Is there any other movie that better represents high school life in the early 2000s than "Mean Girls?" More than a decade after its 2004 release, the teen comedy has gained universal recognition in popular culture. I'm sure you've known someone who's referenced "On Wednesdays we wear pink" or even created their own versions of the infamous Burn Book.
The film's scathing satire of the high school experience, memorable cast of characters, and endless repertoire of quotable lines continue to be reproduced in endless memes, videos, and even official holidays. October 3rd, aka the day Cady got up the nerve to ask Aaron Samuels the date in math class, is now officially recognized each year as "Mean Girls" Day. Even the White House tweeting a photo back in 2013 of President Obama's dog with the caption, "Bo, stop trying to make fetch happen."
With its overwhelmingly popular appeal, it was no surprise when last week, a video was released with a preview of "Mean Girls the Musical" by the production's official Facebook page..
Fans of the movie's witty one-liners will be happy to hear that Tina Fey, who wrote the script for the original film, has officially signed on to write the book of the show along with her husband, Jeff Richmond writing the music.
While Lindsay Lohan sadly won't be attempting to revive her former attempts at a singing career by reprising the role of Cady, the whole cast definitely has the stage presence to make the characters their own. According to a recent announcement from Playbill, the lead role of Cady Heron will be played by Erika Henningsen (24) who first gained attention for being the youngest actress to ever play the role of Fantine in Les Misèrables on Broadway. All three of the Plastics also have impressive theatre credits to their names. Ashley Park ( "The King and I") and Kate Rockwell (Bring It On) will fill the roles of Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith, respectively.
The part of villainous Queen Bee Regina George will be played by Taylor Louderman, who is currently performing in Broadway's latest run of "Kinky Boots."
Following in the footsteps of other teen flicks rebooted for the stage like "Legally Blonde" and "Heathers," "Mean Girls" is set to open at Washington D.C.'s National Theater on October 31, 2017 before transferring to Broadway in Spring 2018.
While the Halloween premiere date may leave some wondering just how many audience members will show up to their seats in lingerie and "some kind of animal ears," there are so many quintessential "Mean Girls" lines and scenes devoted fans of the films are dying to see translated to the stage.
Considering the movie is already filled with a ton of iconic music moments, from Damien earnestly belting out Christina Aguliera's "Beautiful to Regina's little sister making us all super uncomfortable with her choreography to Kelis "Milkshake" and the Plastics taking center stage to deliver a Tony worthy rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock."
And of course no "Mean Girls" musical would be complete without including Kevin G's legendary Mathlete Talent Show rap in its entirety (Hamilton who?).
So, do you plan on checking out this new musical incarnation of "Mean Girls" or would you have preferred Broadway execs left the film as is?
My friends and I are definitely going to try and score tickets before they're all gone. (and none for Gretchen Wieners, bye.)