The stage adaptation of Tina Fey’s 2004 comedy Mean Girls opened at the August Wilson Theatre April 8, 2018. The production played 21 previews and 801 performances, earning 12 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. Amid the theatre shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the musical announced it would not return, making its final performance March 11, 2020.
Mean Girls, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, opened April 8, 2018, with a book by Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. The musical was nominated for 12 Tony Awards in 2018, including Best Musical. In honor of the musical's journey to Broadway and beyond, Playbill is revisiting highlights from the musical's run.
The original cast was led by Erika Henningsen as Cady Heron, Taylor Louderman as queen bee Regina George, Ashley Park as Gretchen Wieners, Kate Rockwell, as Karen Smith, Barrett Wilbert Weed as Janis Sarkisian, Grey Henson as Damian Hubbard, Kerry Butler as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George, Kyle Selig as Aaron Samuels, Cheech Manohar as Kevin Gnapoor, and Rick Younger as Mr. Duvall. Rounding out the company were Stephanie Lynn Bissonnette, Collins Conley, Ben Cook, DeMarius R. Copes, Kevin Csolak, Devon Hadsell, Curtis Holland, Myles McHale, Nikhil Saboo, Jonalyn Saxer, Brendon Stimson, Riza Takahashi, Kamille Upshaw, Zurin Villanueva, and Gianna Yanelli.
The final Broadway company, which welcomed several new performers March 10, included Reneé Rapp as Regina George, Krystina Alabado as Gretchen Wieners, Sabrina Carpenter as Cady Heron, Olivia Kaufmann as Janis Sarkisian, Chad Burris as Damian Hubbard, Laura Leigh Turner as Karen Smith, Catherine Brunell as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George, Kyle Selig as Aaron Samuels, Cheech Manohar as Kevin Gnapoor, and Rick Younger as Mr. Duvall.
Mean Girls features set design by Scott Pask, costumes by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Brian Ronan, video design by Finn Ross and Adam Young, hair design by Josh Marquette, and make-up design by Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The creative team also includes orchestrator John Clancy, music director Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and music coordinator Howard Joines. Glen Kelly provides additional music arrangements. Casting is by Telsey + Company/Bethany Knox, CSA. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team.
A national tour launched in fall 2019, halting operations around the same time as the Broadway shutdown. A London bow—as well as a previously reported film adaptation—are in the works.
