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★★★★
Mean Girls is one of those coming-of-age films that most people my age could quote from start to finish and it has turned into a cult hit for a generation. It was adapted into a rock musical by Tina Fey (book), Nell Benjamin (lyrics), and Jeff Richmond (music) and premiered in the US in 2017, before finally making its way to the West End in 2024/2025. Following the West End closure, a 2026 UK and Ireland tour was announced and excitingly for Kent audiences, a week of performances was scheduled for the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury. Mean Girls The Musical opened its doors in the county this week and I had the opportunity to review the show on press night. To quote the character Gretchen Wieners, this production is “so fetch”, and the changes for the tour made this a much more engaging production for me.
About the show
Mean Girls The Musical follows the story of Cady Heron, who has recently relocated from Kenya to Illinois and is dropped head first into high school culture with its cliques and social hierarchy. Unlike the film, Janis and Damian are in some ways intermittent narrators, introducing audiences to this “cautionary tale” set at North Shore. The pair break the fourth wall, and it’s a fun way to frame the narrative that audiences will have likely watched on film multiple times. Through dialogue, original songs and high energy choreography, we follow the fateful story of the students at the fictional Illinois high school. Musical highlights include ‘Revenge Party’, ‘Apex Predator’ and ‘I See Stars’ to name but a few songs.
Set design
Having watched Mean Girls in London last year, one of my biggest issues with the West End production was the prominence of a digital screen and associated video design. Whilst it paved the way for some really innovative and dynamic backdrop work, in my opinion the reliance on this extensive screen sometimes made the Savoy Theatre stage seem sparse. The removal of these screens for the tour made such a difference to my own appreciation of this piece of theatre. Even though this version of Mean Girls is set in the present day, given its cult following, in my opinion the musical needs to still retain an element of nostalgia. Physical backdrops go a long way to generating this feeling on stage, from the classrooms of North Shore to the shopping mall and Regina’s house.
Energy and pacing
This production is a jam-packed rollercoaster through the events of one particular school year and the company gives it their all, bringing to life some incredibly lively musical numbers and choreography sequences. Faye Tozer tremendously plays Ms Heron, Ms Norbury and Mrs George and has to exit the stage and reenter as a different character in mere seconds, forming one example of how the creative team throws everything at the 2 hours 30 minutes running time.
With high energy typically comes fast pacing and this is where the production falls slightly short for me. There isn’t quite enough time to process or fully react to the chaos and hilarity on stage, at times impacting the intensity of audience reactions to the iconic lines. A slightly slower approach to scene changes and embracing natural pauses in the material would give the show more time to breathe.
One for the nineties and noughties kids
Fun, nostalgic and ideal for a theatre trip with friends, Mean Girls The Musical might not be a game changing new piece of theatre, but it comes complete with the iconic characters, memorable quotes that everybody knows and some really strong cast performances. Sophie Pourret’s portrayal of Karen Smith and Georgie Buckland’s Janis Sarkisian were standout elements, breathing new life into the characters and deserving every applause. I am so pleased that I had the opportunity to give this show a second chance, as it ended up being a much more enjoyable piece of theatre this time around. The musical is at the Marlowe Theatre until Saturday 8th August, with last minute tickets available via the venue’s website.
*My ticket for Mean Girls The Musical was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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