School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play (Broadway)

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Since I enjoyed this comedy by Jocelyn Bioh thoroughly when I saw it at MCC Theater nine years ago, I was happy to hear that Manhattan Theatre Club was bringing it to Broadway where more people could enjoy it. This production, with a completely different cast and an all-female, all-black creative staff, adds some star power to the casting with Denée Benton of “The Gilded Age,” Jasmine Amy Rogers of Boop! The Musical, and Patina Miller, Tony awardee for Pippin. Benton plays Paulina, the reigning mean girl at Aburi Girls Boarding School in central Ghana in 1986. Ama (Lucia Aremu), Gitty (Nia Otchere-Sarfo), Mercy (Jordan Rice) and the obese Nana (Erin Morton), are the long-suffering members of the clique Paulina bullies. Headmistress Francis (Heather Alicia Simms) is the calm center of the school. When the play opens, the girls are excited about the upcoming Miss Ghana contest. A recruiter, Eloise (Miller) is coming to audition the girls for the pageant. Being chosen as Miss Ghana is rewarding not only to the winner but involves a bonus to the recruiter who found her and a contribution to the school she came from. Pauline’s clear path to being selected the school’s contestant is suddenly blocked by the arrival of a new girl, Ericka (Rogers), recently arrived from Ohio and daughter of the country’s leading cocoa producer. Ericka is beautiful, talented and, most importantly, light-skinned. Eloise immediately wants her because her light skin gives her a better chance of winning herself a bonus, while the headmistress prefers Paulina. We see the lengths to which Paulina and Eloise will go to get their way. Although there are loads of laughs, the insidious presence of colorism darkens the humor. The front curtain is a huge Ghanaian flag which lifts to reveal the school cafeteria designed by Teresa L. Williams. The costumes by Qween Jean for the gown competition are attention grabbers. Whitney White’s direction is fluid. Everything comes together to provide a very enjoyable experience. Running time: 85 minutes, no intermission.
NOTE: If you would like to read my review of the 2017 production, here’s the link:
https://tinyurl.com/ycx7x2cr