Review: Mean Girls Brings Its Enduring Legacy to the Orpheum Theatre

The pop culture phenomenon is now an on-point, socially relevant musical

© Joan Marcus

Regina George singing live on stage — what could be more “fetch”? Thanks to the smash hit Broadway musical Mean Girls, that is now reality. The touring production made its way to Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theatre this October, and it lived up to the high expectations set by the classic 2004 film of the same name.

Like the film, the musical’s book is written by Tina Fey. Music was composed by Fey’s husband Jeff Richmond, who has worked with her before on shows like 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Lyrics were written by Nell Benjamin, the talented, pop culture-minded lyricist behind the long-lasting hit Legally Blonde musical. On top of all that, The Book of Mormon director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw lends both skills.

Thanks to that talent, the musical quite simply shines. Its performers are front and center due to simple staging, mostly made up of large video backdrops. Their performances pop, and the material is the focus. Many of the original punchlines made it to the stage version, but some were new. Updates mostly reflected changes in teen culture since 2004, like the ubiquity of social media.

Standout touring cast performances included Jonalyn Saxer as the delightfully dumb Karen Smith. Her delivery and solo moments in song made the audience laugh more than any other single performer. The standout musical number was the rock-tinged “Apex Predator,” with big vocals and even bigger implications for the classic plot.