“Mean Girls” will not return to Broadway when theaters reopen, the musical announced Thursday.
The production had been running at the August Wilson Theatre since April 2018 and cited the industrywide shutdown as its reason for closing. This is the fourth Broadway show to announce closure since theaters were shuttered in March, following “Frozen,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Hangmen.”
Broadway theaters are currently closed through at least May 30, 2021, with many productions aiming for a fall reopening.
“Mean Girls” recouped its $17.3 million capitalization in January 2020 and announced new cast members, including television star Sabrina Carpenter, before the Broadway shutdown. In December, cast members performed in NBC’s Broadway special, which was hosted by “Mean Girls” creator Tina Fey, who also wrote the book to the musical.
Producers, who include Lorne Michaels, Stuart Thompson, Sonia Friedman and Paramount Pictures, plan to relaunch its North American tour, which began in 2019, “this summer or as soon as performances can resume.” A film adaptation of the musical, announced last year, is also in the works, as is a production on the West End.
“Thank you to the brilliant creative team, cast and crew that brought Mean Girls to life from our first reading to final performance,” Michaels said in the press release. “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.”
The musical features music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw.
The show received 12 Tony Award nominations in 2018, but did not take home any awards. Before coming to Broadway, “Mean Girls” played a five-week run at Washington D.C.’s National Theatre.
