The Academy

Mean Girls is a rock musical written by Tina Fey with music and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and Jeff Richmond that premiered on Broadway in 2017. The musical is based on the 2004 film Mean Girls, also written by Tina Fey and directed by Mark Waters, as well as the novel Queen Bees and Wannabees (2002) by Rosalind Wiseman. It tells the story of Cady Heron, a 16-year-old who begins at a new high school after being homeschooled in Africa for most of her life. She is thrown into the world of gossip and teen drama when she befriends the Plastics, the titular “mean girls” who control the school due to their wealth and popularity. The Academy pays homage to Mean Girls, with similar plot points and comparisons drawn between the characters as the students at Tiffin perform the musical at their school.

Both Mean Girls and The Academy begin with the arrival of a new student, exploring their journey to attempt to fit in with the established students at their new school. In Mean Girls, Cady is immediately isolated when she is seen as different, having moved from Africa to Chicago with her zoologist parents. Although she enjoys the schoolwork and is well-liked by the teachers, she struggles to find friends. In The Academy, Charley has a similar experience, although she willingly isolates herself and insists that she does not need to attend social functions or belong. However, both girls soon gain the attention of the “popular” girls: in Mean Girls it is Regina, Gretchen, and Karen, while in The Academy it is Davi, Olivia, and their friends. Once both Cady and Charley enter into the popular group, they relish the attention and begin to belong. This idea is reflected through Charley’s change in the novel. Although she initially refuses Davi’s attempts to give her a makeover, her feelings change after the attention she gets at Kringle, causing her to continue to wear makeup, dress fashionably, and begin wearing contacts. Through both Cady and Charley, the ideas of isolation and popularity are explored, with both girls succumbing to the attention they get once they are part of the inner circle.

Another important parallel drawn between the two works is the similarities between the “mean girls” in each. In Mean Girls, Regina George is considered the “Queen Bee,” as she rules the school while people strive to be her friend. Her best friend, Gretchen, often mimics Regina, following her blindly and doing whatever she can to remain at her side. In The Academy, these characters are reflected in Davi and Olivia. Although both lack the mean, belittling streak that is found within Regina and Gretchen, they nonetheless inadvertently create jealousy and isolate others through their popularity. Just as Gretchen follows Regina closely, Davi repeatedly notes how Olivia seems to stalk her, tracking her social media following, purchasing her parents’ designer clothing, and remaining constantly at her side. Through these comparisons, The Academy emphasizes the power that comes with popularity in high school, as well as the impact that it has—intentional or not—on those on the outside.

Ultimately, both Mean Girls and The Academy are an exploration in the dangers of gossip. As Regina and her friends add to their “Burn Book” (a scrapbook with gossip and secrets about their classmates), it becomes public and sends the school into chaos. In The Academy, something similar occurs as secrets are slowly revealed through Zip Zap, forcing all the students to face their insecurities, shortcomings, and secrets. In the end, both works end on a positive note when the students move past the gossip and revelations. By paying homage to Mean Girls, Hilderbrand and Cunningham revisit high school cliques, gossip, and popularity in the new social media era.