Key Points
- Most famous for her portrayal of Emily Shadwick in Brookside, Jennifer Ellison has been announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Mean Girls The Musical.
- She is set to play the multiple roles of Ms Heron, Ms Norbury and Mrs George in selected cities, which will include Liverpool Empire.
- Cites slated for Ellison include Bristol, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Wimbledon, Birmingham, Southampton and Newcastle, whereas Faye Tozer is part of other tour dates.
- Mean Girls will be running at Liverpool Empire from 19th to 31st October 2026.
- The tour stars Emily Lane as Cady Heron, Vivian Panka as Regina George, among others, with the musical having its inspiration from the 2004 movie and book by Tina Fey.
Liverpool (Liverpool standard) August 11, 2026 – Jennifer Ellison has been confirmed for a major role in the UK and Ireland tour of Mean Girls The Musical, with appearances scheduled at Liverpool Empire later this year. The announcement, reported by Tanyel Gumushan of WhatsOnStage, states that Ellison will play Ms Heron, Ms Norbury and Mrs George across selected cities on the tour, including Bristol, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Wimbledon, Birmingham, Southampton and Newcastle. BroadwayWorld, in its own coverage published on August 11, 2026, similarly confirms that Ellison will perform in those seven cities as part of the 2026/2027 tour running through January 2027.
The Liverpool Empire engagement is set for Monday 19 October to Saturday 31 October 2026, according to venue listings and tour information. For the remainder of the tour, Faye Tozer is scheduled to play the same triple role in Canterbury, Blackpool, Dublin, Crawley, Bradford, Norwich, Nottingham and Sheffield.
Who is Jennifer Ellison and what role will she play in Mean Girls?
Jennifer Ellison rose to prominence as Emily Shadwick in the Channel 4 soap Brookside, appearing from 1998 to 2002/2003 in the Liverpool-based series. She has since worked extensively in musical theatre, including productions such as Chicago and Calendar Girls, and has appeared on television programmes including Loose Women and Dancing On Ice.
In Mean Girls The Musical, Ellison will take on the roles of Ms Heron (Cady’s mother), Ms Norbury (the maths teacher) and Mrs George (Regina’s mother), a triple casting arrangement already established on the tour. As reported by Tanyel Gumushan of WhatsOnStage, these roles are described in promotional material as “cool Mum (not regular Mum)” Mrs George alongside Ms Heron and Ms Norbury.
What are the Mean Girls tour dates and cast details?
Mean Girls The Musical is currently on its first UK and Ireland tour, having opened in Manchester and scheduled to run through to the end of January 2027. The principal cast includes Emily Lane as Cady Heron, Vivian Panka as Regina George, Sophie Pourret as Karen Smith, Georgie Buckland as Janis Sarkisian, Kiara Dario as Gretchen Wieners, Max Gill as Kevin Ganatra, Karim Zeroual as Kevin Ganatra, Joshua Elmore as Mr Duvall and Ben Oatley as Aaron Samuels.
The ensemble is completed by Charlie Barnard, Rebekah Bryant, Michael Dean-Wilson, Savannah Ffrench, Fergie Fraser, Thomas Gotobed, Jenny Huxley-Golden, Trisha Kumar, Sadie Levett, Arjun Mudahar, Jessie Odeleye, Stefanos Petri, Charlotte Pourret, Jack Rose, Tori Louise Ryan, Lillia Squires, Jayd’n Tyrone and Chay Wills.
According to official tour information, Faye Tozer stars as Ms Heron/Ms Norbury/Mrs George at all UK venues up to and including Blackpool, after which the role is shared with Ellison at the seven cities listed above. The Liverpool Empire run is confirmed for Monday 19 October to Saturday 31 October 2026.
How has the casting been reported across media outlets?
The casting update was first detailed by Tanyel Gumushan of WhatsOnStage on August 11, 2026, who reported that “a new cast member will join the touring company of Mean Girls” and specified Ellison’s cities and roles. On the same day, BroadwayWorld published a story headlined “Jennifer Ellison Joins MEAN GIRLS UK and Ireland Tour”, reiterating the seven-city schedule and confirming that Faye Tozer will cover the remaining venues.
Liverpool Echo’s theatre coverage has previously featured Ellison in relation to local events and red-carpet appearances, and the venue-specific listings for Mean Girls at Liverpool Empire align with the newly announced casting. The official Mean Girls tour website lists Faye Tozer for the early legs and notes that cast and performance schedules are subject to change, consistent with the introduction of Ellison for selected dates.
Background of the development
Mean Girls The Musical is based on the 2004 Paramount Pictures film and features a book by Tina Fey, music and vocal arrangements by Jeff Richmond, and lyrics by Nell Benjamin. Direction and choreography are by Casey Nicholaw, with design credits including Scott Pask (scenic), Katrina Lindsay (costume), Kenneth Posner (lighting), Brian Ronan (sound) and Josh Marquette (hair). The production premiered in Washington, DC in 2017, transferred to Broadway in 2018, completed two US national tours and ran in the West End from June 2024 to June 2025, where it was seen by more than 330,000 people. It won Best New Musical at the 25th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards.
The current UK and Ireland tour is produced by Lorne Michaels, Crossroads Live and Sonia Friedman Productions. The decision to split the triple role of Ms Heron/Ms Norbury/Mrs George between Faye Tozer and Jennifer Ellison allows the production to maintain a high-profile cast across a long touring schedule while accommodating performer availability.
Prediction: how this development could affect theatre audiences in Liverpool and beyond
For audiences in Liverpool and the other cities on Ellison’s schedule, the announcement is likely to increase local interest in the Mean Girls tour, particularly among viewers familiar with her Brookside background and her profile in the North West. The presence of a well-known regional figure in a major musical may boost ticket sales and attract first-time theatre-goers who recognise Ellison from television and local media.
For the wider UK touring circuit, the casting signals a strategy of using recognisable names at key points in a long run to sustain momentum and media coverage. If the Liverpool dates perform strongly, producers may consider similar high-profile casting swaps on future tours or extensions. For fans of musical theatre, the arrangement offers the chance to see two different performers in the same demanding triple role, which could encourage repeat attendance among enthusiasts following the tour across multiple cities.
