Mean Girls
- Richard Evans
- Jul 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 24
Jeff Richmond (music), Tina Fey (book), Nell Benjamin (lyrics)
Mean Girls UK Tour Ltd and others
Venue Cymru, Llandudno
July 20-25, 2026; 2hrs 30mins
(also at Blackpool Opera House, August 18-22; Bradford Alhambra, October 5-10; Liverpool Empire, October 19-31; Sheffield Lyceum, November 9-14; Newcastle Theatre Royal, January 20-30)
Mean Girls must rank among many people's favourite high-school romance movies, but why is it so appealing? Of course the genre doesn't appeal to everyone - the audience at Venue Cymru must have been more than 80 per cent female; but there is enough in this stage adaptation to make it a worthwhile watch for anyone.
Tina Fey’s storyline is the element that holds attention. A girl, Cady Heron (here Emily Lane) home-schooled in Kenya, starts high school in Illinois. After suffering a culture shock, she is befriended by the most exclusive group of friends, who take her on out of curiosity. Slowly, with the help of a couple of so called social outcasts, she dethrones the queen bee, Regina, takes her place and adopts a lot of Regina’s nasty mannerisms as she learns how to handle being so popular so suddenly. Naturally, Cady has to face her critics, learn her lessons and everything is reconciled by the final curtain.
While the plot is nothing out of the ordinary, Fey's acute observation, clever rejoinders and satirical humour makes it memorable.
The cast approaches the show with energy, enthusiasm and tight control. The characterisation follows the 2004 movie, which could pose difficulties - especially for Emily Lane as she attempts to overcome the impact of the movie's Lindsay Lohan. To her credit, Emily makes the character her own.
The same could be said of the Mean Girls - Vivian Panka as Regina, Kara Dario as Gretchen and Sophie Pourret as Karen, and some of the supporting performers are also excellent. Max Gill and Georgie Buckland have great chemistry as Damian and Janis. The teachers, Joshua Elmore as Mr Duvall and Faye Tozer as Ms Norbury portray the illusion that they are in control. . The choreography is excellent, fast moving, coordinated and varied, and there is great imagination in set design. Even the scene changes are quick and efficient.
The story has enduring appeal, of course; it depicts quite accurately the dynamics of teenage friendships. Girls (in particular but not exclusively) have been known to weaponise their friendships, using them to exclude those who want to belong, manipulating others to impose their will, then criticising even their best friends to make themselves look better. There are no heroes or villains here, just individuals finding their identity, becoming themselves and wanting to belong to a community. Many can identify with these factors. Even some parents will smile knowingly, or perhaps shudder, at the sight of the duplicitous Cady as she engineers an opportunity to be on her own in the house at the weekend, so she can stage a party that gets out of hand. Sound familiar?
There is a strong and welcome exercise in honesty and forgiveness near the end, which promotes the fairly obvious idea that friendship is far more important than looking good. The finale is great, with plenty of energy and opportunities for the cast to showcase their character. A surprisingly feelgood show, given the bitchiness at its heart...
More info and tickets here
