'Mean Girls' Musical hits Plaza Theatre, Atlanta native Joseph Torres excited for debut
Atlanta native Joseph Torres is excited to be in his first major musical, "Mean Girls," which will perform Friday through Sunday, April 5-7, at the Plaza Theatre. The show is part of the Broadway in El Paso series.
Torres plays the affable Aaron Samuels and the guy and the cause of the mayhem between mean girl and ex Regina George and newbie Cady Heron.
"Mean Girls is huge. It came out when I was in high school and I remember when it came out, listening to it. It is the most fun show, with the most insane vocals. So I was super excited to see it for one and I just wanted a chance to work with an incredible creative team and have fun with the great young cast that we have," he said.
He said he loves the role he plays and the musical, based on the original movie by Tina Fey, is so relatable to everyone. There's an archetype for everyone who has been to high school.
"I love that he is just starkly kind and himself. He doesn't change no matter who's he around and prioritizes being a good person first, which is uncommon in this world. It's fun and refreshing to do every day," he said.
Torres, who focused on performing at the University of Miami, has learned a lot being on tour since September. After college, he got a job performing Jukebox musicals on a cruise ship for nine months before landing the national tour.
The show is two and a half hours long, so Torres has had to learn how to stay healthy and adjust to different climates in each city they go to.
"Different climates affect your voice and your body. I've learned a lot about self care and making sure that I can do the show every night," he said, adding that he makes sure to find a gym to work out and reset his body.
The audiences have been great and a good mix of families, dates and women out for the night.
"The audiences are awesome because (the movie) spans 20 years. It started in 2004 and had a revival when the musical came out in 2018 and now the movie that came out this year. So we have a huge net audience to reach — all the millennial moms who can bond with it and their children now.
"It's a pretty fun show so there's always great reaction," he said.
And then there's the incredible music numbers.
"I love "Revenge Party," it's super fun and kind of went viral on TikTok for a while. I also love "Where You Belong." It's a very musical theater, kind of Busby Berkley homage, very old Hollywood in this 2010 high school world. It's a huge crowd pleaser."
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María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com and @EPTMaria on Twitter, and eptmariacg on TikTok.
Make plans:
What: "Mean Girls"
When: 8 p.m. Friday, April 5, and 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 6.
Where: Plaza Theatre.
Tickets: $31 to $85, plus fees, available at Ticketmaster.com
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 'Mean Girls' Musical opens at Plaza Theatre in El Paso this weekend
