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.
Beyond the successful recycling of 14-year-old jokes, the other good news about Fey and Richmond's first joint Broadway effort is that her characters need to sing. The angst, joy and fear on display are big in a very hormonal teenager kind of way. 'Mean Girls,' unlike its first cousin 'Legally Blonde,' finds the necessary volume to justify breaking into song, whether those songs are about the despair of being an outsider or falling in love with a photo of the Wham!-era George Michael. These are the early traumatic experiences of life that stick in your memory much longer than passing the bar exam or applying for social security. If only Fey's springboard of a book had inspired more memorable, distinctive songs. A few hit the mark: 'I See Stars' delivers chewable bubblegum and 'What's Wrong With Me?' is a poignant lament from Gretchen, the most insecure of the Plastics. And when the group's nasty leader, Regina, seeks revenge on her new turncoat friend Cady, 'Watch the World Burn' turns up the heat.
In setting this 'cautionary tale' to music, Fey and lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) have more latitude to explore the internal lives of these now-iconic characters. Though Henningsen's Cady is more broadly naive than the one originated by Lindsay Lohan, her earnest vocals bring a quality of sweetness to numbers like 'Stupid In Love' - in which Cady professes her equal devotion to math and her new crush Aaron Samuels (Kyle Selig). Henningsen finds her character's edge by her fifth number, 'Apex Predator' - a rocking tribute to Regina's top-of-the-food-chain status, and the reveal of Cady's primal desire to be popular. 'What's Wrong With Me?' shows poor Gretchen Wieners - played with a perfect mix of comic anxiety and melancholy by Ashley Park - in a rare moment of reflection: 'Where is my mind? Where does it end? Maybe I need to find a better friend?'
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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