Graduate of Shawnee Mission West has a sweet take on Broadway hit ‘Mean Girls’

Eric Huffman is getting paid to hang out with some really mean girls.

Huffman, a 2008 graduate of Shawnee Mission West, has been traveling the country since August in the national tour of the Broadway musical “Mean Girls: The Musical.” Huffman plays Damian Hubbard in the show, created and written by actress and comedian Tina Fey. The musical is based on the 2004 film, which Fey also wrote.

It focuses on high school with its cliques, love stories, friendships and drama. Huffman’s character Hubbard is described as friendly, funny and flamboyant.

Huffman had his eye on the play before it hit the Big Apple.

“I first saw ‘Mean Girls’ before it went to Broadway in its Washington D.C. tryout, and I knew watching the show that I would love to take a stab at Damian,” Huffman said. “I’ve had my eyes on the role ever since, and it finally worked out this time around for the tour.”

Huffman auditioned for “Mean Girls,” but connections he made while performing in the national tour of the musical “The Book of Mormon” helped pave the way.

“I was in ‘Mormon’ in various capacities for almost seven years; six years on the road, and a year in New York playing keyboards for the show,” said Huffman. “I was in ‘Mormon’ when the ‘Mean Girls’ opportunity came up. It has many of the same creative team members, so they were already familiar with my work ethic and what I can do. That definitely helps. It’s a lot nicer to walk into an audition room and see a few friendly faces.”

During his time in “The Book of Mormon,” Huffman played eight different roles “and I understudied and performed Elder McKinley many times as well,” he said.

A 2012 graduate of the esteemed University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Huffman cut his performing chops as a youth right here in the Kansas City area. He trained for hours in dance and voice at Miller Marley School of Dance and Voice. At Shawnee Mission West, Huffman was active in choir and the local thespian troupe.

“Laura VanLeeuwen was a brilliant teacher there,” Huffman said. “I studied piano with Roxie Hammill, who set me up very well musically.”

Huffman spent the majority of his time outside of school performing in shows at Theatre in the Park and with Musical Theatre for Young People (now MTKC).

“My biggest highlight at (Theatre in the Park) was playing Peter Pan in “Peter Pan,” an experience I am still fond of,” he said.

His experience in growing up in the Kansas City arts community has paid off for Huffman.

“I was doing five shows a year for all of middle school and high school, if not more. I didn’t realize how lucky we were,” he said. “When I got to college, I remember some of my classmates being excited that they had done five or 10 shows in their whole lives. I think that experience is valuable training that really pays off in the long run.”

These days, Huffman lives out of a suitcase as he traverses the country in the “Mean Girls” tour. Huffman said life on the road is an adventure.

“You don’t realize how many things you take for granted in your everyday life when you are staying in one place,” he said. “Things like where you will do laundry next. It can be mentally exhausting having to learn the ins and outs of a new city every week. Not to mention not being near friends and family.”

Technology helps Huffman keep up with friends and loved ones.

Lenexa where his parents, Debbie and Jeff Huffman, live is still his home. And his parents are Huffman’s biggest fans.

“There seems to be one adventure after another as his career evolves and we are delighted to know what joy this brings him,” Debbie Huffman said. “It has been great seeing so much of the country together when we visit him on tour stops. We just can’t wait to see what happens next.”

It’s difficult for Huffman to come back home for visits due to the unpredictable nature of professional theater.

“I love Kansas City,” Huffman said. “Sometimes I’ll make it home every six months. Sometimes it can be years apart.”

Regardless, family and friends have traveled near and far to see Huffman on the road. When the “Mean Girls” tour stopped in Des Moines, several longtime friends made the three-hour trek up I-35 to see Huffman in the show. Those traveling to see Huffman included his high school Spanish teacher, Fabiola Herdoiza, and her husband Brian Wendling. The couple has been to all of Huffman’s college performances as well as many of his professional shows.

Currently, Kansas City is not a stop for Huffman’s “Mean Girls” tour.

“We only have a schedule for the first year of the tour (but) my fingers are crossed that it will be coming soon.”

This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Graduate of Shawnee Mission West has a sweet take on Broadway hit ‘Mean Girls’."