Mean Girls has finally made it’s debut in London’s West End last year following delays due to the pandemic. The story is based on the popular 2004 film which follows Cady, a home-schooled teenager who makes the move to America. As a pupil at a new school, she has to find where she fits in the numerous schools cliques. She jumps from one friendship group to another and the story follows her rise to fame, and her realisation that being the ‘queen bee’ isn’t all it’s cut out to be.
Whilst the story was engaging in parts and has a strong message, we feel the show suffered from pacing issues at times, especially during the first act. We felt there were several lines of dialogue that didn’t fit with characterisation, wigs or costumes. The second act picked up the pace and felt more substantial and more enjoyable. Comedy is featured throughout this performance, some being real laugh out loud moments and others missing the punchline.
The stage consisted of large layered digital screens which moved to allow entrances throughout the show. Although the animations were well produced, it left the performance feeling very two dimensional and the stage often feeling empty. The extra smaller sets added to each scene were also often flat, for example locker fronts missing depth, removing authenticity from the scene. The Savoy theatre possesses a large centre stage lift which was used a couple of times, however we felt this could’ve been better utilised throughout the performance for grand entrances.
Mean Girls featured some iconic songs such as Revenge Party, Meet the Plastics and World Burn which dominate the performance. The other tracks felt a bit toned down in parts resulting in some of the songs feeling bland. The songs fitted in well with the story, but felt there could’ve been some instrument or synth additions to create more gravitas to some scenes.
The cast consisted of 24 actors and ensembles who all gave a fantastic performance. We especially loved Tom Xander’s portrayal of Damian, his character was everything he should be; fun, full of energy and sass. Charlie Burn who played Cady was also a standout performer for us, her vocals were flawless and she really embraced the role. We really enjoyed Georgina Castle’s performance of World Burn as Regina, but feel her character could’ve possessed more of an authoritative punch at times. The show excelled in scenes which featured the large ensemble cast, this made the stage feel fuller and more alive.
The choreography was energetic and consisted of a mix of various dance styles. The dance scene to “Where do you belong” was one of our favourite dances, with a clever use of school dining tray tables to add volume to the performance. This worked really well in conveying the busy hustle and bustle of a school cafeteria.
We enjoyed watching Mean Girls however all round this performance just felt a little cheap. If you’re a fan of the movie musical or the cast recording, I’m sure you would enjoy it, but it wouldn’t be a show we would be rushing back to.
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