Mean Girls won’t be back when Broadway reopens, producers announced today. The musical based on the 2004 film by Tina Fey suspended production when Broadway went dark due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The musical, with a book by Fey, music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw, debuted on Broadway in 2018 and grossed $ 124 million by closing in March. Plans to adapt it for a new film version of Paramount Pictures were previously announced.
“We remain excited to bring this musical to the big screen, relaunch the tour and prepare for a production in London,” said Lorne Michaels, who produced the musical with Stuart Thompson, Sonia Friedman and Paramount Pictures. “I look forward to the day, I hope that soon, when the cinemas can open their doors again.”
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The producers said the permanent closure was due to the closure of Broadway. The show had regained its capitalization in early 2020.
“The chance to bring this show to Broadway, with a young and talented ensemble and five surprising female protagonists, was a dream come true,” said Fey on behalf of the creative team. “And for our fervent and dedicated fans – the limit of our gratitude does not exist.”
At the time of the final performance of the musical on March 11, he had made 805 performances and 29 previews at Broadway’s August Wilson Theater. Before its opening on April 8, 2018, Mean Girls made its five-week world premiere in 2017 at the National Theater in Washington DC
An American tour launched in 2019, with plans to resume this summer or as soon as Covid restrictions are lifted.
The original cast of the Broadway production included Erika Henningsen, Taylor Louderman, Ashley Park, Kate Rockwell, Kerry Butler, Gray Henson and Kyle Selig.
Broadway will remain closed until at least June, with most insiders expecting an early fall at the earliest.