on this,
and then ran away.
She didn't even just write
the script and run away.
Like she was there all
day, every day with us
all the way through
awards season,
all the way through all
of that work that we
had to do with the show.
And then she still
comes and raises
money for Broadway Cares, which
is our big Broadway charity.
Every time we do our--
what is it when you
do it twice a year--
fundraiser, she's
there auctioning off
herself and her time.
But when I think about what
it's like to work for her,
I think of two specific
little stories.
One was when we first
got into the studio,
and she would sit at
the table in the front.
We would start rehearsing scenes
and the deep dark pit of fear
that goes through you when
you have to make Tina Fey's
jokes for Tina Fey.
And the moment that
she cracked and laughed
for the first time-- that
we saw her laugh at our show
for the first time.
And it wasn't even
like a joke line.
It was something
else that she saw.
I don't eve remember who it was.
I remember being
like, oh, there's
literally nothing
better in the world
than making Tina Fey laugh.
Nothing can make
you feel better.
And then the second
story is when
we did our album
release, the first time
we listened to our cast album.
And so Jeff Richmond
is her husband.
He wrote the music.
And this is his first
musical, as well as hers.
And we all got to go to
Atlantic Records, who
produced our album.
We went to one of their spaces
and listened to it out loud.
And there was like sandwiches,
and you know, wine,
and whatever.
It's like 11:00 at night.
And Tina got up and started
doing the raps to the songs.
Do you remember this?
She got up with DeMarius who
was one of our original ensemble
guys.
And they started,
like, just performing
the whole scene for everybody
was like just up doing
like a lip sync battle with
DeMarius to our own cast
album-- our musical
theater cast album.
And then at the very
end of the show--
at the very end of that
listening party, if you,
like, sort of caught out of
the corner of your eye, her
and Jeff, like her just
celebrating him and his work.
She's the most loving
and joyful human being.
And she's so supportive and
so encouraging of all of us,
and of him, and
of her own stuff.
And it was just
she's like the best
boss you could ever ask for.
It's really inspiring
and it's kind of
astonishing to work for
someone as celebrated as she is
and to feel like it's every
single aspect of that is
deserved and worth it,
and maybe even more.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: She
was heavily involved
in our casting process as well.
So it's amazing.
You know, sometimes,
those creators
will step away because they have
a billion other things to do.
And Tina Fey is the queen
of doing a billion things.
And she cast me and Reneé.
And she was there.
And I remember leaving the room.
And same thing-- I was
like, she laughed once.
I'm good.
I don't even care.
I was like, I'm good.
She's so giving of her
time, which is incredible
because we all say, we're
so busy, we're so busy,
we're so busy, but Tina
Fey is never too busy
to show up for us.
It's really incredible.
It is incredible.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah.
GREY HENSON: Yeah-- oh, sorry.
RENEÉ RAPP: No,
no, go ahead, baby.
GREY HENSON: Oh, I am
a huge "30 Rock" fan,
and so I knew every
episode of that TV show.
Like I could quote them all,
seriously, before I met her.
So I was freaking out.
But she's nothing
like Liz Lemon.
And I think people
sort of assume
she will be because it
seems so natural for her,
but she's definitely quiet,
and she kind of whispers,
and you have to lean in.
And it's like, is that funny?
Like, what are you saying?
Yeah, she is nothing
like that character.
I remember being
so shocked, but she
loves talking about "30 Rock."
And so I would like bring it up.
I'm like, oh, my
god, that one episode
that reminds me of this.
And she'd be like, oh,
that was a funny one.
Ah, that was funny one, right?
[LAUGHTER]
She's obsessed with it.
Yeah, there was something--
I was like sweating
in rehearsal one day.
And does anyone love "30 Rock"?
Does anyone know that show?
Yeah.
There was a one
moment in it where
she's like looking in the
mirror before she's going out
and she's like sweating.
And she's like, stop
sweating, you stupid bitch.
That's what she says to herself.
And I was like, I'm like
you in that episode.
She's like, that was so funny.
That was so funny.
She loves it, you know?
And she's so proud of it.
And she loves theater.
She's like a theater nerd.
And for opening nights,
she gave Barrett,
who plays Janis,
a picture of her
in like "Caberet" from
college or something.
JOEL NEWMAN: I want
to hear your story.
I just want to make sure we have
a chance to open up the mics
if people in the audience
have questions as well.
So maybe file up to the
mics while you tell us
your Tina story.
RENEÉ RAPP: Oh, no, I
was just going to say,
going along with what
you guys were saying,
the first time that I met and
sat down with Tina and we were
talking, I don't know.
There were no expectations.
I guess I should say,
like in a very like--
OK, this is like Tina Fey.
And I'm like sitting there.
I'm like, yeah, what the
hell am I doing here?
You know what I mean?
But when I talked
to her, I had just
moved to New York on my own.
I think I was probably
like just turned 19.
And I was terrified
to be quite honest.
And I have never
felt so comfortable,
and so, like, metaphorically
hugged by another human being
in my entire life.
And she just gave me validation
that I was on my own path
and I was doing the right
thing without knowing me
through Adam, except
auditioning for her.
And I was like, oh, cool.
This lady is, like, amazing.
She made me feel so good at
a time where she probably
didn't know that I needed
it, but I needed it so badly.
And she gave that
to me, and it was
a huge, huge part of my life.
JOEL NEWMAN: Awesome.
KYLE SELIG: Just a
very, very simple story.
It was my birthday on Saturday,
and she sent me a plant.
JOEL NEWMAN: Happy birthday.
KYLE SELIG: Oh,
yeah, I was fishing.
Thank you, thank you.
[LAUGHTER]
And she sent me a plant.
And she's like in
the midst of mounting
a whole another production
of this show in Buffalo
and she still sent me a
plant, which is just--
KRYSTINA ALABADO: She
sent me a plant too.
KYLE SELIG: Oh, OK, so
it's a thing she does.
OK.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: No, no,
I meant it in a good way.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: She remembers
for everybody's birthday.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: It's so nice.
KYLE SELIG: She remembers
people's birthdays.
Like, what boss does that
specifically for every person?
She's awesome.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: I
think that-- and I
want to talk to other actors
that she's worked with.
I will say there is something--
and Tina has been honest with
us about this--
Tina grew up wanting
to do musical theater.
And it's so funny because I
still find myself being like,
oh, my god.
OK, she's in the room.
OK, be cool, be cool, be cool.
Like I still feel
nervous around her,
even though we've
spent every day
with her for a very long time.
But I realized
the other day when
we saw-- we got to watch
the tour production.
And we got to be sort
of generation one saying
goodbye to generation
two of "Mean Girls."
And she was also there.
And it was this moment
where I thought, oh, there
is such a mutual gratitude
and appreciation for what
we each do.
We admire her so much,
but it is really special
to feel that your boss
and this person who is--
it's Tina frickin' Fey-- like,
she's the one we bow down to--
but she feels very
fortunate to have
us tell her story every night.
And that's like the privilege
that you kind of forget.
And it is a really
awesome thing that she's
made that relationship
feel so strong.
I just admire her
so much for that.
KYLE SELIG: I just want
to add to that also.
There's this section of
her book "Bossypants"
where she talks
about what got her
through working on "30 Rock."
And it's about how she was
responsible for a bunch
of people's jobs.
She was the boss of this
show for everyone else.
And I mean, you think
of boss, and you
think somebody who's in
charge and potentially
out for themselves,
doing it for them.
And with Tina, we get
the sense on this show
that she has made this show for
a bunch of kids to be employed,
which is an amazing
quality in a boss
and should be the only
quality for a boss.
JOEL NEWMAN: That's awesome.
So I think we probably have time
for one last question because I
know we have one
more musical number.
But this show is obviously--
the movie and the show
is a cult classic.
And it is known for lots
of famous one-liners.
So I'm interested to
know if each of you
has a favorite one-liner and if
there's a one-liner in the show
that everybody in
the audience is just
waiting for-- like just erupts?
And does it change
from night to night
because there was definitely
one line not family
appropriate, on Saturday,
the audience just broke out.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Do
we have to censor?
Can we not say things?
KATE ROCKWELL: Too late now.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah, I was
doing well for a while,
and then I just let in.
I was like, OK, whatever.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
Well, I mean, people
start laughing
before Grey stands up
to say, she doesn't
even go here,
because they see him in
the back in the blue hoodie
in the glasses--
RENEÉ RAPP: Waiting for it.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: --and they're
like, it's coming, it's coming.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yes, literally.
GREY HENSON: It's so
funny because that is
the easiest line I have to do.
You do nothing and say,
"she doesn't even go here,"
and it's like done.
But Damian has a lot
of them, actually.
Like "You go, Glen
Coco" is in the show.
And "her hair is full of
secrets" is in the show.
And I don't know, what other--
and like the Regina,
you know, like,
"whatever, I'm getting
cheese fries" and stuff.
KYLE SELIG: And we have,
"your hair looks sexy
pushed back," which is
actually more a plot point,
so it actually
doesn't get laughs
like you'd think it would.
It's like, oh, sexy pushed
back, but it's actually
like a really dark moment
in the show a little bit.
KATE ROCKWELL:
It's very intense.
They actually did--
what I sort of marvel
at is that a lot of the
one-liners that we have
in our show that are from
the movie that are famous
are not joke lines.
They're not laugh lines
because it's actually not
funny to say something that
you already know the joke,
you know the
punchline of the joke.
Like the audience
is so far ahead.
So like the one that we
toyed with for months--
I mean, on and off,
and on and off--
is "if you're from Africa, why
are you white" because it's
so famous and it's probably one
of the most iconic Karen lines.
But if I start to say,
"if you're from Africa,"
the audience will go, "why are
you white," because everyone
knows it and it's
not funny anymore.
So we had to eventually
draw a lot of the things
that we chose to keep
in kind of outside
of "she doesn't even go here"
are plot point lines that
are famous.
I mean, we still obviously
we have, "that's so fetch,"
but it's just a
part of the scene.
It's just a moment in the scene.
It's like we're not asking the
audience to get up and scream.
And they don't because
the scene is happening.
So a lot of them, they're
there, and you get
to enjoy them, and hear them.
And Glen Coco is maybe
the biggest one actually.
Glen Coco gets a musical moment,
so that's pretty celebrated.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: I
feel like that's why.
I mean, there are a bunch
of movie musicals now.
That just happens.
And I feel like what
Tina did and what
our team did best is
that they didn't just
put the screenplay on a table
and shove songs into it.
She totally reworked
the screenplay.
And a lot of that
were the jokes.
And she found jokes that were
if we didn't think they could
be better, and they're better.
RENEÉ RAPP: Yeah.
JOEL NEWMAN: Awesome.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Though I
do miss "shave your back"
by Jason.
KRYSTINA ALABADO: I
know, I love that.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
I love that one.
JOEL NEWMAN: Well, I could ask
you guys questions all day,
but we are running out of time.
So maybe we have one more.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Oh, I
got to sing one last song.
RENEÉ RAPP: Work that
thing for us, Erika.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Also
I have to ask you,
where did you get
your shirt from?
AUDIENCE: Uh, me?
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
Dogecoin, I love it.
[LAUGHTER]
I looked at it as
soon as I sat down.
GREY HENSON: She loves dogs.
KATE ROCKWELL: Erika likes dogs.
KRYSTINA ALABADO:
She loves dogs.
ERIKA HENNINGSEN:
This is the song
that Cady sings at spring fling
after she's won the crown.
[MUSIC - JEFF RICHMOND, "I SEE
 STARS"]
[SINGING "I SEE STARS"]
ERIKA HENNINGSEN: Key change.
[SINGING "I SEE STARS"]
JOEL NEWMAN: Yeah!
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
