Romy & Michele: The Musical
The Movie Comes Alive Off-Broadway
By: Victor Cordell - Nov 17, 2025
Thanks to the producers of Romy & Michele represented by public relations firm Rubenstein Communications for their generous provision of press tickets for members attending the American Theatre Critics Association Conference.
This is the sort of production that a snooty critic might say fits in the category of musicals that had no reason to be made as it borrows so heavily from antecedents like Grease, Mean Girls, and Peggy Sue Got Married. Yet, it has already found its audience. Among others who simply enjoy light entertainment, some girls and young women chirp along and cackle at the loopy lines delivered by the clueless duo who those patrons know from the movie Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.
Even cynics may laugh out loud, and for those who must find meaning in shows, the bottom line is to be true to yourself, and to put friendship before popularity and other forms of success. Another observation is that those in power are loathe to relinquish it.
Broadway pros Laura Bell Bundy and Kara Lindsay are the title characters respectively, and they fit their roles down to the ground portraying the pretty, appearance conscious, but mindless adornments. Romy’s is the larger and more distinctive role, and if her speaking voice doesn’t hurt your ears, her extreme Valley Girl accent will.
As failed wannabes at Sagebrush High School, they escape Tucson for LA to find fame and fortune. Ten years out, Romy is a receptionist in a Jaguar dealership and Michele is an unemployed sales clerk. When invited to a tenth-year high school reunion, they decide that they must go back as successes, so the bright lights hatch a plot to say that they invented Post-Its. You can imagine how that plays out. At least they are able to show up at the reunion in a deluxe conveyance, which Romy extracts from the dealership after greasing some skids, shall we say. And they will benefit from some dumb luck.
The production is bright and lively in every way with perky musical numbers and dance along with kaleidoscopes of shapes and colors, from the girl’s wardrobes to the scenic projections.
Another strong suit is all of the stock characterizations of kids you knew from school. There is always a guy like Toby (superficially ebullient but often depressed Je’Shaun Jackson) who wants desperately to be liked, but despite all of his efforts to make things happen is totally ignored. Heather (the brooding, scene stealing, and strong-voiced Jordan Kai Burnett) is the dark Goth loner. Michael Thomas Grant plays Sandy, the mangy nerd who surprises with his success. Pascal Pastrana is Billy, the Greek God who goes backward after high school. Finally, there are the popular-girl cheerleaders. Enough said.
So, Romy & Michele is not for everyone, but for the right audience or for those seeking an entertaining diversion, it works.
Romy & Michele: The Musical, with book by Robin Schiff and music & lyrics by Gwendolyn Sanford & Brandon Jay, plays at Stage 42, New York, New York on an open run.