Comedy great Tina Fey’s famous project is long-lived: a film in 2004, then a musical, then another film, and now the show finally arriving in London. A lot of time and care has been taken over every aspect of this polished project. And there’s a lot of praise to give, not least to Fey’s own book for the show.
As everyone attending knows, this is the story of Cady, who moves from Africa to America, meeting then defeating the schools ‘Plastics’ clique, while secretly befriending then betraying her less popular friends. The knowing tone of Mean Girls makes the school drama funny; it’s a satire of a coming-of-age show and, after so long, kind of a satire of itself. If it’s hard to fall for how nice or how nasty everyone is, the show has lots of fun with the idea of teen troubles.
The humour is ribald, approaching edgy, but there are healthy and wholesome messages. Cady’s friends Janis and Damian have expanded roles, making charismatic narrators with plenty of good lines. They oversee the telling of this “cautionary tale” and Janis gets the show’s best song. They are great roles for Elena Skye and Tom Xander who end up, almost, stealing the show.
It isn’t quite clear if we’re in 2004 or the present day (there probably aren’t enough mobile phones) and it’s hard not to wonder if pointing out changes since the movie might have been interesting. Is it me or do Gen Z just seem… nicer? But Fey’s updating is light, a politic move, and that’s not what’s on offer. Instead, this is very much the movie on stage, albeit with catchy songs and great lyrics.
The music by Jeff Richmond is, appropriately, high drama. It’s a nice surprise that the score isn’t just pop songs – I couldn’t help thinking of James Bond themes! It’s fun and varied if maybe not particularly memorable. Nell Benjamin’s lyrics, from smart to just silly (“like a lioness with less fur” really tickled me) are consistently impressive. Extra marks for getting maths involved! Casey Nicholaw’s choreography, with school desks and benches galore, is, like his direction, full of invention and detail.
Unfortunately, the show is a little stronger than the performances on offer – some of the lyrics are hard to hear (a real shame). And while the characters are called iconic, they come across bland, despite the efforts of Georgina Castle, Elèna Gyasi, and Charlie Burn. Only Grace Mouat stands out through strong comic skills. It’s hard to say how much impact this has. We hear all the famous lines, and the show has plenty of happy customers. There’s so little to complain about with Mean Girls, it’s impossible to be nasty about it.
Booking until February 2025
www.london.meangirlsmusical.com
Photos by Brinkhoff & Moegenburg
