#aNYWAYS ADDITIONAL CHARACTER EXPLORATION AND EXPANSION OF MUSICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF SOURCE MATERIAL | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thewhizzyhead · 1 year ago

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anyways I've been relistening to mean girls the musical the past few weeks and one tiny thing I liked about the musical is how they established the similarities between Regina and Janis - particularly through similar habits ("those bITCHES!"), sharing Someone Gets Hurt, and through their friendship with Cady (though there are VAST differences there, I'd like to believe that both Janis and Regina were genuinely interested in being friends with Cady even if they had their own selfish and manipulative agendas with her).

However, I admit that I was rather disappointed that this point in the movie's Janis and Cady fight wasn't featured that much in the musical's counterpart: Janis saying, "At least me and Regina George KNOW we're mean." Though this was somewhat shown through Janis singing, "I hate Regina's guts, but here's what you can't comprehend: at least she has the guts to not pretend to be my friend!" (Which also in turn emphasizes the emotional impact had on Janis), it sadly did not show the point the movie tried to make: that both Janis and Regina are Mean Girls and that both KNOW it - unlike Cady who would like to believe that she herself is in the right.

#aNYWAYS ADDITIONAL CHARACTER EXPLORATION AND EXPANSION OF MUSICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF SOURCE MATERIAL #aRE WHAT MOVIE MUSICALS ARE FOR!#so if the movie musical could expound on the similarities first established in the og movie + hinted in the musical #that would be fetch #but anyways the case between janis and regina's similarities and differences are very um complicated #like i obviously side with janis on her revenge arc on regina what with the grave homophobic bullying she endured #but it is interesting how out of fucking nowhere regina's remarks towards janis are especially considering that they were friends before #but anyways it clear to see that regina being a dick made janis mean and her being mean and wanting revenge #led to her being um rather manipulative with cady so that she can 1. spy and 2. eventually have her revenge party #however id like to believe that janis and damian really wanted to be friends with cady just for the sake of being genuine friends #its just that um Mean Begets Mean in this case as it is with revenge-driven teenage girls #i dunno like its just Regina that i cant quite psychoanalyze and defend because like - shes a bitch and everyone knows it #and shes mile worse than janis thats for sure #but it cant be denied that janis did manipulate cady to a degree - in fact she kinda kickstarted the whole two-faced cady thing #so in that sense they are similar in being mean - janis just has a valid reason to be (tho it doesnt discount telling the new kid to spy)#but yea for me personally in order for the whole MEAN GIRLS theme to like come around and really be brought up - showing that Janis IS Mean #is quite needed #and also it is quite neat to show them as two sides of um similar coins i guess? i dont wanna say the same coin #because regina is just mean for the sake of it #BUT HER PSYCHOANALYSIS WILL COME ON ANOTHER DAY WOO AND THATS MY MEAN GIRLS RAMBLE #mean girls #mean girls the musical #janis sarkisian #janis ian #regina george #cady heron #also im gonna insert thsi here because this is a popular headcanon even among the regina musical actresses:#if the movie musical is insane enough to make the root of regina being mean to janis as her projecting onto janis #due to internalized homophobia #and to have that actually be discussed WELL??? i'd be very impressed. i dont think itll happen tho

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