Our latest cover star Charlie Burn who has recently perfectly embodied the persona of Cady Heron in the presently-ongoing musical production of MEAN GIRLS discusses what it was like portraying such an iconic character, how she's liking and embracing the massively positive reaction from the spectators pertaining to her involvement in the initial runs of the musical tour and much more in this not-so-regular and really cool cover with ReVamp Magazine. 

Hi there Charlie. Thank you for joining us on ReVamp! How are you doing? 

I’m really excited to be talking about Mean Girls, I think it’s a very special show. I’m so excited for people to see it!

First of all, huge congratulations on your involvement in the West End musical production of 'Mean Girls'. What a fantastic feat! 

Kindly walk me through the initial audition process for you. Do you remember meeting your co-stars for the first time? 

When I found out that Mean Girls was coming to the West End, I flipped! I knew how much of a hit it was on Broadway and so I had the soundtrack playing nonstop that week. 

Once my agent told me I had an audition for Cady, I got so excited! I had an instant connection to Cady once I read the script. I had this feeling that I would be having so much fun no matter how long or short my journey would be with Mean Girls, and so far, I have been right.

In my auditions, the creative team were so supportive. I remember loving every minute and feeling free to make whatever choices I wanted. 

I had about 5 auditions for Cady in total all with a revolving door of theatre friends who usually look exactly like you waiting to make their mark in the room. However, I remember so vividly bumping into an old childhood friend in the waiting area during one of the audition days. 

I knew from the second I saw him and we both had a squeak and a hug that he was destined to play Damien. To me, I could see no one else master that role as beautifully as him… and so of course, Tom Xander booked the job.

By the final audition, only a handful of us had turned up, all with the same exact same time slot. I had a good feeling in that audition but that didn’t stop me from feeling physically sick while we all waited by the phone to hear back about the job from Tina Fey! 

Were you a fan of the original movie growing up or were you introduced to the world of 'Mean Girls' at a later stage in your life? 

I don’t remember a time where Mean Girls wasn’t a part of my life. I quote the original movie daily. I think it’s one of those really special movies that the whole family can sit down to watch, because it caters to humour of all ages. 

So it’s a movie you can continue to grow with, you can watch it after a breakup, or at a sleepover with your friends or even while you’re cleaning your house- it’s a source of comfort for so many. 

Being someone who did not personify this role in the previous adaptations of the source material, do you think there was something that you learnt more about Cady now that you had an opportunity to embody her and be in her shoes for the first time; perhaps something you might not have noticed about her while watching the movies and previous musicals? 

I think that when you are a fan of the movie, you already have favourite moments and characters that you cling to for sure. I definitely have a huge love for the Plastics so I found myself not truly knowing who Cady was once I’d started to do my character research properly. 

It’s actually quite a gift to be able to almost strip everything back and treat your character prep like you’re starting from scratch so it was a little harder this time around because I knew Lindsay’s interpretation so well. I think that we can all learn so much from Cady, she loves boldly and without fear and trusts very freely. 

As she was homeschooled and therefore quite isolated- I wanted this Cady to be a reflection of who we were as young children. No insecurities, no tip-toeing around social norms so that she can act like a mirror for the other characters' absurdity.

Is there still any aspect of Cady that you would like to delve into and explore more about if given an opportunity? 

I’d love a spin off with Cady’s life in Kenya, before she and her mum moved to America. I just think that Zoë Rainey, who plays Ms Heron/Ms George/Ms Norbury, is stupidly brilliant and remarkably funny in this show. I always find myself wanting more scenes for her characters. You know an actor is special when they leave you wanting to see more. I think a small slice of life about Cady’s time growing up in Africa will be really interesting. 

Talk to me more about your preparation for this particular character. Was there ever any specific acting ritual you immersed yourself into in order to get into the mindset of Cady before going onstage? 

For starters, Cady is a huge singer so I made sure to see a great teacher- Mark Meylan, who could ensure I was being as safe as possible. I tried to sing through the score a few times a day for a couple weeks in the lead up to rehearsals. 

I had a feeling that the show would change a lot throughout rehearsals so I tried to be off book for day one so I’d have the freedom to workshop if we wanted to do that. 

But mostly I’ve just done so much research- it’s actually very Cady Heron coded of me. I’ve got this huge 50 page document on my laptop about all things Mean Girls! No amount of prep is too much prep right…?! 

What has been your favourite track either performing or listening to within this project? I know we have some novel collection of songs in this musical production so is there any particular track that stands out for you personally? 

Anything Elena Skye sings or does as Janis in this show- she is a true powerhouse!! The first time we rehearsed 'I’d Rather Be Me' was jaw dropping. The room went silent and we all had a collective moment of appreciation for I think each other and what that song represents.

For me, I’d Rather Be Me is the true core of what Mean Girls is all about- staying true to yourself no matter what. Life is too short, you have to live with you and you alone for all of it, you may as well love who you are warts and all. 

Did you face any challenges while trying to portray Cady or were there any obstacles you encountered in the production generally?  

Cady is such a huge singer so I was already a bit nervous about that. Even though I spent the last year working with Disney on their Disney100- The Concert, celebrating 100 years of Disney Magic. Before that, I’d been singing soprano for years. 

I wanted to make sure I was being healthy but also creating the right sound for a show as contemporary and rocky as this one. On top of that, the song got bigger and bigger throughout rehearsals. 

Jeff Richmond- our composer wanted to make Cady have more leading lady moments throughout and so usually that means very high notes and lots of them!! So trying to find a way to build my stamina up to what the role now demands on top of rehearsing has been challenging but so worth it. 

Did you take any sort of inspirations from your predecessors Lindsay Lohan and Angourie Rice who played the same character before you? Or was your research and inspiration based solely on the source material? 

Yes, of course. Lindsay and Angourie are the most beautiful Cadys. They both find a way to make her so relatable and funny whilst keeping very grounded and rooted in reality at the same time. 

Although I think I’ve made this Cady my own, of course, I have paid homage to the iconic women who have helped make this franchise such a success. 

The previews for the musical have already established such a massively positive review about you and your co-stars' performance. There hasn't been one critical review that I have encountered about this musical so far. Way to go! 

How are you enjoying this immensely positive reception you are currently garnering on the previews as well as this production's initial run? 

Thank you so much- we’re having an amazing time and I cannot wait for everyone to see the show. 

Tickets for Mean Girls (Based on the book by Tina Fey/Directed by Casey Nicholaw/Producers- Lorne Michaels, Sonia Friedman Productions, and Crossroads Live) can be found here. (Opens Tonight!)