Most musicals may consider romantic love the end goal, but Regency Girls, the hilariously clever and entertaining musical at The Old Globe, proves nothing tops what a group of girlfriends on an adventure can do to improve their lives. While it might be set in 1810, this is a thoroughly modern musical with sharp wit, fun music, engaging performances, and a clear point of view. Regency Girls plays at The Old Globe through May 11.

Photo credit: (center) Isabelle McCalla as Elinor and Ni k Walker as Stanton with the cast of *Regency Girls*, 2025. Photo by Jim Cox.

The show opens where most end: two sisters are engaged to wealthy and titled gentlemen. Huzzah, the family is saved!

Jane (Kate Rockwell), the blonde, beautiful, and society rule-following sister, is engaged to the wealthy Dingley (Gabe Gibbs). Elinor (Isabelle McCalla), who has ambitions that lie beyond marriage, to her surprise, is in love and gets engaged to the sweet Lord Stanton (Nik Walker), much to the disapproval of his aunt, Lady Catherine (Janine LaManna).

Dingley and Stanton are due to depart for a year-long voyage before coming back and getting married, and in a moment of passion, Elinor and Stanton anticipate their vows (to borrow a Regency era term). With Stanton at sea, Elinor finds herself pregnant and unmarried, which will ruin her and her family.

With the help of Jane, Petnuia (Ryann Redmond), a family friend and married mother of many children, and Lady’s maid Dabney (Krystina Alabado), Elinor departs for London to find Madame Restell, a midwife who can help in this type of situation. To the distress of Scutter (Sav Souza), the house footman, they concoct a plan to leave the house with Elinor and Petunia dressed as men, and depart on a road trip to London post haste.

Things go sideways quickly as the foursome are robbed by the highway man Galloping Dick who is a romance novel mix of Robin Hood, Dick Turpin, and the Dread Pirate Roberts. Meanwhile, Lady Catherine has discovered they have fled and is hot on their heels.

(clockwise from top left) Krystina Alabado as Dabney, Kate Rockwell as Jane, Ryan n Redmond as Petunia, and Isabelle McCalla as Elinor in *Regency Girls*, 2025. Photo by Jim Cox.

This female foursome is ferociously funny together, and even with the characters' varied social levels, they are a believable friend group. All four are Broadway powerhouse singers gifted at the camaraderie and the comedy required of this show.

McCalla’s Elinor is intelligent, self-assured, and appealing. She yearns to use her intelligence for something other than being a mother and planning dinner parties. Her scene with Redmond when disguised as a man in a pub is not just hilarious, but highlights how liberating it is to be heard.

Redmond’s Petunia is a happily married woman who, after having had many kids, is frustrated at a lack of birth control. Not only is her Petunia funny and charming, but she is delightfully and unrepentantly self-confident—she knows she's hot, and so does everyone she encounters.

Jane, the society-perfect sister played by Rockwell, finds that there may be more to life than what she has been taught. She is eager to live a fuller life with her broadened horizons, but she would still love the comfort money and a title can provide.

As the lady’s maid Dabney, Alabado is funny and, as a servant, the most aware of the precariousness of how the world works for women who find themselves outside of society's bounds, or the protection of being of the noble class.

LaManna is a scene stealer as the conniving Lady Catherine, who finds most people, including her two daughters, interchangeable as long as she gets what she wants. LaManna has two standout songs, one is the first act fast-paced patter song, “Take a Letter” with the equally funny Souza as Scutter, and the other is the second act “How Long (In 1810?)” as midwife Madame Restelle. (If you think this character is anachronistic, I encourage you to look up the real Madame Restelle.)

Walker, as Stanton, is gentle and sweetly supportive of Elinor while dreaming of his own life goals. Gibbs as Dingley makes the most out of Dingley’s many terrible nobleman habits, and has a fantastic character moment in the second act, though to say more would ruin the fun. Souza as Scutter is charming and funny, and proves they can also play a spineless cad in the second act.

Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the show is full of energy and physicality and keeps a fast pace. The book written by Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan plays with historical, literary, and fairytale inspiration in names, plot framing, and character archetypes, but then has fun subverting them. It does not shy away from being funny and broadly declarative about personal agency, bodily and maternal autonomy, and stepping outside rigidly drawn societal roles.

The music by Curtis Moore, with lyrics by Amanda Green, equally takes traditional musical theatre and pop song types for inspiration and makes them their own. The lyrics had the audience laughing throughout, and Moore's up-tempo score had the audience in high spirits. Music Direction by Patrick Sulken is excellent and leads a talented nine-person orchestra.

Along with the previously mentioned songs, other standouts include ”What Does That Make Me?” a first-act contemplation, “Leave It To The Men,” which is very funny, if infuriating, when you realize not much of those opinions have changed from 1810, and “We Are Never Going Back There Again,” a high-energy and motivating closing number.

The costume design by David I. Reynoso is gorgeous; playful, colorful, flattering to everyone in the cast, and deeply covetable. The costumes set the tone for the Regency period, but also work well with the physical comedy, quick changes, and boisterous overall tone. Like the script, Reynoso takes literary and fairytale inspirations in colors and compositions.

(from left) Janine LaManna as Madame Restell, Krystina Alabado as Dabney, Ryann Redmond as Petunia, Is abelle McCalla as Elinor, and Ka te Rockwell as Jane in *Regency Girls*, 2025. Photo by Jim Cox.

The scenic design by Anna Louizos is beautifully period-stylized and allows for quick scene changes (essential for a road trip show). The lighting design by Adam Honoré is full of saturated color, which creates an excellent backdrop for the heightened emotions of this regency romance. Sound Design by Jason Crystal completes the settings for hijinks and adventure.

As much as this show entertains, it has some typical new show quibbles: the first act could be streamlined, and some songs could be edited.

“Regency Girls” is a Regency era, Jane Austen, “Bridgerton”, “Scarlet Pimpernell,” fairytale, feminist, inspired girl group caper musical comedy, and it is a whole lot of fun.