Heathers The Musical

Since first appearing in the West End in 2018, Heathers has achieved something of a cult following, and has had a number of runs in the West End since, most recently appearing at @sohoplace, and a previous UK tour.  It’s now back out on the road with it’s blackly comic tale of American High School hierarchy. Written by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, it is based on the 1988 film written by Daniel Waters which starred Winona Ryder as high schooler Veronica Sawyer who is desperate to fit in just to make it through her last few treacherous years of school, by making an alliance with the trio of girls who rule the school, The Heathers – Heather Duke, Heather McNamara and Queen Bee Heather Chandler. Then she meets charismatic and dangerous new boy JD, who begins to shake things up and makes no attempt to hide the fact he despises the way things work and the bullying ways of the popular kids.

The musical really captures the mood of the film, and the set and costume design by David Shields plays a big part in achieving this. With an identifiable setting and characters clearly marked out by their clothing, telling you so much about their characters and social standing within the walls of Westerberg High.

The songs by Murphy and O’Keefe are really cleverly written and give the actors so much to work with in terms of character development to help them reveal their inner thoughts and personalities.

The performances are excellent, with the ensemble, despite being fairly small providing the show with energy and power, and really driving the story along. Every single person in the cast is working at the top of their game, but there are some standout performances.  Lucy Sinclair provided real moments of comedy in her dual role as Veronica’s Mom and as Ms Fleming.  She really delivered in her moment in the spotlight during Shine a Light. Ivan Fernandez Gonzalez and Jason Battersby capture the right balance between being boneheaded and mean as duo Kurt Kelly and Ram Sweeney. Amy Miles captured the sweetness and purity of Martha Dunnstock perfectly and her rendition of Kindergarten Boyfriend was a real high point of the evening. The trio of Heathers were played with relish by Esme Bowdler as Heather Chandler, Sedona Sky as Heather Duke and Daisy Twells as Heather McNamara. Twells was the standout for me with great characterisation and stunning vocals, and just enough sweetness to make her likeable despite being a part of the terrible trio.

The touring cast is brilliantly led by Jenna Innes as Veronica, who gave her the right level of sass yet also conveyed her vulnerability, as well as her caring side which she has to suppress in order to run with those who dominate school life. She also has a brilliant voice which cuts right through in songs such as Dead Girl Walking and I Say No.

For me though, the star of the show was Keelan McAuley as JD.  It’s not an easy role to play as it requires charisma and softness but also hints of danger and the sense of always being on the edge of being completely unhinged. McAuley got the balance perfectly right. He really reminded me of Christian Slater who played the role in the film in his mannerisms, and he has the most gorgeous singing voice which could lull you into false sense of security one minute but also put you on edge the next. He really understood the dark tone of the piece and that JD is so central in creating that. He and Jenna Innes worked wonderfully together and set the tone for the whole show.

Heathers shines a light on the underbelly of High School society in a deliciously dark yet comic way, and it’s not hard to see why it has such an avid following who know every line and even dress as their favourite characters from the show.

It’s an explosive black comedy full of colour that you don’t have to be in the in crowd to enjoy!

This show was reviewed on the 13th August 2024 at The Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff where it runs until the 17th August 2024.  For tickets and full tour details visit: Heathers the Musical – UK Tour

**** stars

Beverley-Anne Harris

Join Beverley-Anne every Saturday from midday for the ‘Saturday Songbook’ here on Box Office Radio

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Photo credit: Pamela Raith