Review | Mean Girls (Regent Theatre, Stoke)

Review by Kelly Smith

Meet The Plastics – Regina, Gretchen and Karen. They rule North Shore High and will burn anyone who gets in their way. Home-schooled Cady Heron may think she knows a thing or two about survival of the fittest thanks to her zoologist parents, but high school is a whole new level of savage. When Cady devises a plan to end Regina's reign, she learns the hard way that you can't cross a queen bee without getting stung.

22 years after the release of the film, it’s safe to say that Mean Girls has achieved icon status. Seen by some as the quintessential early noughties chick flick, it still has as much of an impact now as it did then; lines are still quoted and shared as memes across social media and, while Gretchen never quite managed to make “fetch” happen, October 3rd each year is widely known as Mean Girls Day (if you know, you know).

I was still in high school when Mean Girls was first released so I could recognise a lot of the character tropes from my everyday life while watching. Despite being a cautionary tale of revenge, backstabbing and being thrown under the bus (literally), being considered as The Plastics was considered a huge badge of honour back then. 

After that, my first encounter of Mean Girls in musical form was the 2024 film reboot. While I knew of the stage musical’s existence, I had no idea that the film was going to be musical too! I wasn’t blown away by it and could only hope that seeing it on stage would be a much better experience. Fast forward to last night, the opening night of the show’s week-long run at the Regent Theatre, and I was thrilled to watch such a vibrant, brilliant performance.

Emily Lane plays a fantastic Cady, and her evolution from shy, home-schooled, maths lover into the school’s Queen Bee is spot on. 

Kiara Dario and Sophie Pourret as gossip queen Gretchen and loveable airhead Karen gave brilliant, comedic performances. Sadie Levitt and Max Gill’s interpretations of misfits Janis and Damian were perfect and had me creased up with laughter when they entered the stage on a mobility scooter during one scene.

Ben Oatley returned to the Regent stage after playing Prince Charming in Cinderella over Christmas and gave a genuinely charming performance as Regina’s ex boyfriend, Aaron.

Speaking of Regina, what a performance from Vivian Panka! The moment she arrived on stage, stood atop a canteen table with her hands on her hips, I knew we were in for something special. Just like Regina George, she is a massive deal; absolutely stunning, with a voice to match where you could hear the venom as she insulted her way to the top of the school food chain.

As a 90’s kid, I was thrilled to learn that the roles of Cady’s mum, Regina’s mum and teacher Ms Norbury were being played by none other than Faye Tozer from Steps. This marks the second time I’ve seen a member of the band in a musical at the Regent, the first being when I watched Lee in “& Juliet” last year. Her performance is not to be slept on; seeing her switch between three very different female roles but still nail every single one just wowed me. At one point she changed from Cady’s mum to Regina’s mum in about 10 seconds, costume, wig and everything!

The transitions between scenes were smooth as silk, and clever use of props meant I couldn’t take my eyes off the stage for a second. Sensational work from associate director Alison Pollard, associate choreographer Ben Clare and associate scenic designer Ben Davies.

Don’t be accused of not even going here (again, if you know, you know). Whether you’re a fan of the film or just a fan of good, funny musicals, this is an absolute must-see! 

For your tickets head to atgtickets.com/stoke