Thursday, December 12, 2024

Broadway: Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls” Musical Closes for Good, Will Not Return After Pandemic, Will Get Movie Treatment

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This is interesting. Yesterday, Paramount announced a film version of “Spamalot” directed by Casey Nicholaw. Today their theatrical division pulled the plug on the Nicholaw-directed “Mean Girls” on Broadway. The show is done. Based on Tina Fey’s original film, “Mean Girls” was not a great stage show, but it will get a national tour and probably do well in summer stock. But it wasn’t a tremendous hit on Broadway, and no one was waiting for it to return. Paramount, they say, will do a movie version of the musical.

One note: Ashley Park opened in the show, and stayed with it until the end. She was nominated for a Tony Award. When the show closed she headed west and got a great part in the Netflix series, “Emily in Paris.” She kind of steals the series. Bravo!

“Mean Girls” played 833 performances on Broadway.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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