By Samantha Milowitz || Contributing Writer
Thirteen years after its release, “Mean Girls” is making a comeback in a different form as a Broadway musical.
The movie has become a staple of teenage chick flicks and is extremely quotable by nearly every adult. The story follows Cady, a transfer student from Africa, as she navigates high school and becomes involved with the most popular clique, the Plastics. There are many teenage movies that deal with the same kinds of hot topics “Mean Girls” does; however, Tina Fey’s screenplay has stuck with audiences like no other and has shown the true mean side of “girl world.”
Highly anticipated, “Mean Girls” the musical will be opening on Broadway, April 8, 2018 at the August Wilson Theatre. Tina Fey, who starred in the movie and wrote the screenplay, is also the playwright along with her husband, Jeff Richmond, who wrote the music, and Nell Benjamin, who wrote the lyrics. As legendary as this lineup is some are skeptical as to how this iconic movie will play out on the stage.
Mean girls are always a relevant issue as well as bullying and trying to find yourself in high school, so setting “Mean Girls” in 2017 brings up a whole new issue relevant in our society today: bullying through technology. This new rendition of “Mean Girls” will be taking place in a time of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat making gossip and hate spread much faster than it did in 2004.
Within an instant, students can share what they’re doing, where they are, and how much fun they are having. This instantaneous connection does not allow students to enjoy the moment and instead creates a competitive mentality of who has the most pictures, or the most followers. Social media also gives people the ability to talk about anyone at any time; people can write nasty comments without having to face the person in real life. Regina George published the Burn Book through paper copies, but today those comments could be sent out with a push of a button.
Although issues concerning mean girls are always relevant, bringing it back in 2018 brings up a whole different set of issues. Putting these issues on a platform such a Broadway makes even more sense since it will be viewed by many different kinds of people. “Mean Girls” coming back means it gets to reach an audience it didn’t get to when it first came out, and it means more young adults can learn from Regina’s and Cady’s mistakes. Watch out because fetch is back.
First-Year Samantha Milowitz is a contributing writer. Her email smilowit@fandm.edu.