Review
Review
Review: Mean Girls
The snarky, sparkly musical at the Savoy Theatre elevates everything there is to love about the original film
“Be a good person!” beams the digital set of Mean Girls as the curtain falls at the Savoy Theatre. It’s not a subtle moral – can any moral displayed on an enormous screen at the end of a musical be subtle? – but subtlety isn’t something that the Mean Girls musical is particularly interested in. Mean Girls is maximalism – over the top personalities, hilariously overly-confessional songs, and a very, very clear message. Regina George and Karen Smith aren’t just mean and dumb – they’re the meanest, the dumbest. When Gretchen Wieners feels inadequate, she doesn’t warble her way through some allegorical ballad – she stands onstage and belts “What’s wrong with me?” directly into the audience. And Mean Girls doesn’t just want you to think twice about the way you treat people. It wants you to not be a dickhead.
Tina Fey’s original 2004 film set itself apart because, unlike many other teen comedies of the era, it made this heavy-handedness funny whilst still hanging onto a lot of genuine heart. The mean girl trio befriending the awkward outsider was not a new concept – neither was the idea that teenage girls are actually pretty awful to each other, if allowed to be. The musical also doesn’t pretend that any of this is groundbreaking. Instead, it lets itself be enjoyed for what it is: a slick, sharp teen comedy, loveable in its absurdity, with an important (if obvious) lesson.
The Mean Girls musical is more than just a rehashing of the film, though. The cast don’t just impersonate the movie characters – they reimagine them. Georgina Castle’s Regina isn’t serene cold – she’s vicious, with a barely stable undertone. Charlie Burn’s Cady has a nasty streak she has to consciously reject. One of the most refreshing changes is Elena Skye’s Janis and her overt queerness, a rewriting that allows for a far more painful backstory and a reinforced hatred of Regina George. Her showstopping number ‘I’d Rather Be Me’ is the show’s standout, a joyful celebration of individuality and authenticity.
With Fey’s fingerprints all over it, it’s unsurprising that Mean Girls has one of the funniest books of anything on the West End right now, holding onto many of the best jokes from the film and adding many, many more. Janis and Damian act as our guides through the story – an excellent choice of framing device that gives double act Elena Skye and Tom Xander plenty to play with. With an infectious, pop-influenced soundtrack and an outpouring of love for its audience, Mean Girls has established itself as one of the most feel-good nights out in London.
Find tickets for Mean Girls here
