Ben Oatley Archives - North West End UK

It is always a challenge when putting a loved classic on stage - although this iconic film feels like it premiered yesterday, it was released in 2004! It is no wonder then that so many in the audience were hit with nostalgia, as the familiar and well-loved characters were brought to life on stage and with song. The story was revisited in film format in 2024, demonstrating that its themes remain as relevant today as they were two decades ago and continue to resonate with a new generation of Mean Girls fan. The musical, based on the book by Tina Fey, follows Cady Heron (Emily Lane), a teenager who is home-schooled in Kenya but wants to experience life with other teenagers. Moving with her mum (Jennifer Ellison) to Illinois, Cady navigates the hierarchy of other students at North Shore Hig...

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 s...

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Mean Girls – Liverpool Empire

Mean Girls – Hull New Theatre