Mean Girls at Milton Keynes Theatre Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Zoey Caldwell
I went to watch Mean Girls without having seen the movie or having any idea what the plot of the show was, I figured that it would be bad behaviour of some sort but that was it. The foyer was full of full-on Mean Girl fans, there were pink Mean Girl t-shirts everywhere so I knew that this must big!
The story is introduced by Damian Hubbard (Max Gill) and Janis Sarkisian (Georgie Buckland) a pair of high school misfits, they tell the start of the tale of Cady Heron (Emily Lane) and her move from Kenya to Illinois. Max and Georgie are brilliant throughout the entire show- a mix of teenage angst and comedic timing make these characters lovable. Having not been anywhere near the cool kids at school I could relate to their plight of being on the sidelines.
Cady is quickly taken under their wing, and they show her all the groups that every American movie shows – the footballers, the maths geeks etc and this is where Regina George and her lap dog friends are introduced as the Plastics! Regina (Vivian Panka), Gretchen Wieners (Kiara Dario) and Karen Smith (Sophie Pourret) play their individual roles brilliantly. Regina is cruel and the entire school bows to her every need – her songs are dark and entitled and Vivian has an amazing voice. She plays on the insecurities of Gretchen and Karen and manipulates them into befriending Cady.
Despite being warned away from the plastics Cady accepts their invitation to eat lunch with them everyday and Damian and Janis use this opportunity to get an insider look into the plastics and plot a long-time coming revenge. Cady discovers the plastics keep a “Burn book” a book of insults towards the other students – Cady says something flippantly that Janis has said about Damian and it is put in the book!
I am not going to spill the beans any further regarding the plot- there may be others like me that have not seen the movie or know the story!
Mean Girls is fast paced, colourful and fun. The choreography is brilliant – I particularly liked the use of canteen trays as an accessory – the routine reminded me of a glamorous 1940’s musical, with great big feather fans – instead of the fans they used trays – it was great. Mean Girls has so much energy, despite the title the main vibe of the show is upbeat. Watch out for the house party scene, I honestly did not know where to look and how the ensemble did not bump and crash, I have no idea – it is full on bodies everywhere and stunningly performed by all involved.
Sophie Pourett plays stupid hilariously- she is a real light-hearted addition, whereas Gretchen (Kiara) shows a vulnerability and longing to belong and be loved by anyone is heart wrenching, she has a solo where she really shows her beautiful voice. I am sure there are many people that will relate to trying to mould yourself to somebody else’s expectations and although she plays an upbeat girl- there is a sadness, and perhaps an explanation to why she behaves as she does.
Regina is played perfectly by Vivian, she truly plays the villain well and her voice is amazing! Look out for some of her outfits they are stunning. Cady (Emily) shines throughout the performance, changing from the tongue-tied, love-struck girl from Africa to the fully transformed plastic seamlessly.
Mean Girls has an underlying positive message, it explores friendship- and what boundaries need to be respected to maintain and keep those that matter close. It exposes ugly behaviour and the turmoil and plight that high school can mean for some students.
There are some sexual innuendos, and some dance moves replicate sexual moves – as a parent I would not want younger children to see this, this obviously is personal preference.
Overall, I really enjoyed the show. The set, songs, choreography and actors were amazing, a real feel good time to be had – and the die-hard fans were loving every minute.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets available from £18.95 plus £3.95 transaction fee of £3.95
Mean Girls is at Milton Keynes Theatre from 15th April until 18th April for more information or to book tickets visit: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/mean-girls/milton-keynes-theatre or call the box office on 0207 2061174
Milton Keynes Theatre 500 Marlborough Gate, Central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 3NZ