Mean Girls ★★★★★ Savoy Theatre | Until February 16, 2025


The subject of two popular teenage films is now back as a musical. For those who may have been living on some remote part of the planet, the premise is quite simple. Cady, who has been homeschooled in Africa by her scientist mother, returns to the real jungle of an American high school to pursue her studies. In this new environment, she discovers that the apex predator is Regina, who with her followers, Gretchen and Karen, form a clique called The Plastics. These disciples of the credo "More is Better" dominate the school's social life. Cady is at first accepted by this shallow trio, but later plots to undermine Regina, and unsurprisingly this plan results in some unexpected consequences. The moral of the story is that we are all insecure and thus vulnerable to the beguiling call of popularity and power. We need to learn to accept ourselves and to be kind to others. Writer, Tina Fey, has written some great lines, and this is a piece that never takes itself too seriously, mocking not only the adolescent agony story, but also the conventions of the musical format itself. There are lots of knowing asides and the setup of the narrative as a cautionary tale nicely establishes the wry tone. The running commentary by the outsiders, Janis and Damian, cleverly both distances the audience from the situation and makes us feel like insiders to the high school experience. And, the number, "Where Do You Belong?" with its innovative use of cafeteria trays is a simply brilliant parody of a Busby-Berkeley-style showstopper. As Cady, Charlie Burn is terrific as the naïve young interloper who discovers her own vulnerabilities. It is no small feat to play the straight person in face of the wonderfully over-the-top performances of Georgina Castle as the evil Regina, Grace Mouat as the dim Karen, Tom Xander as the super-gay Damian and as Elèna Gyasi as the gossipy Gretchen. The video design of Finn Ross and Adam Young creates ingeniously colourful and cartoonish sets which perfectly match the exaggerated tone of the piece and really elevate the production. The gang who knows to wear pink will love this show, but there's also a lot of fun here for those who may be meeting the mean girls for the first time.

Rated: ★★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Brinkhoff/Mögenburg

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Map & Location: Savoy Ct, Strand, London WC2R 0ET, UK

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