Last night I had the privilege to be invited along to the wonderful Sheffield Lyceum to review the latest leg of the UK Tour of “Mean Girls”. I must preface this review by saying that I have never seen the 2004 movie so certain inside jokes and winks may have gone over my head, but I always think it is refreshing to see an adaptation such as this from a blank slate. The plot follows high schooler Cady Heron integrating into her new school in Illinois following her move from Kenya… actually you probably already knew all of that so let’s get into the review!
Emily Lane leads the show in the role of Cady Heron. Lane has a wonderful charm, with strong vocals and really makes you connect with her character. I had the delight of seeing the fabulous understudy Lillia Squires on as the infamous Regina George. Squires oozes class in this role. Her domineering manner and flawless vocals were brilliant and her comedic performance in the second act really surprised me. Kiara Dario was strong as Gretchen Wieners. Dario had a real likeability, and I really empathised with her portrayal. Sophie Pourret was outstanding as Karen Smith, her comedic timing was second to none, and her vocal was crisp and clean. Georgie Buckland was endearing as Janis Sarkisian, with my favourite number in the show towards the back end of act 2 and her relationship with Max Gill as Damian Hubbard felt warm and true. Speaking of Gill, his performance as Damian was spot on. I thought this character may grind on me at first but actually he was one of my favourite characters in the show. Karim Zeroual was also strong as Kevin Ganatra, with his rap number being a highlight of the show.
In terms of the production, I thought that the show was very well directed, with little nods to it being a student production, such as a certain cardboard bit of scenery in act 2. One slight negative I must say however was the choreography. Whilst it was crisp and well executed by the strong ensemble, for me it was just a little bit samey. I challenged my partner on our drive home to think of one piece of choreography or an aesthetic to one particular dance number compared to the rest and she just couldn’t. There were also occasional issues with microphones dropping out or being switched on too late which is a little disappointing from a production this deep into its tour. The lighting and costumes however were both strong and I particularly liked the Halloween and Christmas costumes!
All in all, I would recommend a trip to see Mean Girls on tour, even if you are a plastics novice like myself! It was indeed… so fetch.
Reviewer: Adam Craddock
Reviewed: 10th November 2026
North West End UK Rating:
It's Christmas Eve, snow is falling, and in a traditional Irish pub a group of…
Oh, the irony: they seated us in Row F while the stage was full to…
Opening the Croydonites Festival of New Theatre, Hannah Maxwell's one-woman show, Turn Your F*cking Phones…
Appearing on stage in front of a draped red curtain, Temi Wilkey’sLover Girl is tantalisingly…
Few historical events have embedded themselves in popular culture quite like the sinking of RMS…
With plenty of suspenseful twists and turns, Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ creeps into the Sheffield…