School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Closed 1h 15m
School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
87%
87%
(255 Ratings)
Positive
97%
Mixed
2%
Negative
1%
Members say
Great acting, Funny, Entertaining, Relevant, Absorbing

About the Show

MCC Theater's buoyant and biting hit comedy returns to New York. An exploration of the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe. How far would you go to be queen bee?

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Critic Reviews (29)

The Observer
October 22nd, 2018

"This eight-member ensemble is a well-oiled machine...Bioh, a shrewd comic writer of obvious gifts, doesn’t shrink from the uglier side of her subject. And she maintains enough empathy to redeem even the most narcissistic and spiteful of antiheroines...I saw and adored 'School Girls' last fall, and good on MCC for bringing it back. Taichman recreates her very musical, funny, and tight-paced 70-minute production, which includes...one of the most appealing ensembles on stage now."
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BroadwayWorld
October 23rd, 2018

“Most of MCC's excellent world premiere cast returns in Tony-winning director Rebecca Taichman's spot-on production. They're joined by a trio of terrific new colleagues in a production that effectively blends humor and bite to swiftly make its points in a play that's solidly satisfying in just 75 minutes."
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New York Stage Review
October 22nd, 2018

"Uproarious. Affecting, human, and sympathetic, too; but this is the funniest time you’ve spent in high school since those 'History Boys' came to town...The play is brightened by a uniformly talented cast. Boafo and Jones make a strong mismatch...Anyone who laughed through it last November is likely to urge friends to catch the play before it closes...Because yes, 'School Girls' is a joy to see."
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T
October 22nd, 2018

"Punchy, crisp, and sly...The laughs are combined with some tougher drama...Race, ideals of beauty, and personal identity are at the heart of 'School Girls'—and they are uncompromisingly addressed by Bioh and the cast. The play is only 75 minutes long, and perhaps on the Lortel stage that makes sense. But it is so smart, quick, and intelligent this critic kept wishing it was longer. Maybe if it grows to a bigger stage, it just might."
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Broadway Black
October 24th, 2018

“A highly entertaining comedy that takes an all-too-familiar American concept and shows how universal it indeed is...Bioh gives room for the characters to grow without completely vilifying our lead character or making her a victim...Paulina could quickly be the bitch...but it’s in Boafo’s excellent acting choices and Bioh’s complex writing that leads the audience to appreciate the intricacies of humanity...A well-paced, rewarding ensemble show that is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking.”
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The New York Times
November 16th, 2017
For a previous production

"The nasty-teen comedy genre emerges wonderfully refreshed and even deepened by its immersion in a world it never considered...Beneath the infectious silliness of Biog's play’s adopted genre, the ugly question of internalized racism lurks...Mostly and smartly, she trusts the form; there’s a reason these stories work. Ms. Taichman’s production highlights all of those reasons...One of the production’s chief assets is the delicious ensemble work."
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Time Out New York
November 16th, 2017
For a previous production

"Nearly assaultive hilarity...'School Girls' is a kind of Bioh bonanza; after several seasons of settling for just one of her, there are suddenly eight...Her brief play is missing its middle...Taichman leans so far into the bright Punch-and-Judy colors of the first 50 minutes that the last, humanistic 20 seem to take place on a different planet. Still, Bioh knows how to write a stunning breakdown scene, and Boafo handles the tonal switcheroo with ease."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
November 16th, 2017
For a previous production

"Funny and fast-paced...Under Taichman’s confident hand, 'School Girls' rolls swiftly through its 75 minutes...'School Girls' is formulaic without being unsatisfying. Familiar structures, especially when full of fresh faces and sharp humor, can be deeply enjoyable...Its emotional and narrative leaps are fast, even a little too fast...Bioh knows how to craft bouncy, juicy dialogue that performers can have fun with."
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