Erin Maxwell
Twenty years ago, a cautionary tale about the destructive force of popularity and “Plastics” made its way through pop culture like wildfire and never really left. Thanks to streaming services and so many memes, Mean Girls continued to stay within the cultural zeitgeist as a celebrated piece of pop culture.
And as with any decent comedy from the early aughties, a Broadway adaptation was next. Revamped by writer-producer Tina Fey with music by Jeff Richmond, the Mean Girls musical brought the story of Cady vs. The Plastics to the stage where it won over new audiences with its toe-tapping songbook, which in turn, returned it right to the big screen for yet another film adaptation. Now the musical movie based on the Broadway play based on the 2004 comedy that was loosely based on Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book, Queen Bees and Wannabes, is in theaters. The true circle of life in Hollywood.
Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. and starring Angourie Rice and Reneé Rapp, Mean Girls once again follows the poor hapless, homeschooled teen Cady Heron as she moves from the wilds of Kenya to the wilds of North Shore High School where she finds herself in the midst of a battle royale between the uber popular Regina George and the Plastics and her brand new besties, Janice and Damian (Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey).
Like any proper remake, Mean Girls evolves beyond its mere beginnings as a charming high school outing of popular kids vs outcasts. The original flick stood the test of time thanks to a quick-witted script from Fey, who understood exactly where the humor needed to be without crossing the line into try-hard camp. With the musical, the songs infuse current trends with witticisms and fourth-wall breaks to fix small “problems” of the original script that might not fly with contemporary audiences.
The addition of traditional Broadway tunes such as character numbers and “I Want” songs adds depth to the narrative. Within the songs, we traverse the depth of pain and betrayal from the characters that were originally unexplored. This time around, Gretchen is truly heartbroken when her attempt to add “fetch” to the lexicon is shut down by Regina. The use of fantasy numbers exaggerates and explores key moments from the original story, immersing the viewer in the full reverie of Regina’s sway over the school.
The cast of the film is solid, but Rapp is the shining star. This incarnation of Regina isn’t just popular, she’s powerful. She’s a formidable being fueled by idolization that rivals any Marvel superhero. Rapp brings to this Regina a vigor that is both intimidating and hilarious, matched only by her pipes.
The result is a lively, nostalgia-ridden remake that pays homage to the original film. Fey’s classic tale of popularity as a power corrupting absolutely is safe and sound with this musical revision, made current by necessary updates to bring it into the modern age.