Mean Girls' Brings Big, Infectious Energy to Toby's Dinner Theatre
There's a new Queen Bee reigning in Columbia, and her name is Regina George. Mean Girls, the brutally hilarious musical adapted from Tina Fey's hit 2004 film, has landed at Toby's Dinner Theatre and is buzzing through August 23, 2026. Nominated for 12 Tony Awards in its Broadway run, the show arrives in Maryland with all of its wit, heart, and high-school cruelty intact, and Toby's intimate in-the-round staging only makes it land harder.
The story follows Cady Heron, who may have grown up on an African savanna but is utterly unprepared for the wild ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Dropped into the social jungle of North Shore High School after a childhood in Kenya, the whip-smart but socially clueless newcomer is quickly taken under the wing of outsiders Janis and Damian, who school her in the unwritten rules of the cafeteria and warn her to steer clear of The Plastics, the ruthless clique ruled by the charming and terrifying Regina George. When Regina unexpectedly invites Cady into the fold, Janis sees an opening for payback, and Cady agrees to infiltrate the group and feed back everything she learns. The plan works a little too well. As Cady climbs the popularity pecking order, she discovers you can't cross a queen bee without getting stung, and that the easiest person to lose along the way is yourself.
This production leans on the leaner West End edition of the book, which trims and reshuffles a few numbers for a faster, more streamlined ride. Under director Mark Minnick, the show never drags, with characters slipping out one door and reappearing through another, set pieces gliding on and off, and the theater's stairways and balconies pressed into service so the action keeps flowing. Choreographer David Singleton fills the space with vibrant, joyful movement from the opening number to the finale, including a clever sequence that sends the ensemble spinning around the stage on wheeled cafeteria tables and classroom chairs. It's a small space and a large cast, yet it never feels crowded.
The performances are the production's beating heart. Rachel Cahoon charts Cady's full arc, from earnest good girl to scheming Plastic and back to redemption, keeping the audience on her side the whole way. MaryKate Brouillet is a knockout as Regina, laced with poison behind a sly smile and commanding the room in showstoppers like "Someone Gets Hurt" and "World Burn." Emily Flack brings unexpected tenderness to the fragile, secret-spilling Gretchen Wieners, while Alexis Krey-Bedore lands big laughs as the cheerfully clueless Karen Smith. Alan Gutierrez-Urista and Tobi Baisburd are a dynamic, scene-stealing pair as narrators Damian and Janis, and Payton O'Keefe gives the much-fought-over Aaron Samuels real charm. In a true tour de force, Valerie Adams Rigsbee disappears into three roles, playing both mothers and a math teacher, each one distinct.
Backing it all is a house orchestra under conductor Ross Scott Rawlings that makes Jeff Richmond's score sound every bit as full as a touring production, along with sharp costume, wig, scenic, lighting, and projection work that carries the audience from Kenya to the mall and back to the halls of North Shore High.
And because this is Toby's, the show comes with a full dinner. The price of admission includes the theater's signature buffet, from Regina's BBQ Ribs and Fetch Oven Fried Chicken to a salad bar, carving station, and dessert, plus a themed cocktail called The Burn Book, a frozen strawberry creamsicle served in a collectible glass you take home.
Funny, fast, and packed with talent, this Mean Girls is one of the most purely entertaining nights out in the area this summer. Whether you've memorized every line of the movie or are meeting The Plastics for the first time, it's just plain fun to watch.
Mean Girls runs through August 23, 2026, at Toby's Dinner Theatre, 5900 Symphony Woods Road, Columbia, MD. Running time is approximately two hours and 45 minutes, including one intermission, with doors opening for the buffet two hours before curtain.