Tina Fey’s adapted play of the 2004 infamous film Mean Girls, will not be returning to Broadway this year. The musical’s producers, led by Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live, announced on Thursday that they would not seek to reopen in New York once the pandemic eases.
However, the producers do plan to restart the show’s national tour. A national tour is expected to resume when theaters reopen.
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The show opened in 2018 and was an immediate hit, recouping its $17 million capitalization costs and grossing $124 million over 834 performances, according to the production. But it won none of the 12 Tony Awards for which it was nominated, and its weekly box office had softened over time.
The Mean Girls national tour began in Buffalo in 2019, and a London production, which was in the works before the pandemic, is still planned, according to Michaels. Paramount Pictures announced last January that it would make a film version of the stage musical, produced by Michaels and Fey.
The final Broadway company, which welcomed several new performers March 10, included Reneé Rapp as Regina George, Krystina Alabado as Gretchen Wieners, Sabrina Carpenter as Cady Heron, Olivia Kaufmann as Janis Sarkisian, Chad Burris as Damian Hubbard, Laura Leigh Turner as Karen Smith, Catherine Brunell as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George, Kyle Selig as Aaron Samuels, Cheech Manohar as Kevin Gnapoor, and Rick Younger as Mr. Duvall.
Currently, all Broadway shows will remain shuttered through May 30. Another extension may follow, however, even as the beginning stages of a vaccine distribution indicate a reopening in the unspecified future.
In the meantime, have yourself a night with roomies of Regina George and Cady Heron Nostalgia in the world of frenemies, or head over to YouTube and watch online.
Jessica Velle reports on entertainment, politics, social media and stories relevant to the Latinx community. She can be reached at Jessica@reel360.com.
