photo by Jenny Anderson

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Mean Girls, the record-breaking new musical comedy adapted from the hit Paramount Pictures film with four performances May 11-12, 2024. Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (30 Rock), composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and director Casey Nicholas (The Book of Mormon).

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naive newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

Mean Girls opened on Broadway in April 2018 to rave reviews at the August Wilson Theatre, following its world premiere at the National Theatre in Washington, DC, in the fall of 2017.

Starring in the tour are Natalie Shaw as Cady Heron, Maya Petropoulos as Regina George, Kristen Amanda Smith as Gretchen Wieners, MaryRose Brendel (from Cranbury, NJ) as Karen Smith, Alexys Morera as Janis Sarkisian, Ethan Jih-Cook as Damian Hubbard, Kristen Seggio (from Somerset, NJ) as Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George, Joseph Torres as Aaron Samuels, Shawn Mathews as Kevin G, and Justin Phillips as Mr. Duvall.

The cast also features Megan Arseneau, Thalia Atallah, Darius Aushay, Lucas Hallauer, Mikey Corey Hassel, Tyler Jung, Reagan Kennedy, Joi D. McCoy, Oshie Mellon, Victoria Mesa, Brandon Moreno, Jonah Nash, Justin O’Brien, Mikaela Rada (from Bayonne, NJ), Emily Ann Stys, and Ryan Vogt.

Performances take place Saturday, May 11 at 2:00pm & 8:00pm and Sunday, May 12 at 1:00pm  & 6:30pm. Tickets range from $40-$105 and are available for purchase online or by calling State Theatre Guest Services at 732-246-SHOW (7469). State Theatre Guest Services, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open by phone and email only, Tuesday through Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. For in-person purchases, Guest Services is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00pm to 4:30pm. Additional ticket and transaction fees may apply.

New York Magazine calls Mean Girls “HILARIOUS! A smart, splashy new musical that delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor and joyful inside-jokery.” Chicago Tribune said “Tina Fey writes FUNNIER, SMARTER, SHARPER satire than anyone else in the business.” People Magazine calls the show “FRESH, FUN AND INFECTIOUS—Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin’s songs keep the laughs coming!” The New York Daily News said Mean Girls “TICKLES THE EARS, EYES AND FUNNY BONE—the direction by Casey Nicholaw packs style, invention and red bull-force energy.” And Entertainment Weekly calls it “A MARVEL: DAZZLING & HILARIOUS!”

After major renovations, State Theatre New Jersey celebrated its 100th Anniversary in December 2021 in a fully renovated theater including newly renovated lobbies, all new restrooms, upgraded HVAC systems, a new elevator for access to all levels, and brand-new theater seats. Originally built as a silent film and vaudeville palace, State Theatre’s historic significance was honored by PBS by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed online.

Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a nonprofit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.

State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.