Roughly a decade ago, I saw “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” when it was off-Broadway and could not stop talking about it. I saw it again a few weeks later with a different group of friends because I wanted everyone to experience the show’s joy and heartbreak. I wanted people to witness the diasporic commonalities and connections that exuded from this work of art.
Fast-forward almost a decade, and this brilliant piece of theater, created by Jocelyn Bioh and now directed by Whitney White, still holds up and is a tour de force. The acting, the set, the costumes, and the music make this one of the truly epic plays of 2026.
“School Girls” is currently showing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater through October, and I cannot be firm enough when I say, run, do not walk, to see this production. I found myself laughing out loud at times, and before I knew it, I felt hot tears roll down my cheeks. I am always amazed at how art can move an audience in a collective space. I think I got emotional watching an all-Black female cast command a stage and be unapologetically Black and African simultaneously … on Broadway. The moment the play ended, I made a mental note of all the friends to be sure to invite; those who I thought needed to bring their daughters and sisters and mothers to remember those years of friendship, insecurities, hope, and uncertainty.
“School Girls” follows Paulina, the queen bee, and four of her Ghanaian classmates as they prepare to compete for the 1986 Miss Ghana competition, until a new student arrives from America and threatens to upend Paulina’s status as head popular girl. Obviously, the play is much more layered and textured than this and deals with colorism, who exactly gets to claim to be Ghanaian, weightism, class, and so much more. Given that the play takes place in 1986, the accompanying music is also a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Some of you may know Bioh from her creation of “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” which had an incredibly successful Broadway run a few years ago and earned five Tony nominations. Bioh’s work centers Black women in spaces that at first glance seem common, but the worlds she creates in and around these spaces leave the viewer thinking about her words and the plot long after the play has ended.
As always, it is important to support playwrights and authors of color, especially Black women. Bioh is in a rarefied space with a true gem, and I am so happy and proud to see it on Broadway.
“School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” runs at the Friedman Theater, 261 West 47th Street, until November 1.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is a professor at Fordham University, author, Senior Policy Fellow at Brooklyn Org, and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
