WISCONSIN — In true high school fashion, getting "Mean Girls" to Wisconsin didn't happen without a few bumps in the road. Fear not, after a run-in with COVID-19, the iconic musical is finally coming to Wisconsin.

Yes, "fetch" is going to happen.

The iconic movie-turned-Broadway hit makes its 2022 Wisconsin debut on Jan. 25 at the Marcus Center for Performing Arts. It's bringing Wisconsin native and ensemble member Sydney Mei Ruf-Wong, with it.

Ruf-Wong hails from Platteville and started performing right here in Wisconsin, graduating from UW Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts. And according to a fellow cast member, she'll be putting those skills to good use during the show's Wisconsin runs.

Lawrence Street, who plays Mr. Duvall, said one of the most unexpected surprises audiences can expect will catch them off guard even if they've seen the movie countless times.

"We have an amazing, amazing dancing ensemble, and any of the fun moments with Regina in school, they get highlighted and blown up into these amazing production numbers. And we have a male ensemble doing kind of hip hop, and really modern moves that you would see, you know, in music videos," he said. "It's not traditional theater dance, it's contemporary, you know, street dance, a lot of it. And that's really exciting."

Another "wow" factor is the technical aspects of the show. A full-stage LED screen backdrops the show that literally lights up the performance venue. "Mean Girls" tours with its own crew, but then hires additional local crew members for each stop.

Including the 16-person cast, "Mean Girls" travels with roughly 60 people. A lot of effort goes into ensuring everyone stays healthy: They also travel with a COVID Response Team.

Street said, because of the spread of the omicron variant, everyone who works on the show gets tested for COVID-19 every day.

"Our producers and our COVID team have thought it was safer for us to stay ahead of anything that might come up to test us every day," Street said.

That's how they caught the cases within the group so quickly, and while many are sad to have to wait to see the show in Appleton and Madison, Street knows it's for the best. Because they postponed those two stops, they were able to hit the road again quickly. Safety for cast, crew and audiences is the producers' priority.

Caring for others is the message at the heart of the show.

"This message of, ultimately, we want to be confident people within ourselves. And then when we are liking ourselves better, we will probably treat other people better," Street said. "It lives throughout the show, but not in like a corny way. But you come through it and kind of go, 'Yeah, you know, we could all stand to be a little nicer to each other.'"

That's what local leaders want audiences to take away from the show, too, especially kids and teens.

All three Wisconsin venues hosting "Mean Girls," Marcus Center, Overture Center for the Arts and Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, have come together to empower teens in honor of the show.

The three organizations are hosting a webinar for high school students on Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. called "Pink is Powerful," in hopes to teach teens to "embrace their strengths and be true to themselves."

“It’s easy to think of the show as just another teenage coming of age story. In truth, this is a story told by five nuanced and strong female characters,” said Karra Beach, director of broadway engagement programs at Overture. “That’s not something you often see in a musical, and we thought it was worth talking about.”

Kendra Whitlock Ingram, president and CEO of the Marcus Center, will moderate a panel comprised of cast members from the show. Ruf-Wong will be one of the panelists, giving back to her own community, teaching young people how to "lead like a boss."

"We're talking about, you know, being able to make those tough choices to follow your dreams and be your own person, and how important it is to draw power and support each other as we go through our various journeys." Fox Cities PAC president Maria Van Laanen said. "And you know, just how to be a good ally, both for yourself and for those around you."

Being a good ally for yourself is something both the show and the panel want to drive home.

"It's also really important that we're allies for ourselves, and that we show ourselves some compassion, and give ourselves some time to process and heal. So I hope that it helps... the students find that it deepens the connections within their communities, and helps them have that passion and forgiveness for themselves as much as they do for their closest friends, Van Laanen said.

Students anywhere in the state can register for the webinar, here.

"Mean Girls" runs at the Marcus Center for Performing Arts in Milwaukee from Jan. 25 - 30. Click here for more info.

"Mean Girls" runs at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison from Aug. 30 - Sept. 4. Click here for more info.

"Mean Girls" will run at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton the week of Aug. 22. Click here for more info.