Mean Girls has announced they will not reopen due to the Broadway closure from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The production's final performance was Wednesday evening March 11, 2020, having played 805 performances and 29 previews in a record-setting run at the August Wilson Theatre.
Produced by Lorne Michaels, Stuart Thompson, Sonia Friedman, and Paramount Pictures, Mean Girls, which grossed $124M on Broadway and was seen by over 1M people during its run, recouped its full capitalization by early 2020. Mean Girls has been proud to support a number of initiatives focused on anti-bullying, education and empowerment for girls, and community engagement, partnering with organizations such as the Kind Campaign, Young Women’s Leadership Network in NYC schools, Girls Who Code, Tyler Clementi Foundation, Sing For Hope, the Youth Pride Chorus, and the Good to Vote campaign.
Mean Girls features a book by nine-time Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Tina Fey, based on her screenplay for the film, music by three-time Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Jeff Richmond, lyrics by two-time Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin, and direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw. The show opened on Broadway on April 8, 2018 following a five-week world premiere at the National Theatre in Washington D.C. in late 2017.
The Mean Girls North American tour, which had been playing to sold out houses across the country pre-shutdown since it launched in 2019, plans to relaunch this summer or as soon as performances can resume.
As previously announced, the musical is set to be adapted to a major motion picture from Paramount Pictures produced by Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey, with a script by Fey and featuring music by JeffRichmond and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. More details to be announced.
Lorne Michaels said, “Thank you to the brilliant creative team, cast and crew that brought Mean Girls to life from our first reading to final performance. We remain excited to bring this musical to the big screen, relaunch the tour and prepare for a London production. I look forward to the day, hopefully soon, when theaters can open their doors again.”
On behalf of the Creative Team, Tina Fey said, “The chance to bring this show to Broadway, with such a talented young ensemble and five astounding female leads, has been a dream come true. And to our fierce and dedicated fans-- the limit of our gratitude does not exist.”
Photo: Getty Image