Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Mean Girls is funny, fierce and completely fetch!

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We were invited to the Manchester Opera House to see Mean Girls. Our reviewer, Lizzie Johnston had a fantastic night out at the theatre. Read what she had to say about this brilliant musical...

This might just be the easiest review I’ve ever had to write. Mean Girls gives me so much nostalgia, it’s a film I’ve grown up knowing and loving - from sneakily watching it in my older sister’s bedroom to girly nights in with a bottle of chicken wine. It’s more than a film, it’s a cultural phenomenon.

That being said, I was quite sceptical about the musical adaptation and went thinking it was going to be a bit meh - I have to admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of the 2024 film and, although I know a lot of the soundtrack, it’s not one that I’d often add to a Spotify playlist. By the time the opening number was over, I was proven to be wrong. This was in fact iconic. It’s everything you could dream of as a Mean Girls fan. Full of iconic quotes, fabulous outfits and a whole load of attitude, this is a modern musical take on the story we all know and love.

For anyone who has somehow avoided the Plastics for the last 20 years, Mean Girls follows home-schooled teen Cady Heron as she moves from the African savannah to the savage world of American high school. She quickly becomes entangled with the school’s most feared clique, The Plastics, led by queen bee Regina George. What starts as a plan to take Regina down from the inside spirals into betrayal, identity crises and the ultimate lesson that being yourself will always win over trying to be “fetch.”

What really works is how many memorable, quotable moments from the original film are kept in, and every single one lands. You can feel the audience waiting for them, and when they arrive? Big laughs, every time. It manages to honour the source material without feeling like a copy and paste job, which is no easy task with something so iconic.

There are so many big musical moments, but before I get to my absolute standout, it’s worth saying how strong the cast is across the board. As Cady Heron, Emily Lane (Frozen, Hello Dolly!, Blessings) brings a lovely naivety to the role, gradually shifting from wide-eyed innocence to Plastic confidence and back again. Her vocals shine in the more emotional moments, grounding the show amongst all the chaos.

Regina George is played with icy precision by Vivian Panka (Dear Evan Hansen, Heather the Musical, 9 to 5 The Musical). She has that effortless queen-bee presence – poised, powerful and just the right amount of terrifying. She doesn’t just enter a scene, she owns it. It’s very much giving apex predator energy. Her rendition of ‘World Burn’ was utterly brilliant - stellar vocals delivered with an attitude you certainly wouldn’t want to mess with.

The rest of The Plastics are equally strong. Kiara Dario (The Great Gatsby, Miss Saigon, Annie) as Gretchen Wieners captures that frantic, approval-seeking energy perfectly (and yes, she absolutely tries to make fetch happen), while Sophie Pourret (Elf the Musical, The Great Gatsby, Guys & Dolls) as Karen Smith leans fully into the loveable cluelessness. Karen’s moments are some of the biggest laughs of the night - delightfully dumb but completely self-aware.

A special mention has to go to Faye Tozer (Steps, Tell Me on a Sunday, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) who seamlessly switches between three different roles - Ms Heron, Ms Norbury and Mrs George. The quick character changes, accents and comic timing are seriously impressive, and she brings a real punch to every scene she’s in.

When it comes to a standout moment, Janis’ ‘I’d Rather Be Me’ is an absolute showstopper. Georgie Buckland (The Devil Wears Prada, Shrek the Musical, Bedknobs and Broomsticks) delivers it as a full-blown powerhouse performance, with gritty, controlled and completely commanding vocals. It’s the kind of number that lifts the roof off the theatre, and you could feel the audience hanging on every note before erupting into cheers at the end.

Janis and Damian genuinely made the show for me, and Buckland and Max Gill (Charley’s Aunt, Fangirls, The Boy in the Dress) are the ultimate comedy duo. They take everything you love about the original film characters but give it a 2026 twist, with updated one-liners and perfectly timed asides. Their breaking of the fourth wall works brilliantly – narrating Cady’s story directly to the audience and pulling us in like we’re part of North Shore High. It feels fresh and self-aware, but in a way that is so humorous and lands with the audience every time.

The set design is slick and modern, with fast transitions to keep the energy high. From cafeteria chaos to bedroom confessionals, it moves at a pace that matches the sharp script. The costumes are exactly what you’d hope for, and yes, there’s a lot of pink, yes, The Plastics’ rules are honoured, and yes, the Halloween party scene is gloriously over the top.

One of my favourite things about the evening, though, was the audience. The theatre was filled with pink outfits, whether it was friendship groups or young girls with their families, people were clearly making a night of it - and it wasn’t even a Wednesday. It felt less like a standard theatre trip and more like a fabulous girls’ night out. The energy was high, the laughs were loud and nobody was sitting there like they’d be placed in the wrong clique.

Mean Girls on its UK tour is funny, fierce and completely fetch. It’s big pop energy, sharp choreography and unapologetic pink chaos wrapped into one very entertaining night out. If you love the film, you’ll adore this. And if you’re unsure? Stop trying to make scepticism happen. It’s not going to happen.

So put on some pink, call your besties and book the tickets. You can sit with them.

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