Tennis legend Andrew Castle's daughter lands huge West End musical after losing house during COVID
Georgina Castle will play Regina George in the West End musical 'Mean Girls', after previously losing out on a mortgage because of theatre closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Georgina Castle will play Regina George in the West End musical 'Mean Girls'.
The 30-year-old actress - who is the daughter of tennis legend Andrew Castle and his wife Sophia Runham - is leading the cast in the stage adaptation of the 2004 classic when it opens at the Savoy Theatre in June and will take on the role of the high school Queen Bee originally played by Rachel McAdams.
In a nod to a line from the film, she said: "My name is Regina George. Get in loser, we’re going to the Savoy!"
The West End star - who has also appeared in 'Elf' and 'Dirty Dancing' - had been starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical 'Cinderella' alongside Carrie Hope Fletcher in 2020 when the production closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and at the time, spoke of how the sudden lockdowns cost her a mortgage.
She told the Daily Mail: "When we found out, it was a complete shock. I was booked until May 2023 and, after Covid, that felt good for stability. I was trying my best to buy a flat and had the mortgage all in place.
"But they [mortgage lender] found out that 'Cinderella' had closed from the news. So they said: 'We can't go ahead.' I felt c**p then, but you've got to turn it around. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something else comes up.'"
The musical serves as a parody of the high school clique system and tells the story of homeschooled teenager Cady Heron - who was played by Lindsay Lohan in the film - when she enrols in the US education system for the first time, having lived in Africa for a number of years with her zoologist parents.
Joining Georgina in the cast is Charlie Burn as Cady, Elèna Gyasi as Gretchen Wieners, Grace Mouat as Karen Smith as well as Elena Skye as Janis Sarkisian and Tom Xander as Damian Hubbard.
Daniel Bravo will play high school heartthrob Aaron Samuels and Zoë Rainey will play teacher Ms Norbury, the role originally played by 'Mean Girls' writer and former 'Saturday Night Live' star Tina Fey.
'Mean Girls the Musical' premiered in Washington, D.C in 2017 and then opened on Broadway in April 2018 before being made into a film starring Renee Rapp that was released into cinemas at the start of this year.
Producers Lorne Michaels and Sonia Fridman said: "'Mean Girls' is a timeless comedy that for decades has connected with generations of audiences across the globe. Having worked together for several years on this production, we are immensely proud and excited to be bringing this stage musical, led by this incredible writing and creative team, to London’s Savoy Theatre."
Previews for 'Mean Girls' begin on 5 June and the musical will open officially on 25 June 2024.
'Mean Girls' is now booking to 16 February 2025 with over 45,000 tickets at £40 and under, and over 140,000 just-released tickets available.
For tickets and more information, go to www.MeanGirlsMusical.com.
