REVIEW: Mean Girls at Sunderland Empire

Mean Girls

Sunderland Empire

Until Saturday 11 April 2025

Every so often, a film comes along to surprise audiences and become a cult classic. For millennials, perhaps no film quite embodies this genre better than Mean Girls, which burst into cinemas in 2004 and became an instant phenomenon. The film was a huge success and found its way not only into the hearts of millions of millennials, but into their vernacular. Seriously, try to find me a millennial who doesn’t immediately react to someone who is in the wrong place with “she doesn’t even go here”. 

Kiara Dario (Gretchen Wieners), Vivian Panka (Regina George) and Sophie Pourret (Karen Smith).

As it increasingly seems to be the case with cult classics, the idea was floated of turning the much loved film into a musical, with film writer Tina Fey teaming up with the wonderful Nell Benjamin (who co-wrote the score to Legally Blonde: The Musical with her husband Laurence O’Keefe) to write the lyrics. The musical played on Broadway before transferring to London for a West End show, and also became a film in its own right in 2024. 

Georgie Buckland (Janis Sarkisian), Max Gill (Damian Hubbard) and Emily Lane (Cady Heron).

The musical is an updated version of the 2004 film - essentially, it’s the Plastics with smartphones. Several plot points that have not aged particularly well have been updated, creating a musical that feels much more modern, but lacking in some of the edge that made the film a cult classic in the first place. 

Faye Tozer (Mrs George)

The feel of the musical is much more PG than the original film. There are still sexual jokes and innuendo,  but generally the whole thing feels a lot cleaner than the original. Unlike other cult classic musicals like Heathers, Mean Girls feels a lot lighter and fluffier on stage. Certainly, the audience in Sunderland on Monday night was full of young, eager faces who, if I’d been watching the original film, I’d have suggested were maybe a bit young, but the musical feels light and upbeat enough to be more widely accessible. 

Karim Zeroual (Kevin Ganatra, centre) and Company.

The show itself is probably best described as good fun. There are plenty of poppy, up-tempo songs and ensemble numbers that keep the energy high throughout, though I would have enjoyed seeing the cast use a little more of the vast stage at the Empire. Whilst deliberately simplistic, at times the sets looked a little sparse and lost in the huge amounts of space on stage, and it would have been nice to see the space being better used. There are no real moments of suspense (even if you don’t know the plot of the film), but it’s an enjoyable show with some brilliant moments of comedy and some wonderful performances from the cast.

Georgie Buckland (Janis Sarkisian), Emily Lane (Cady Heron), Max Gill (Damian Hubbard) and Company

Cady and the Plastics, particularly Regina, are the show leads, and yet it is undoubtedly the brilliant duo of Janis and Damien who hold the entire show together. From their first moments on stage introducing themselves as quasi-narrators to Damien’s high kicks in Where Do You Belong, all the way through to undeniably the best song in the show, Janis’ I’d Rather Be Me, the two embody the very best of the original film in a way that feels much more 2026. Georgie Buckland as Janis delivered the best vocal performances of the show, and Max Gill’s Damien was every piece the comic hero the show desperately needs. The whole cast were full of energy and talent - I particularly enjoyed Emily Lane’s excellent vocals and sheer sass as the newly popular Cady Heron, and it was wonderful to see understudies Lillia Squares (Regina George), Rebekah Bryant (Karen) and Stefanos Petri (Kevin G) taking their place as leads. 

Georgie Buckland (Janis Sarkisian) and Company.

Mean Girls is not a show that will change lives, and admittedly it doesn’t tick the same boxes as the 2004 film, but it is, quite simply, a fun night out. It is silly, funny and at the end, genuinely heart-warming. With some stand-out performances and plenty of laughs, it will leave you smiling (and probably humming some of the catchier numbers). 

Review: Hannah Daglish

Photos: Paul Coltas

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Tickets:

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