One night, one show...which one?

Hi --

Pre-cruise, one night in New York for my daughter's Sweet 16th. Can see one show....
Mean Girls or Beetlejuice?

(For reference, we are embarking next day on Disney cruise so will have all the Disney I need so no Disney shows. Seen Wicked and Hamilton. November)

THanks!

Mean Girls for sure.

Seen both movies, loves both probably equally.
I don't know if one is better quality/ more entertaining than the other.
I live in the Deep South and don't really know anyone that has seen either one :) so thought I would ask the experts here!

Of the two you mentioned, Mean Girls would clearly be the better choice unless your daughter is a diehard fan of the Beetlejuice movie. Having said that, as was suggested previously Moulin Rouge! is a far better musical and a far more memorable experience than either of the two you suggested however tickets are not cheap and there really aren't discounts available. You'd have to decide if it's something you want to spring for. But if you do, don't worry about her being too young. The show itself has an age recommendation for ages 12 and up and unless the guy in a thong was going to take it off and fling it at her (which he doesn't do, not surprisingly), it won't be anything she hasn't seen if she's ever gone to the beach.

It hits all the same major plot points as the movie. They’ve added a ton more recent songs (all the way from full songs to mashups to snippets) to keep it more contemporary so it’s just not the movie thrown up on stage. It might be worth listening to the cast recording first to see if it appeals to you and your family. Actually, that might be a good idea for all three show’s OBCRs. I came to love at least 80% of the Moulin Rouge! OBCR before I saw it and I loved the rest of the songs once I saw the show and understood them within the context of the show. On the other hand, the OBCRs for Mean Girls and Beetlejuice did nothing for me so have decided to skip those shows so far. All three OBCRs should be available on any streaming services you subscribe to. Just know that Moulin Rouge! is a hot ticket to get right now and with prices to match. On the other hand, Mean Girls and Beetlejuice are easy to get discount tickets to either beforehand via discount codes or day-of via TKTS.

Updated On: 10/14/19 at 11:47 PM

As someone who loves both Mean Girls and Beetlejuice, I think they both have pros and cons. (Though, admittedly Beetlejuice is my favorite of the two, so I'm a biased party.)

Choose Beetlejuice for better visuals (costumes, effects, but especially the set); it's the bigger spectacle in that sense. If your daughter/family is a fan of dark humor though, this should be the easy choice. Admittedly, there are pacing issues and one or two numbers that feel unnecessary long, but overall, I have a great time every time I go.

Choose Mean Girls if your family isn't appreciative of dark humor. Also, if you're looking for familiarity, Mean Girls is the definite pick; this show stays pretty true to the movie, while Beetlejuice deviates in many aspects. And if stagedooring is important to anyone in your party, that's another reason to choose Mean Girls. As of late, the Beetlejuice stagedoor crowd goes about 6–7 rows deep of people, some of whom get a little rowdy.



If you think you'll be in NYC sometime in the relatively near future though (a year), I think people are expecting Beetlejuice to be the first to close of the two, so you should catch that one first. (though this estimate comes from when sales weren't looking too great, and Beetlejuice's numbers have been doing better recently)

Updated On: 10/14/19 at 07:19 AM

Mean Girls would likely be more up a typical 16 year old girl's alley, however, Beetlejuice is the superior show in terms of quality (although neither are phenomenal). Renee Rapp is giving a stellar performance in Mean Girls, so there's that. She's someone to watch out for in the future - I predict big things ahead for her.

If you're definitively set on seeing one of these two, Beetlejuice would be my pick, although I'd suggest that Moulin Rouge, Hadestown, or Waitress would be better options.

hak5 said: "HADESTOWN ! this is the MUST see show"



A 16 year old would not like Hadestown, most 16 year-olds would hate it.

Can we assume she has never seen Wicked? If not, no contest for a 16 year old girl. That demographic is one of the reasons the show is the juggernaut it is. Also, Dear Evan Hansen was loved by a couple of 15 year-olds I know. It is intense, but it is about a teenage boy.

miatamel said: "Hi --

Pre-cruise, one night in New York for my daughter's Sweet 16th. Can see one show....
Mean Girls or Beetlejuice?

(For reference, we are embarking next day on Disney cruise so will have all the Disney I need so no Disney shows. Seen Wicked and Hamilton. November)

THanks!"

I'd pick Beetlejuice but that's just my taste... especially since it's October. Alex Brightman and Sophia Ann Caruso (OBC) are still in the show and are amazing!

When are you going to be in NYC? If you're here this fall, I'd add Lightning Thief to the mix.

Jarethan said: "hak5 said: "HADESTOWN ! this is the MUST see show"



A 16 year old would not like Hadestown, most 16 year-olds would hate it.

Can we assume she has never seen Wicked? If not, no contest for a 16 year old girl. That demographic is one of the reasons the show is the juggernaut it is. Also, Dear EvanHansen was loved by a couple of 15 year-olds I know. It is intense, but it is about a teenage boy.

"

I definitely disagree on this. At the show - especially at the rush, I've noticed a lot of teenagers and twenty-somethings who are big fans of the show. I've shown some of the videos and music to a bunch of my friends, and even the non-theatre kids loved Hadestown.

I don't think that age has to do with enjoying Hadestown; I was obsessed with Greek mythology as a kid because of the Percy Jackson books (not the musical!) and a lot of gen z share that. Also the entire OBC is still in Hadestown, which is fantastic!