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Mean Girls: The Musical is riotous nostalgia trip with kickass characters and fresh jokes, but uncatchy songs drag, writes GEORGINA BROWN

This is a nostalgia fest for those who already have the T-shirt, know every smart, tart, jokey line, and heartily agree with its Hollywood-wholesome message.

Bemused by the cliques, belittled by the bullies, she is taken under the wing of art-freaks Janis (excellent Elena Skye) and Damian (a brilliantly bouncy Tom Xander), who persuade her to infiltrate Regina's gang in order to seek revenge. Uncatchy pop songs composed by Fey's husband Jeff Richmond, with lyrics by Nell Benjamin ('I've got status, I'm a badass' will stick) add more length than strength to the lean, mean original (better served by Blondie and Janis Ian, and the choreography (Casey Nicholaw) is as uninspired as an aerobics work-out. The musical remains a terrific tale filled with kickass characters, brought to riotous life by a cracking cast (Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert and Regina George in the film)

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