“Get in, loser. We’re going— to Baltimore!” You guessed it— Mean Girls, the iconic high-school movie-turned-stage-musical is on the road and it’s stopping Charm City at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre this summer. TheatreBloom has had the exclusive privilege of sitting down and chatting with Nadina Hassan, playing the one, the only, the Queen of the Plastics— Regina George. She actually took a phone call with us— that’s so fetch!!!
Thank you so much for giving us some of your time today, we really love that we get to have you on the call to talk all about Mean Girls!
Nadina Hassan: Thank you for having me! I’m so excited!
We’re excited to have you on the call and cannot wait for you to come into town in two weeks!
Nadina: Yeah, what’s the Baltimore summer vibe?
As we speak right now in the middle of this hot and humid first-day-of-July-afternoon? It’s pouring cats and dogs. But the nice thing about Baltimore— and Maryland in general is if you don’t like the weather, stick around a few minutes, it’ll change!
Nadina: It will change! That’s great! I’m looking forward to it!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for good weather when you arrive. Tell me, what is it about Mean Girls that made you want to be a part of this show? Did you grow up with the movie?
Nadina: I definitely did. It was coming out when I was growing up— it was 2004. It was the first movie that I asked my mom if we could get delivered on Netflix, back when Netflix used to deliver movies to your house. And I totally fell in love with the movie. It’s so iconic. It’s part of the film canon. It’s just so, so iconic, and I loved it as a kid and have continued to love it as an adult. I’m such a huge Tina Fey fan. When they adapted it for the stage I was in college and I was such a huge fan. My friends and I would listen to the soundtrack all the time on the way to class. I’m so honored to be a part of it.
When you decided to go out and try to be a part of it, did you ever think that you were going to go and be the Queen Bee, Regina George?
Nadina: Never. I hadn’t really crossed my mind. You don’t really see yourself super represented, so I didn’t know that they were going to break the bounds and cast somebody who looked like me. I kind of identified with the Gretchen Wieners role a little bit when the musical came out, because the wonderful, beautiful, Ashley Park (originating the role of Gretchen Wieners) was the woman of color in the leading cast on Broadway, followed by Krystina Alabado, they were both just so amazing. Seeing those women in the Gretchen Wieners role, as the women of color in the show, that’s what I thought. You kind of identify with the roles you see yourself in with the people who have come before you in those roles. I had never even thought about this role— Regina George— for me. And then when the audition came across, I had so much fun making this role my own and I had fun with the audition sides and the music and playing around with it. I am so, so glad this one came across my desk.
How would you say that you and Regina George are similar— hopefully not too similar— and how are you two different?
Nadina: Yeah, she’s very manipulative so I don’t really identify with that part of her, but she is very confident. She likes to be in control of situations. But she’s like everybody else, she’s extremely insecure. I think she hides it in a different way than other people. I think everybody can relate to that. Everybody has their own way of either showing or hiding their insecurities and that’s their own personal thing. I feel like everybody can relate to Regina in that way.
What was the high school like for you? Were there cliques? Were you a ‘mean girl’? What was that like and how is that comparing to your high school experience as Regina George?
Nadina: There weren’t too many defined cliques in my high school. I feel like I was a part of a few different defined groups because I was doing theatre but I was also doing other things. I had my friends who were my friends from middle school and I grew up with them. Then there were also my sister, who had gone to the same school, and I had her and her friends as well who were more on the sports side of things. I was definitely in different groups here and there but I feel like they weren’t as ‘defined’ as cliques as they are in the musical and in the movie.
Did you have a favorite class or subject from when you were in high school and is it different from Regina George’s favorite subject or class?
Nadina: My favorite class in high school. I think I liked the more social-studies kind of classes. But I feel like Regina, that isn’t necessarily Regina’s favorite subject. But she is very, very, very smart. So I think she probably excels in all of her classes regardless of what they are.
What is the moment that defines the show for you?
Nadina: That’s a great question. In the musical— and in the movie too— at the end of the show, Cady gives this big speech about how she felt she needed to change herself when she got to high school in Chicago. And how she thought she needed to change who she was to fit in. I feel like that’s the crux of the whole show. People feel like they need to change themselves to feel like they belong in different scenarios. Even as adults people do that. And it’s just not worth it. Everyone wants everyone else to be their authentic self, but it’s easier said than done. I think that’s the crux of the show, just being yourself and accepting yourself for who you are.
What has been the biggest challenge of tackling the Regina George role for you?
Nadina: It’s such a fun role but it has definitely been a challenge maintaining the stamina to be able to do it eight shows a week. That was something that was new and foreign to me. We had learned about it in school but obviously you don’t really do that practice while you’re in college. I’ve now been about seven or eight months into the role and I have developed so many routines now that I’m able to settle into that I quite honestly love, but it’s an adjustment. Trying to find what works for you, what doesn’t work for you, it’s a process. And what works for me may not work for my castmates. It’s different for every person.
Do you have a favorite moment or line or song in the show that just gets you every night, maybe one you deliver or one you’re not even a part of?
Nadina: Yeah. I love saying, “Is butter a carb?” That is just such a fun one and it’s a classic from the movie. My favorite song that I perform is “World Burn.” It’s in the second act. It’s so epic and big. It’s the moment in the movie when she’s tossing all the pages down the hallway and having that big tantrum. It’s just so epic. The song that I’m not in that I love is “It Roars.” It’s the first number in the show. Cady sings it when she travels from Africa to high school in America and our whole ensemble is dancing so incredibly well in that number. I love to watch that one from the wings.
You had mentioned that you never really considered Regina George as a role for you because the people who looked like you were more the Gretchen Wieners type. What does it mean to you as a person of color to be this big leading character and to represent her as a person of color all across America, when previously this character has not been cast as a person of color?
Nadina: Oh it means the world. It’s so impactful to show young performers, and even young kids in general, that they can be powerful and strong. Showing a person of color in a strong, female role is so impactful. There’s just not that much out there like that. I think that’s so powerful for performers and non-performers to see that because she [Regina George] is just so strong. She has so much power. Even in life we don’t even seen it that often where women of color hold those big titles that are so powerful and impactful.
What would you say that being Regina George has taught you about yourself? What is your big personal takeaway from this experience so far?
Nadina: I think even the lesson I was talking about just now, giving myself the confidence and the allowance to be a strong, powerful woman in life. In college, my professor taught me a big life lesson that I don’t think I would be able to play this role if she had not taught me., She taught me that we— as women— are allowed to take up space. We learn in life not to take up space because we’re always encouraged to be smaller and smaller and quieter. And we need to take up the space that we have. We are allowed to take up space. I think that even I learn lessons from being able to perform like that every night. Regina George speaks her mind and that’s super important. Women should always be encouraged to speak their mind and ask for what they deserve. I think Regina is the epitome of that kind of strength.
What are your feelings on the color pink?
Nadina: I love pink. I’ve always loved pink so it was an easy transition for me in that regard!
Is there a costume that Regina gets to wear that you’re absolutely in love with? You know, like if taking home costumes at the end of the tour was a thing, is there one you would take home?
Nadina: There are two actually. The first one that I wear is an all-white outfit with these huge, chunky white boots, about 5-inch chunky boot heels. They are so, so fierce, the whole outfit is fierce. It’s a button-up with a V-neck top and these white pants. I love that one. It’s so epic. Then the one I wear for “World Burn” is an all-black outfit. It’s very James Bond-esque. It’s black pants, with black turtleneck. It’s very, very fierce, and sleek.
What is it that you are hoping people are going to take away from coming to see Mean Girls?
Nadina: I hope that seeing the women of color on stage as “The Plastics” on stage is very impactful for people. All three plastics (Regina George- Nadina Hassan, Jasmine Rogers- Gretchen Wieners, Morgan Ashley Bryant- Karen Smith) are now being portrayed by women of color. I hope that’s a big takeaway for them. Also the talent on stage is truly unbelievable, from every department that we have. From our crew and our cast, our ensemble of dancers who are unbelievable, every single character is just so great. People tend to identify with their different character, but then people leave kind of feeling like they have some sort of community. It’s a very community-inducing show because everybody can relate to one or more of the characters on that stage. No matter what age you are.
What do you think about the word ‘Fetch’? Is it ever going to happen?
Nadina: I don’t know! I think we gotta keep trying! If it hasn’t caught on yet, then we’ve gotta keep trying, I think!
If you had to sum up the Mean Girls experience, everything you’ve experienced so far, in just one word, what word would you use?
Nadina: Enriching.
Is there anything else you want to say about the experience?
Nadina: I’m very, very lucky. This is my first big, post-college job. And it’s been amazing. We’re in Schenectady, New York right now. That’s upstate. And then next week we hit Rochester, then we come down to Baltimore! I cannot wait! And as we always say— “you can come sit with us!”
Mean Girls plays July 12, 2022 through July 17, 2022 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center— 12 N. Eutaw Street in the Bromo Seltzer Arts District of Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-7444 or purchase them purchase them online.
