Mean Girls Taps Sabrina Carpenter as New Broadway Lead: 'I Can't Wait to Get Started!'

The Tony-nominated hit Mean Girls is getting a fetch new star. Sabrina Carpenter, known for her work on-screen and in the music world, will join the hit show in the central role of Cady Heron beginning on March 10 for a limited run through June 7. Carpenter will replace Erika Henningsen, set to take her final bow on February 22 in advance of appearing in Flying Over Sunset. Mean Girls will mark Carpenter's Broadway debut.

"So many emotions are flooding me," Carpenter told Broadway.com about her upcoming turn. "This has been a dream of mine ever since I stepped foot on a stage. I didn't know I'd get so lucky for my Broadway debut to be in a show that I'm such a fan of."

Carpenter first rose to fame in 2014 as star of the Disney Channel spinoff series Girl Meets World. Her screen credits also include The Hate U Give, Tall Girl and The Short History of the Long Road—the latter earned her the Jury Award for Best Performance at the 2019 SCAD Savannah Film Festival. She will star in Netflix's upcoming Work It—on which she is also an executive producer—and recently wrapped filming as the lead in the feature film Clouds. Her music catalogue includes two gold singles—"Thumbs" and "Why"—and the albums Singular: Act I and Singular: Act II.

While Carpenter's résumé until now has comprised primarily screen and music work, she is a big fan of theater, noting with enthusiasm the first time she saw Mean Girls on Broadway. "I remember having the time of my life, falling in love with the characters and just feeling like I wanted to be a part of it in any way possible."

Carpenter will join the Broadway cast alongside the previously announced Chad Burris, Laura Leigh Turner and Olivia Kaufmann, who will step into the roles of Damian, Karen and Janis, respectively, also on March 10.

"I'm so grateful for this opportunity being my Broadway debut," said Carpenter. "It feels like the start of a very exciting point in my life and I can't wait to get started!"