Mean Girls, the 2017 musical adaptation of one of the most quotable and iconic films of the 21^st century, has opened at Manchester’s Opera House as part of its first U.K. tour, bringing enough of the sharp one-liners from screenwriter Tina Fey to keep purists satisfied but ultimately lacking in production value to be totally fetch. 

Mean Girls follows socially inept Cady Heron (Emily Lane) who, fresh from being home-schooled by her mum in Africa, takes on the high school  hierarchy in an attempt for everyone to like her, losing herself along the way on her cautionary tale- dethroning lead ‘plastic’, Regina George (Vivian Panka) as queen of the beasts… 

The entire cast bring a freshness to the characters so synonymous with the film, and I have no doubt that, as the tour progresses, they will truly make them their own. Standout performances come from Lane, who leads the company with gusto and versatility, and Georgie Buckland as Janis who steals the show with her dry wit and powerful vocals in, I’d Rather Be Me.  When the characters are so well written and celebrated, it would be difficult to not feel pressured to do them justice, especially with Karen Smith (Sophie Pourret) and Damian Hubbard (Max Gill). However, both characters are in safe hands and bring heart and humour to the hallowed halls of North Shore High. 

With direction and choreography from Casey Nicholaw, music from Jeff Richmond, lyrics from Nell Benjamin and the book by Fey, on paper, this powerhouse team of creatives should be enough to create a musical that will live on alongside other incredible movie-to-stage adaptations such as Legally Blonde, 9 to 5 and more recently, Death Becomes Her. Sadly, even with the catchy musical numbers, insane vocals and witty book, the design of the production is lacklustre and leaves it feeling in need of a  Kälteen Bar to give it a little sustenance. At its worst, it ironically borders on high-school production value. 

Straying away from the incredible video design in the original production was inevitably going to be a risk- limiting distractions and forcing the material to vie for its crown- but with a musical like Mean Girls, less is certainly not more. What it lacks visually ultimately isn’t stimulating enough to maintain focus when a lack of clear sound design leaves scenes and/or transitions hanging in dead air. The simpler set does, however, provide a playground of space for Nicholaw’s high-energy choreography, and it is refreshing to see a far from minimal and diverse cast on stage. That being said, poor lighting design often makes scenes feel drab- blurring  the maximalist efforts of the cast and material, making it that bit harder to feel as sharp as its predecessor. I never thought I’d say this about a musical in 2026, but please- bring back the screens. 

Mean Girls is truly a great musical by definition, but this touring production is not like a cool show, it’s a regular show- and it sadly doesn’t do the material, superb cast and legacy the justice it deserves. 

Playing at Manchester’s Opera House until Saturday 7th March, further information and booking details can be found here.

Tickets received in exchange for an honest review. #AD

Photography by Paul Coltas.