Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...The running time is just 80 fast-moving minutes, meaning that no one misses the closed concession stands that cause problems for a masked audience. And with a mostly young and hugely talented cast playing irrepressible teenagers in 1980s Ghana (albeit a somewhat Americanized version thereof), this new play by Jocelyn Bioh cannot help but affirm the promise of the future."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Of all the mean people in the world — and unfortunately there are many — none are more infamous than “mean girls,” and their unique style of brutal high-school bullying and cruelty that was crystallized into common parlance by the 2004 movie “Mean Girls.” Lest we think that mean girls are only an American phenomenon, “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” snarks its way back onto the Goodman Theatre stage to disabuse us of that notion."
Daily Herald - Recommended
"...The strength of the play rests with its multifaceted characters. Vulnerable but with a stamina born of struggle, they possess the kind of joie de vivre (beautifully conveyed by an effervescent young cast) that too often fades with age. They are also quite funny, as evidenced by the girls channeling their inner Whitney Houston during a performance of "The Greatest Love of All," a song whose meaning seems to have escaped them."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Bioh's script and Brown's staging both work in beautiful synch at unpeeling the complicated layers of these young women's lives. And the older women's, too—the conflict between Shelley's self-conscious glamour-puss (she seems to be channeling Joan Collins's Alexis Colby from Dynasty at some points) and the sturdy earnestness of her former classmate, Headmistress Francis (Tania Richard) suggests how long the stab wounds of adolescent battles take to heal."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Bioh has packed a wealth of provocative topics into a brief 80 minutes, proceeding at a congenial velocity designed to camouflage the serious issues simmering beneath a veneer of adolescent dynamics. We may not know, when we first meet these young ladies on the brink of adulthood, precisely what secrets will be revealed, but we are not surprised to discover the multitude of obstacles lying in ambush to impede their progress."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...American actor and playwright and a native of New York City, uses this narrative for School Girls, Or, The African Mean Girls Play. Some of her work includes The Ladykiller’s Love Story, Happiness and Joe, and Nollywood dreams. Bioh’s version of ‘Mean Girls’ echos Tina Fey’s comedy. School Girls is a cruelly funny, refreshing, and poignant comedy; however, the buoyant play’s central plot confronts racism from colorism."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This is a lovely way to revive Chicago’s Theater District. A wonderful production that was just about ready to open in in march ( of 2020) bringing the Goodman Theatre back to life. The themes are very important and relevant to today’s world with just the right comedic touches."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...With an affectionate nod to such films as “Heathers,” “Legally Blonde,” “Mean Girls” and even “Cinderella,” actress/playwright Jocelyn Bioh’s funny and often touching new play heralds a joyful return to live theatre in Chicago. It’s a comic drama that’s inspired by a real-life incident, and it’s also prompted by her own mother’s schooldays at the real Aburi Girls High School, the Ghana boarding school where this play takes place. Bioh’s comedy is a delicious 85-minute one-act that brings joy, entertainment and a powerful message to Chicago audiences."
Rescripted - Highly Recommended
"...Though all the girls are competing in the Miss Ghana pageant, in true pageant fashion, one girl oversteps everyone's boundaries in her pining for the crown. That girl is Paulina Sarpong, played by the very capable Ciera Dawn, making her Goodman debut in the very demanding role. Through Paulina's transparent struggle with self esteem we can see why she is so likely to project her fears of losing the crown onto her comrades."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...This ensemble is tight! The hilarious Adia Alli (Gifty) nails every possible punchline… sometimes with just a look or exaggerated movement. Her sidekick and cousin (played by Adhana Reid) continually sets her up for the slam dunk. Reid, all on her own, is riotous in the talent competition with an over-the-top sashay. Under the the loving tender guidance of the headmistress (played by Tania Richard), the girls perform an awkward number with a surprising Kyrie Courter (Erica) torching the song. Throughout the competition, Lanise Antoine Shelley (Eloise) oozes nasty as Miss Ghana 1966. Shelley and Dawn spar with ambitious understanding. They are both so bad, it’s good!"
Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended
"...Expect a laugh every few minutes as the girls engage in comedic banter about clothes, looks, and family background that showcase the similarities of teenage girls across the globe."
Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended
"...Bioh’s clever script, energized by Lili-Anne Brown’s direction, which knows when to be calm as well as when to break out the joyful dance moves, allows us to see all sides of these characters without, in the final analysis, judging them. There may be tropes at work here, but they are layered in clear attention to background and earned development. The social criticism is honest and never feels contrived. (If anything, it’s a bit understated even though it becomes the prime motivator for two characters.)"
PicksInSix - Highly Recommended
"...The audience is immediately enrolled alongside the five female students we first meet at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school—Aburi Girls’ Secondary School—when their fast-paced and cliquish dialogue quickly reveals the layers of two-faced and biting dynamics within this social circle. Moving at the animated pace of an 80’s sitcom, a la The Facts of Life, we are seamlessly introduced, and are hooked, to the ensemble of captivating and brilliant Ghanaian students; however, it’s the wholehearted commitment of Headmistress Francis (Tania Richard) who is the backbone that keeps the school, and students, functioning."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...Dark comedy, strong performances, and a stand-out production make School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play a must-see. It’s not at every play that audience members jump up right at the first bow for a standing ovation, and this writer was cheering right alongside them."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...The cast of School Girls is small but mighty. Reid shines in Ama's snarky moments, Johnson is hilarious as the energetic Mercy, Alli is an irrepressible Gifty, and Crowe is charming as the shy but courageous Nana. Courter brings a groundedness to Ericka that makes her highly believable. Tania Richard makes for a strong and compassionate Headmistress Francis, and Shelley delivers a great comedic performance as the fussy but cutthroat Eloise. The crown jewel of the show, though, is Dawn, who portrays mean girl Paulina with a level of nuance that allows cruelty, desperation, vulnerability, and much more to exist in the same flawed but not irredeemable teenage girl."
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...To use an overused phrase, the play is a bit too on-the-nose, but the production overcomes its narrative shortfalls with an ensemble cast that manages to channel both joy and empathy, especially the magnificent Ciera Dawn as Paulina, the epicenter of the show and one of the saddest stories you'll ever hear. Director Brown keeps the story crackling at a brisk pace, and the set design by Yu Shibagaki manages to be stylish and (seemingly) culturally consistent without getting in the way of the story."
