Mean Girls has hit the West End and not a moment to soon! The musical based on the 2004 film of the same name depicts Cady, who having grown up in Kenya moves to the USA. On her first day of school she is befriended by Janis and Damian but also the Plastics, lead by Queen Bee Regina. Encouraged by Janis and Damien, Cady becomes friends with the Plastics seeking to try to destroy Regina but in the process becomes her.

The musical is brilliant fun from start to end. It fly’s along at a fast pace racing from one iconic number to the next iconic line and the cast aren’t afraid to take the mickey out of themselves and the show. When Aaron asks Cady what the date is the cast declare that even they (the audience) know! Whilst the show doesn’t take itself too seriously this doesn’t mean its production values are low, far from it. The whole production is polished and impressive which makes the cheesy, fun element work even better. Despite the huge comedy element that runs throughout the show the show also has an important message at the heart of it and these two elements make Mean Girls an utter joy to watch.

For those like myself that have been listening to the Original Cast Recording on repeat for what feels like a lifetime the songs are just as exciting to hear in the context of the show and although there has been a few changes for the London production on this front, songs such as Apex Predator, World Burn and I’d Rather Be Me are top class musical theatre songs. For those that are discovering the music by Jeff Richmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin for the first time each song is a memorable one which either massively drives the narrative forward, is a kick ass song or is hilarious in its own right. It is rare that you get a musical where my fingers refuse to go near the skip button, but this is one of them (and a petition for a London Cast recording).

The cast are exceptional across the board. Charlie Burn plays Cady and manages to capture her perfectly, from her wide eyed innocence arriving at North Shore High to her ability to mimic Regina’s body language and intonation by the end. Gerogina Castle plays Regina and she is simply born to play this role. Whilst she epitomises the look you would expect to see from Regina, what stands out is her killer vocals paired with a real natural comedy from her meaning that Regina is much more interesting to watch that I could have hoped for.

Talking of comedy Grace Mouat plays Karen and she had me howling with laughter throughout the show, from her hula hooping and rhythmic gymnastic through to her number Sexy, she played dumb brilliantly. Alongside her was Elena Gyasi as Gretchen, the friend that is constantly walked over and put down and she broke my heart with ‘What’s Wrong With Me.’ Castle, Mouat and Gyasi together as the Plastics more than lived up to the expectations for this fearsome friendship group.

Elena Skye played Janis and Tom Xander was Damian and their friendship leapt off the stage, a lovely contrast to the superficial nature of the Plastics. Skye balanced Janis’ vulnerability with being seriously kick ass perfectly and Hubbard threated to steal the show with his witty one liners.

The technical side of the show is also very clever, the set designed by Scott Pask is largely videos walls (video design Finn Ross and Adam Young) so the location can change swiftly but we also get projections as to what is in the burn book, photos from the school prom and other ingenious moments that really show the attention to detail that this show has. The set also works harmoniously with the choreography by Casey Nicholaw. For example ‘Where Do I Belong’ saw the cast all perched on typical school dining tables but cleverly they were moving them themselves and becoming the different cliques as the song progressed.

Mean Girls will not only deliver a hilarious night out at the theatre but will tick all the other boxes, kick ass musical theatre songs – tick, iconic lines from the movie – tick, a cast that surpasses expectations – tick. My list could go on!

Mean Girls is on at the Savoy Theatre. To find out more and book tickets you can visit their website here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Hadestown, Six and Two Strangers Carry A Cake Across New York.