Mean Girls the musical has hit the west end and it is fetch at the Savoy Theatre, London with a perfect high energy cast and staging that transports the audience into the world of the plastics at North Shore High. Starring Georgina Castle, Charlie Burn, Elena Gyasi, Grace Mouat and Elena Skye as the leads. The story follows Cady Heron (Charlie Burns) who has been home schooled moving to Illinois and suddenly being thrust into high school. She meets Janice (Elena Skye) and Damian (Tom Xander) who show her around the school and introduce Cady to the cliques, where she meets the plastics (Georgina Castle, Elena Gyasi, Grace Mouat). Cady loses her way and becomes embroiled in the social scene of the plastics and topples Regina George at the top of the food chain.
The original film from 2004 starring Linsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Tina Fey, has embedded itself within popular culture and makes itself known in many culture references. I was sceptical after watching the 2024 musical film version adapted from the 2018 Broadway version of Mean Girls. I was curious how the film would translate to the stage as it didn’t quite work in the musical film. I was pleasantly surprised, I thoroughly enjoyed the show that was one scene after another of high energy song, dancing and acting that made the whole performance superb. The story and dialogue is fairly the same for the stage show with minor changes to how scenes are transitioned, but doesn’t vary in terms of story. The cast was perfect that embodied each character with strong vocals.
My favourite musical numbers include Meet the plastics, World Burn and Apex Predator. What was particularly strong was the staging and how this was integrated into the choreography from moving from one classroom to another during Cady’s first day and the Meet the Plastics in the school cafeteria. The way the tables moved with the students seated and also helped change the scenery was clever and this created the dramatic entrance of the plastics with Regina George standing on top of the table. This is then mirrored later on when Cady replaces Regina as the Queen of the school and the plastics. The use of the background screen to transition the scenes and the use of the moving props was effective. The way that Regina’s downfall and Cady’s rise is portrayed through costume changes and music was clever and I enjoyed how the show portrayed certain iconic scenes like Regina being hit by a bus and her Christmas costume mishap from her gaining weight. While keeping in some of the original jokes and modernising a few to fit a more contemporary audience, Tina Fey has created something that can easily be relatable to audiences of all ages. In school and society there will always be cliques and power struggles that almost everyone watching may have experienced in the past. I think if the 2024 film didn’t exist I would have been more surprised at the songs and the staging, which spoilt the experience slightly.
Overall, an entertaining and high energy performance that fans of the original film will love and will draw in new audiences. I loved the staging, costumes and choreography that captured the film’s essence. I recommend this as a must see for fans of musical theatre and Mean Girls.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and is currently querying literary agents with her Pirates of the Caribbean inspired debut fantasy novel. For more content click here to read book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey.
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