Broadway’s Mean Girls Musical Has Closed Amid Continued Coronavirus Shutdown

The 2018 Broadway musical Mean Girls, based on Tina Fey’s 2004 comedy of the same name, will not reopen at the August Wilson Theatre when Broadway resumes post-pandemic. The production effectively ended March 11, 2020 (the eve of the New York State-mandated shutdown), running for 29 previews and 804 regular performances. Producers say the musical recouped its full capitalization at the beginning of last year.

Mean Girls, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, opened April 8, 2018, with a book by Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. The musical was nominated for 12 2018 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. A national tour launched in fall 2019, halting operations around the same time as the Broadway shutdown. A London bow—as well as a previously reported film adaptation—are in the works.

Currently, all Broadway shows will remain shuttered through May 30. Another extension may follow, however, even as the beginning stages of a vaccine distribution indicate a reopening in the unspecified future.

The original cast was led by Erika Henningsen (Les Misérables) as high school fresh face Cady Heron (played on screen by Lindsay Lohan). Bringing the Plastics, the vicious clique Heron infiltrates, to life were Taylor Louderman (Kinky Boots) as queen bee Regina George, Ashley Park (Sunday in the Park with George) as Gretchen Wieners, and Kate Rockwell (Rock of Ages) as Karen Smith.

The final Broadway company, which welcomed several new performers March 10, included Reneé Rapp as Regina George, Krystina Alabado as Gretchen Wieners, Sabrina Carpenter as Cady Heron, Olivia Kaufmann as Janis Sarkisian, Chad Burris as Damian Hubbard, Laura Leigh Turner as Karen Smith, Catherine Brunell as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George, Kyle Selig as Aaron Samuels, Cheech Manohar as Kevin Gnapoor, and Rick Younger as Mr. Duvall.

Mean Girls features set design by Scott Pask, costumes by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Brian Ronan, video design by Finn Ross and Adam Young, hair design by Josh Marquette, and make-up design by Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The creative team also includes orchestrator John Clancy, music director Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and music coordinator Howard Joines. Glen Kelly provides additional music arrangements. Casting is by Telsey + Company/Bethany Knox, CSA.

A First Look at Mean Girls on Broadway