From the mind of Tina Fey, MEAN GIRLS is a ferociously funny musical about the wild dangers of high school. From an award-winning creative team, including book-writer Fey, director Casey Nicholaw, composer Jeff Richmond, lyricist Nell Benjamin, experience the iconic humor in a new, unimaginable way.
Cady Heron may have grown up in African, but nothing prepared her for the vicious predators of her high school hallways. By taking on Regina George, the queen bee of the terrifying clique known as The Plastics, Cady learns that being popular is not the same as being loved.
MEAN GIRLS gets to the hilarious heart of what it means to be a true friend, a worthy nemesis, and above all, a human being.
Where Mean Girls glows most is in the spotlight it shines on its cast. Taylor Louderman is sensational as the blackhearted Regina, fearsome leader of the queen-beeyatch trio known as the Plastics. (Richmond gives her brassy, Bond-villain musical themes.) Flanking her are the manically insecure Gretchen (Ashley Park, her confusion infused with real feeling) and the chipper, empty-headed Karen (an extremely funny Kate Rockwell, with a tottering walk and a face like a blank check); on the opposite side of the cafeteria battlefield are the gothy 'art freak' Janis (Barrett Wilbert Weed, a rich presence and powerhouse vocalist) and the brightly flaming Damian (Grey Henson, whose second-act tap number, 'Stop,' does exactly that to the show). Mean Girls's gospel of female self-actualization is borne out in the platform it provides for some of the most exciting young performers in musical theater. They bring a lot to the cafeteria table.
Despite vibrant performances from a uniformly talented cast, the show drags, especially in the first act when I found myself eyeing my watch like a kid dying for the bell to ring. And the music, by Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond, is repetitive and not particularly memorable. Director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw wrings everything he can from his cast, most notably from Barrett Wilbert Weed and Grey Henson, as the outcasts who take Cady under their wing. Taylor Louderman's Regina George, leader of the alpha pack known as The Plastics, shrewdly calculates every move as the cruel queen bee. And her partners in crime, Ashley Park as the eager-to-please Gretchen and Kate Rockwell as the dim Karen, are fun to watch as they flounce about in Gregg Barnes' over-the-top costumes.
2017 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
National Theatre World Premiere Washington, DC (Regional) |
2018 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2021 | US Tour |
First National Tour US Tour |
2023 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
2024 | West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Tina Fey |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Tina Fey |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Gregg Barnes |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Grey Henson |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ashley Park |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Kate Rockwell |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Nell Benjamin |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Mean Girls |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Projection Design | Finn Ross |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair | Josh Marquette |
2018 | Drama Desk Awards | The LaDuca Award for Outstanding Choreography | Casey Nicholaw |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Ashley Park |
2018 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Taylor Louderman |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Taylor Louderman |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Erika Henningsen |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Tina Fey |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Kerry Butler |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Ashley Park |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Mean Girls |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Projection Design | Finn Ross |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Tina Fey |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Casey Nicholaw |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Gregg Barnes |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Casey Nicholaw |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Mean Girls |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | John Clancy |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Nell Benjamin |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Grey Henson |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Ashley Park |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Taylor Louderman |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Scott Pask |
2018 | Tony Awards | Best Sound Design of a Musical | Brian Ronan |
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