‘Mean Girls’ Review: Totally Fetch

In 2004, “Mean Girls” changed our culture forever. In 2017, the film was adapted into a rock musical — also written by Tina Fey — reworking the 2000s setting into one of the present day, but preserving all the iconic quotes. The “Mean Girls” musical, directed by Lollie R. McKenzie ’26, graced Harvard with its iconicity from April 8 to 12. On the walls of the lobby, the team plastered both “Mean Girls” quotes and old Crimson articles about Radcliffe’s own mean girl stereotype in the ’70s. Upstairs, the curtain opened on a cautionary tale of popularity and social downfall, bringing audiences back to the merciless ecosystem that is high school.

The plot of “Mean Girls” is probably universal knowledge, but here’s a refresher: Formerly homeschooled Cady Heron (Amelia Sipkin ’29) enters public school for the first time after moving from Kenya — where her parents worked as zoologists — to Chicago. She is adopted at once by social outsiders Janis (Lana M. Schwartz ’27) and Damien (Lance Anthony ’29), but she also catches the attention of the most popular clique in school: The Plastics, headed by queen bee Regina George (Gabrielle G. Medina ’26).

Despite 2024’s controversial movie adaptation of the “Mean Girls” musical, the stage version is still perfectly enjoyable. Given a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, the comedic value of the performances and colorful spirit of the design mattered most — and this team delivered.

With a cast commanded by powerful female vocalists, the production really did feel like modern feminism talking. Between the sultry Medina, the impeccably anxious Grace Y. Hur ’28 (Gretchen), the kooky Gabrielle M. Greene ’27 (Karen) and the perfectly Cady-esque first-year Sipkin, it was hard to imagine a more fitting cast of Plastics. Every leading woman — including Schwartz as the rebellious Janis — packed their solos with personality and talent.

Rebecca L. Mack ’27 and Madison M. Chueka ’27 also inhabited the roles of Mrs. Norbury and Mrs. George, respectively, with scary accuracy. Talking to the high school girls post-Burn Book incident, Mack exuded an authority that was genuinely awe-inducing for someone who is not, in fact, a 30-year-old calculus teacher. One couldn’t help but declare Mack a cool teacher, and the energetic Chueka a “cool mom” (air quotes intentional).

And yes, boys, you were good too. Comedic anchor Damien, heartthrob Aaron (João Pedro Rocha Frazão ’26), Principal Duvall (Aidan Kohn-Murphy ’26), and iconic Math Olympiad captain Kevin G (Kevin X. Gu ’26 — yes, that’s his actual name) each brought their own charm, humor, and/or rap skills to the stage. Anthony, moreover, brought his astonishing dance abilities. And those pirouettes — in multiple scenes, no less — were hard to top.

While the set that housed these performances was fairly simple, the design team clearly had fun crafting huge wooden Kalteen bars (by props designer Jasmine S. Leshnick ’27), sourcing the lion mascot costume in which Regina hooks up with Shane Oman (by costume designer Lola A. B. Griffith ’28), and designing Burn Book pages that exposed real Harvard students. This creativity transformed into laughter for attendees, especially those who recognized faces in the pages tossed to them by a vengeful Regina.

Another fun touch came in a digital form, enhancing the set while making references to Y2K and 2020s internet culture. The Agassiz stage is sandwiched by two vertical LED screens, often used to display lyrics during Harvard’s operatic productions. The “Mean Girls” team put those screens to use with original graphics: Kenyan landscapes, classroom blackboards, iconography personalized with actors’ faces, and social media posts became a colorful and clever way to craft the online and offline environments of high school.

Unfortunately, the Agassiz also must be blamed for sound issues, which left many parts of the dialogue and lyrics difficult to hear. The only solution, aside from some sound reengineering, may have been for the pit orchestra to play a little quieter.

This production, at least, benefited from a story that everyone knows and loves. With an easily followable plot, what “Mean Girls” really needed was a magnetic cast to pull off the iconic lineup, the chaos of high school, and a lot of pink. In those aspects, it delivered an undoubtedly good time. As they say: totally fetch.

“Mean Girls” ran at the Agassiz Theatre from April 8 to 12.

—Staff writer Isabelle A. Lu can be reached at [email protected].