On what is being called “the hottest May Day ever”, it was a relief to enter the relative coolness of the Hull New Theatre, on Monday night.
The Mean Girls were in town and I was curious to know if this stage version would live up to both the original 2004 movie, starring Lindsey Lohan, and the 2024 remake.
Notes in the glossy programme inform us the Mean Girls transition from movie screen to stage was not a decision taken lightly; among the successful transitions mentioned are Dirty Dancing and The Bodyguard, that both “pulled in people who might not otherwise be willing to try the theatre”.
Well, on Monday the venue was pretty full of theatregoers of all ages – no mean feat (pun intended) for a Bank Holiday night when folk usually have other activities on their agendas.
The story centres around Kenyan home-schooled girl, Cady Heron (Emily Lane), whose mum agrees to her going to the North Shore High School in Evanston, a suburb on Chicago’s “North Shore”.
Finding herself in the hustle and bustle of the school, the naive girl is desperate to make friends and to be included.
Her first mistake is to accept an invitation from an elite group of popular girls known as the Plastics comprising Gretchen Wieners (Kiara Dario) and Karen Smith (Sophie Pourret) – ruled by queen bee Regina George (Vivian Panka) whose word they cling on to for dear life.
Cady ignores warnings from Janis (Sadie Levett) and her friend Damian (Max Gill), about being friends with Regina; but the Kenyan girl soon finds out for herself how nasty her new “friend” can be when she falls for the queen bee’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron (Ben Oatley), the school’s resident heartthrob.
Unbeknown to Cady, Regina has already made a fool of her, getting her to wear a baggy top and to pull her hair back into an unflattering ponytail, while all the other girls are in tight-fitting, more glamorous gear.
Finally realising what’s been happening, Cady, with Janis and Damian’s help, devises a plan to end Regina’s reign.
One laugh-out-loud moment was when Cady makes Regina believe Kälteen Bars are slimming when in fact they are eaten to gain weight. The figure-conscious queen bee can’t get enough of them and the sight of her usually very slim figure fattened up raised more than a giggle from us in the audience.
Cruel, I know and I’m sure as events progressed most of us felt quite guilty for laughing at Regina’s misfortunes.
Cady sort of succeeds in her mission, but at huge cost to her reputation. Regina, meanwhile, not only suffers mental anguish, but physical pain as well. So neither comes up smelling of roses.
Winner of Best New Musical and direct from the West End, Mean Girls is classed as a comedy and the arrival on stage of Faye Tozer of Steps fame, as Regina’s mother, always caused merriment.
Unmissable, dressed in shocking pink and with a huge sparkling cocktail in hand, her every move was comical and over-the-top – we loved her.
The TV star was very busy on the night as she also played Cady’s zoologist mother, Ms Heron, and the school’s world-weary calculus teacher, Ms Norbury.
Tina Fey wrote the original screenplay for the 2004 movie and her writing still rings true in 2026.
Mean Girls, as a musical, showcases many songs, unknown to me, but nevertheless very entertaining. Nell Benjamin’s lyrics and Jeff Richmond’s music were brought to life, not only by some amazing singing voices on stage, but also by the wonderful accompaniment of musicians playing live, guided by musical director Tom Slade.
The bright, colourful stage setting changed before our very eyes – from school canteen (amazing scenes with chairs and tables on wheels), to a bedroom, a street and a Kenyan backdrop and so on.
The energetic ensemble not only danced the night away, but also did a magnificent job
as scene-shifters.
But everyone on stage on the night gave their all to show us just how mean girls can be. Did this version live up to the movies? Most definitely.
Mean Girls runs until Sunday, April 26th, 2026 at Hull New Theatre with tickets available at (01482) 300306 or www.hulltheatres.co.uk
Reviewer: Jackie Foottit
Reviewed: 25th May 2026
North West End UK Rating: