TUTS Humphreys School Alum, Armani Brown Shining Bright as MEAN GIRLS Comes to the Hobby Center
MEAN GIRLS performances will run January 28 through February 9, 2025
MEET ARMANI BROWN:
TUTS Humphreys School of Musical Theatre alum Armani Brown, who is making his Broadway National Tour debut in the Ensemble of Mean Girls, was last seen on the TUTS stage in 2024’s acclaimed production of Disney’s Newsies.
1. How long ago were you in the Humphreys School, and what prompted you to participate with the organization? I joined the Humphreys School my sophomore year in high school in 2017. I decided to participate after doing my first musical (Once On This Island), the previous year at my school, G.W. Carver High School. Doing my first musical and engaging with the Tommy Tune Awards sparked a passion for musical theatre. So, my mom and I wanted to seek musical theatre training and I landed at TUTS’ Humphrey’s School of Musical Theatre!
2. After you left there, what happened next? After graduating in 2020, I pursued my BFA at Sam Houston State University!
3. Being back in Houston, how do you feel being onstage at the Hobby Center? It feels so surreal to come back and perform on a stage that’s granted me so many opportunities and experiences. Especially because this time around I’m on my first Broadway national tour. These are moments that me and my HSMT classmates used to dream about! I’ve made so many memories and friendships at the Hobby, I’m so glad to be able to bring this show and this new experience home to Houston and the Hobby Center!
4. Do you have any advice for up and coming performers? Trust your instincts and go for what it is you want and have a passion for. Don’t let others’ opinions make you shy away from doing whatever it is that you want to do!
ABOUT MEAN GIRLS AT TUTS:
The record-breaking new musical comedy, adapted from the hit Paramount Pictures film, will run January 28 through February 9. Mean Girls opened on Broadway in April 2018 to rave reviews at the August Wilson Theatre, following its world premiere at the National Theatre in Washington, DC, in the fall of 2017.
The story is about Cady Heron, who may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.
Mean Girls features a book by nine-time Emmy Award® winner Tina Fey, based on her screenplay for the film; music by three-time Emmy Award® winner Jeff Richmond; lyrics by two-time Tony Award® nominee Nell Benjamin; and original direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award® winner Casey Nicholaw.
“Mean Girls is the perfect blend of razor-sharp humor and infectious music,” said TUTS Artistic Director Dan Knechtges. “It’s a hilarious and wildly entertaining look at friendship, self-discovery, and figuring out where you belong—and Houston audiences are going to have an absolute blast!”
The tour features Katie Yeomans as “Cady Heron,” Maya Petropoulos as “Regina George,” Kristen Amanda Smith as “Gretchen Wieners,” MaryRose Brendel as “Karen Smith,” Alexys Morera as “Janis Sarkisian,” Joshua Morrisey as “Damian Hubbard,” José Raúl as “Aaron Samuels”, Kabir Gandhi as “Kevin G,” Kristen Seggio as “Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George,” and Tym Brown as “Mr. Duvall.”
The cast also includes Megan Arseneau, Thalia Atallah, Gino Bloomberg, Armani Brown, Connor Buonaccorsi, Paloma D’Auria, Kayla Goins, Owen Kent Ing, Tay Marquise, Brandon Moreno, Michael Mottram, Kevin Ivey Morrison, Emma X. O’Loughlin, Lucy Rhoades, Ariel Shani, and Jocelyn Darci Trimmer.
Tickets are on sale now at TUTS.com, Theatre Under The Stars box office (800 Bagby St.), or by calling 713-558-8887.
ABOUT THE HUMPHREYS SCHOOL:
The Humphreys School is the premiere education program for aspiring professional musical theater students. Welcoming more than 800 students annually, the program offers an unparalleled opportunity: the chance to audition and perform in TUTS’ mainstage productions. Alumni include celebrated performers like Sadie Sink, Mallory Bechtel, Trey Curtis, Kevin Cahoon, and Chandra Wilson.
More information: Visit www.MeanGirlsOnTour.com, or follow the Mean Girls Tour on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok.
Photos courtesy of TUTS