Mean Girls the Musical on Broadway.

Teguan Harris

Mean Girls (2024) was released in cinemas on January 17th with a brand new cast ensemble, based on the Broadway musical.

 Angourie Rice (These Final Hours) stars as Cady Heron. Reneé Rapp (The Sex Life of College Girls) reprises her role as Regina George from Broadway in 2019. Bebe Wood (Love, Victor) and Avantika (Spin) join the cast as plastic members Gretchen Wieners and Karen Shetty. Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho plays Janis ‘Imi’ike and Tony-nominated Jaquel Spivey stars alongside her as Damian Hubbard. The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Christopher Briney joins the cast as Aaron Samuels.

Previous Mean Girls stars make cameos throughout the movie. Emily in Paris‘ Ashley Park, who previously played Gretchen Wieners on Broadway, appears as the French teacher. The original Cady Heron, Lindsay Lohan, joins the cast as the Mathletes host. Other cameos include Megan thee Stallion and Dance Mom’s Nia Sioux. Tina Fey and Tim Meadows reprise their roles from the original film.

20 years later, the legacy of Mean Girls lives on. This adaptation of the musical has a new modern twist that speaks to many young people and Gen Z.

Critical Reception

Despite the original film’s popularity, the new adaptation of the Broadway musical has drawn mixed reviews.

Some viewers have praised Mean Girls for its ability to remain “charming” like the original film.  The New York Times’s Manohla Dargis praised the move for retaining its ingratiating likeability. She also commends Reneé Rapp for her dominating portrayal of Regina George and impressive vocals that emphasise the powerful character she plays.

Other viewers commend the film for its comedy and its ability to be fun. Twitter user @Bri_hunter 23 said: “The new Mean Girls movie was campy; it was colourful; it was unapologetically queer. I was aware of a lot of the Broadway songs due to TikTok, but listening to them fully, the whole cast ATE.

“To Reneé Rapp, the woman you are, I walked in bisexual; I walked out 10000% more gay.”

However, the movie faces criticism for not being able to replicate the original Mean Girls film. The Guardian’s Wendy Ide comments that the movie is not “overly endowed with new ideas.” Nick Levine from NME states that it is “no match for the original” and “more rehash than remodel.”

Modern Characters

Regina George

Rapp played Regina George on Broadway and reprised her role in the new movie. Her performance as the Mean Girls‘ front lady has remained consistent from stage production to movie set.

Regina George is mean and conniving, and Rapp does well to make sure that never changes. Just like in the stage production, she exhibits a sense of entitlement in ‘Meet the Plastics’. She transforms into a manipulative siren in ‘Someone Gets Hurt’.  Regina then turns vengeful in ‘World Burn’. Renee plays the classic Regina that we all fell in love with, even if we would hate her in real life.

Cady Heron

Mean Girls directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. did a splendid job of highlighting Cady’s inexperience with social interaction, just like in the first movie.

Angourie Rice gives us a Cady who enjoys the power she has over Regina. The Cady in the 2024 adaptation enjoys status in the new world of social media, where her peers talk about her and give her a platform. In this current day and age, we have peers who have similar powers to Cady, if not more. We also have peers who crave the power she possesses.

Janis ‘Im’ike

Auli’li’s Janis changes her style in comparison to the original film. Lizzy Caplan’s Janis is a dirty emo who exhibits anger. Auli’li’s Janis is more indie and on the softer side, while still exhibiting vengeance. Barret Wilbert Weed’s Janis is more punk.

In addition to Janis’ style, her portrayal differs from each adaptation. Auli’li does an outstanding job of highlighting Janis’ vulnerability and hurt when Cady fully regenerates into a plastic in the ‘Someone Gets Hurt’ reprise. She also exhibits disgust and anger; Barret Wilbert Weed’s Janis displayed disgust, and Lizzy Caplan’s Janis displayed anger.

Damian, Karen, Gretchen and Aaron

Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, and Bebe Wood all did well to portray the characters as the ones we loved; Spivey’s Damian is still the flamboyant and comedic character. Avantika’s Karen is still quirky, sexual, and intellectually challenged, and her comedic timing was spot on. Bebe Wood’s Gretchen displays insecurity and the need for approval from Regina, traits she exhibited in the original film and the Broadway adaptation. These are also traits we recognise today.

Aaron Samuels had musical numbers in the Broadway show. This adaptation took away his numbers with the casting of Christopher Briney. Briney’s Aaron is more of a plot device for Cady’s transformation and Regina’s demise. Mean Girls does well to highlight this.

The Modern Mean Girls Twist

Even though Aaron is a plot device for Cady’s transformation and Regina’s downfall, the adaptation is not all about Aaron Samuels. This edition highlights popularity and status.

In ‘Meet the Plastics’, the lyric was originally “I never weigh more than one-fifteen.” In this adaptation, the lyrics are now “That filter you use looks just like me.” This highlights social media’s influence on Regina’s power.

Cady’s popularity rises after the Christmas talent show performance, where they show The Plastics fall on top of each other. In the social media montage, the movie shows an Instagram filter where Cady and Regina’s peers compare them. This shows that young women are often put against each other, and social media influences this.

Regina George has been a trendsetter in both the original movie and the Broadway adaptation. In this adaptation, this is no different. During ‘Revenge Party’, Janis soaks Regina, who creates a wet look that turns into a filter on Instagram.

Karen’s number, ‘Sexy’, takes place on social media live, relating to the current audience. At the end of Janis’s ‘I’d Rather Be Me’, the bus hit Regina during her argument with Cady. In that scene, their peers recorded the incident on their phones. Rumours spread about Cady pushing her.

The film uses social media as a device to fit into the modern world and relate to its current audience. This breathes fresh air into the legacy of Mean Girls.

Takeaway

Each cast member brought something new and refreshing to the characters that we first fell in love with in 2004. Others revived the traits that we recognise in each character

The movie does a great job of relating to current modern trends and the audience. Word-of-mouth is powerful, but social media is the device that enhances that power, not just in the movie but in real life.

This adaptation of Mean Girls is a sensational modern retelling of the movie that we grew up to love and reference in our daily conversations. The movie still trends, and people often use key moments and scenes on social media in content creation. This adaptation helps to keep the legacy of Mean Girls alive by bringing a fresh story to the plot.

The new Mean Girls is fun, witty, and relatable. This movie has never lost the special touch that Tina Fey brought to the 2004 movie and the Broadway adaptations.

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Featured image courtesy of Judith Jackson via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.

Writer and journalist. University graduate in English Literature. Book reader, word lover and Notion enthusiast.

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