‘School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play’ Broadway review — pageant queens and queen bees face off

Read our review of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play, the Broadway premiere of Jocelyn Bioh's award-winning 2017 play, directed by Whitney White.

Summary

• School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play follows teen boarding school students face off to be chosen for the Miss Ghana pageant
• The show features vibrant lead performances from Denée Benton and Jasmine Amy Rogers, and the whole ensemble has seamless comedic timing
• The show skillfully balances comedy about teen girlhood and popularity with themes of colorism and racism
• The show is recommended for fans of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, the previous Broadway collaboration between playwright Jocelyn Bioh and director Whitney White

Fall is in full swing, and school is back in session on Broadway in School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play. It turns out the cutthroat experience of high school is pretty ubiquitous, whether it’s in American suburbia or the mountains of Aburi, Ghana, where we lay our scene. In its Broadway debut, School Girls brings playwright Jocelyn Bioh and director Whitney White back together for the first time since the Tony-nominated run of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding in 2023, and their synergy has this production hitting the ground running.

The tongue-in-cheek title doesn’t lie: it’s easy to draw parallels between queen bee Paulina (Denée Benton) and Mean Girls’s Regina George, as well as American transfer student Ericka (a vibrant Jasmine Amy Rogers) and Cady Heron. But Bioh is less interested in her protagonist's fall from grace than in the complicated inner lives of the characters, each drawn so richly and immediately that it’s impossible to really root against any girl. Paulina may be a manipulative bully, but it soon becomes clear that the societal forces of colorism and global racism are too insidious for her to be a true villain.

Benton is magnificent as Paulina, constantly preening and posturing, but with a hawkish attention to her group's social dynamics. Paulina’s cruelty towards the other girls — especially Nana (Erin Morton), the innocent heart of the group — is nearly irredeemable, but Benton’s vulnerability in Paulina’s lowest moments can be heartrending. In direct competition to her is Ericka, whose sweet demeanor and much fairer skin helps win the admiration of Paulina’s groupies and Eloise Amponsah (Patina Miller), a recruiter for the Miss Ghana 1986 pageant that Paulina covets.

Sumptuous costuming (Qween Jean, fresh off of a Tony win for her work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball) adds to the depth and complexity of the Aburi Girls Boarding School, despite the short 80 minutes we spend there. Details in the girls’ uniforms contribute to the tapestry of their lives, from Nana’s expressive hair ties to the way Paulina drapes her cardigan from her shoulders like it’s a fur coat. Headmistress Francis’s (Heather Alicia Simms) African-print dresses envelop her in pride for her country, as well as for her vocation: Her first outfit is a mesmerizing pattern of chalkboards and the letters of the alphabet. On the other hand, Eloise, her former schoolmate and Miss Ghana 1966, arrives at Aburi as though dressed for the French Riviera.

School Girls is at its most fun when all the girls are trading Bioh’s snappy dialogue back and forth like an expert game of pattycake. In scenes like these, there’s a frenetic yet coordinated energy to White’s direction that feels like a celebration of pure, unadulterated girlhood. Together, the cast is an ensemble of consummate comedians with impeccable timing. But the slower, lower-energy scenes hit just as hard. Love and pride for Ghana is something all the characters feel deeply. But it’s how to represent Ghana on the world stage — or rather, whose skin color is best to do so — that leads to the ultimate heartbreak of this story.

School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play summary

At Aburi Girls Boarding School in the mountains of Ghana, the popular girls at school are gearing up for tryouts for the Miss Ghana 1986 pageant. No one is more ready than Paulina, their leader, who enthralls the other girls with backhanded compliments and stories of her fancy cousins in America. But when new girl Ericka arrives from the States, Paulina’s carefully controlled world is thrown out of balance. Loyalties are tested as all the girls vie for a spot in the pageant, not realizing until too late that the contest is already rigged against them.

School Girls premiered off Broadway at MCC Theater in 2017, winning playwriting awards at the Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards. Now, nearly 10 years later, it’s making its Broadway debut under the direction of Tony Award nominee Whitney White.

What to expect at School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play

The colorism plot at the heart of School Girls is based on a true story. In 2011, the Miss Ghana pageant officials chose an American-born, light-skinned biracial woman to represent Ghana in the Miss Universe pageant, passing over darker-skinned Ghanaian supermodels. In School Girls, this is exactly what recruiter Eloise hopes for Ericka, the fair-skinned girl of ambiguous parentage; Eloise believes this is the only way Ghana will have a chance at the Miss Universe crown. However,the real-life contestant managed to place. We won't spoil what happens to Bioh's fictional one.

Bioh’s 1986 setting puts the girls in a blissfully internet-free decade. But even without constant exposure to social media, the harmful influence of Western beauty standards looms large. Western products like Calvin Klein and Nike hold immeasurable value for the girls, and they swoon at the mention of "trendy" American establishments like White Castle and Wal-Mart (before Ericka sets them straight). Bleaching cream, an often harmful product meant to lighten skin tones, haunts the narrative as colorist standards are made clear to the girls.

School Girls may not be a musical, but audiences are treated to a singing showdown between Benton and Rogers, whose characters face off during their pageant audition. With comedic performances from the rest of the cast, the whole scene elicits just as much laughter as appreciative whooping.

What audiences are saying about School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play

School Girls is earning As, with a 93% audience approval rating on the online aggregator Show-Score, averaged from 205 reviews as of writing.

• “One of the best and funniest plays I’ve recently seen and at the same time one of the most serious plays…” - Show-Score user Verena
• “Perfect. Everyone ate. So good.” - Show-Score user Taylor L
• “Just as great as it was in 2017!” - Show-Score user Bobby Baby
• “Excellent storytelling. Incredible pacing and well acted and beautifully directed” - Show-Score user Susan P

Read more audience reviews of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play on Show-Score.

Who should see School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play

• Fans of teen comedies like Mean Girls, Clueless, Booksmart, and more will love the dynamics among the School Girls characters.
• Fans of the Tony Award-winning Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, seen on Broadway in 2023, will be thrilled to see playwright Jocelyn Bioh and director Whitney White reunite on School Girls.
• Fans of The Gilded Age will get to see Denée Benton return to Broadway as Paulina, who is not just the whipsmart queen bee, but also the emotional center of the story.
• Those interested in a play that explores the harm of colorism and racism will find a heartfelt, heartbreaking story about Ghanaian girlhood and pervasive Western beauty standards.

Learn more about School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play on Broadway

School Girls is a picture-perfect slice of high school girlhood, and Bioh’s writing revels in the ups and downs of adolescent female friendship. Smart, serious, and funny in equal measure, School Girls is a comedy you won’t want to miss.

Learn more and get School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play tickets on New York Theatre Guide. School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play is at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through November 1.

Photo credit: School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play on Broadway. (Photos by Matthew Murphy)