SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY Previews

Welcome back to Aburi Girls Boarding School!

Jocelyn Bioh’s frequently-staged comedy School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play finally receives its Broadway premiere at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. This mounting of the ensemble piece features Lucia Aremu, Denée Benton, Patina Miller, Erin Morton, Nia Otchere-Sarfo, Jordan Rice, Jasmine Amy Rogers, and Heather Alicia Simms. First preview of School Girls is tomorrow (September 8) before a September 28 opening night; Whitney White directs the run, currently scheduled through November 1.

“Becoming Miss Ghana 1986 would mean fame, fortune, and prosperity. At least that’s what Paulina — the queen bee of Aburi Girls Boarding School — believes. When the pageant recruiter comes to school, Paulina and her crew pull out all the stops. But to their surprise, a new transfer student from America kicks the competition into a higher, far more personal gear.”

Is anyone here heading to homeroom?

Any chance this extends?

The most it can extend is through November 15. It has to make way for Awake and Sing!, which begins previews December 15.

MTC's website says the running time is approximately 80 minutes, no intermission.

Saw this this week - absolutely loved it! Jasmine and Denee - powerful performances. Too early to know what this awards season really looks like, but I walked out thinking there's no way it's not nominated for Best Revival of a Play and that Denee and Jasmine are both worthy of nominations.

Regardless of the awards, I had a great time—stellar acting from all, well-directed, great costumes, cute set.

Adding that Erin was out when I saw it, and I was so impressed by her understudy, who you'd never know was an understudy, especially so early in the run. I know that's their job and all, but it was the first week of performances!

Updated On: 9/13/26 at 09:14 PM

Jordan Catalano said: "I caught this tonight and start to finish I was completely blown away. Absolutely hilarious while still being extraordinarily touching. Everyone on that stage is *chefs kiss* perfect but MVP goes to Denée who is able to make one of the nastiest characters in recent memory, still a real personyou feel for and not some mean caricature.

I can’t believe I’d never seen this play before but it certainly won’t be the last time I do. Just an A+ production on every level.


Got my tickets for tomorrow, and the one thing I have to ask those who've seen it is how does it compare to Jaja's African Hair Braiding?

CoffeeBreak said: "kdogg36 said: "Smaxie said: "The most it can extend is through November 15. It has to make way for Awake and Sing!, which begins previews December 15."

That's CoffeeBreak for ya. Often in error but never in doubt."

Often? please. Rarely.

These were the original dates from anaudition notice. They've obviously changed with the addition of AWAKE

https://www.broadwayworld.com/equity-audition/SCHOOL-GIRLSORTHE-AFRICAN-MEAN-GIRLS-PLAY-Manhattan-Theatre-Club-2026-50156

"

I was chatting with Heather last night after the show and she said the extension cutoff is 12/6. I can’t imaging this not extending. The show has been essentially sold out for at least a week of previews.

i was there last night, and yes, this is a treat. it flies by, propelled by witty writing and a very strong ensemble doing great work. Bioh is doing some subtly heavy lifting here- the politics of the small world of a girls school set against the politics of regional colorism set against the politics of White-dominated internationalism. it really is an onion that gets peeled beautifully.

i have never been all that blown away by what I have seen from Benton, but i agree she nails this sad monster character. if i have any criticism of the play (and its a great play), i think Benton's character was written a bit over the top heinous, and Ericka is a bit underwritten, with not enough bite/intrigue. That aside, though, this never gets boring or even all that predictable, and i thought the ending landed with a soft punch.

Kudos to Patina Miller for taking what is a relatively small role (which she nails), and Jasmine Amy Rogers continues to prove she is inherently capable of doing anything handed to her. But everyone clicks into gear rather perfectly, on a simple set (no bad seats for this at all).

last rows of the mezz were empty- we were in Row D and saw everything perfectly, such a solid theater.

I saw this last Sunday and absolutely LOVED it. Great set, great cast, beautiful lighting, and wonderful performances. Benton absolutely drives the show, with exceptional performances by the entire ensemble. Rogers was enticing to watch, and her vocals are in great form in their brief showcase. I couldn’t help but get Dreamgirls vibe when she threw her arms out and sang “MEEEEEEEEEE!” (À la “MAAaaaaayyyyy”). It was delightful and I’d be happy to catch it again. (Also throwing some hope behind a 5p showtime someday)

This was 10/10, friends. Whitney White's best work as a director and one of the best MTC produced plays, finally! What a ride!

Acting is superb without exception, but Patina Miller, Denee Benton and Erin Morton just elevate the whole production with their presence. Truly incredible evening.

Don't miss it!

Worth mentioning that Bioh was an acclaimed actor before becoming a playwright. She wrote School Girls while she was appearing in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the Barrymore Theatre, which coincidentally is a few steps away from where she will now appear in her own School Girls at the Friedman and where she made her playwrighting debut with Jaja's African Hair Braiding. She's also Ghanian-American, which lends some additional authenticity. Should be fun!