Review – Heathers the Musical – Grand Theatre, Blackpool and National Tour

If you thought the biggest challenges of high school were getting through your exams, navigating friendships and finding the perfect outfit for the school disco, think again! Welcome to Westerberg High, where social status is everything, bullying is part of everyday life and associating with the wrong crowd can have devastating consequences. Heathers the Musical delivers a wickedly entertaining combination of teenage angst, outrageous comedy and an abundance of memorable musical numbers.

Based on the hugely popular 1988 cult film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, the story centres on Veronica Sawyer (Gerardine Sacdalan), a bright and intelligent teenager who finds herself on the outside of the school’s unforgiving social hierarchy. Longing to escape her relatively anonymous existence, Veronica gets her chance when she is accepted into the inner circle of the school’s most influential girls: Heather Chandler (Liberty Stottor), Heather Duke (Jessica Ibadin) and Heather McNamara (Lou Henry). With their immaculate matching uniforms and ruthless control over who is considered popular, the Heathers have turned schoolyard politics into an art form.

But life among the popular crowd is far from straightforward. When Veronica becomes involved with the enigmatic and rebellious J.D. (Louis Hearsey), events take a decidedly sinister turn. A series of increasingly disturbing choices, unexpected developments and questionable decisions soon sends the story spiralling into much darker territory.

The performances throughout are excellent, with the cast bringing tremendous energy, confidence and character to the production. Gerardine Sacdalan is particularly impressive as Veronica, successfully capturing the character’s struggle between wanting to fit in, challenging the status quo and holding on to her own sense of right and wrong. Her vocal performance is superb, and she handles the considerable emotional demands of the role with real assurance.

Louis Hearsey is equally compelling as J.D., creating a character whose initial charm gradually gives way to something far more unsettling. He strikes an effective balance between charisma and menace, keeping the audience intrigued whenever he appears on stage.

The three Heathers make a terrific ensemble, each performer giving her character a distinctive personality while working together to create a formidable and intimidating trio. There is also plenty of excellent comedy from the supporting cast, helping to provide some welcome light relief amid the show’s more challenging subject matter. Markus Södergren and Beau Jackson are great fun as the school jocks, Kurt and Ram, providing plenty of physical comedy and entertaining antics. It’s a fine line between portraying the pair as simply overbearing bullies or teenagers who, in their own way, just want to have some fun, even if it is often at the expense of others but Södergren and Jackson manage to portray their characters with enough teenage innocence that we do actually care about their fate in the show.

Shout-outs should also be given for the great performances from Sophie Manners as Martha Dunnstock, Reuben Browne and John Gurdian as Kurt and Ram’s fathers, and Veronica Carabai as Ms. Fleming. Sophie Manners delivered a fantastic performance as Martha, the naïve girl who still sees the best in people, despite being the target of many of their pranks and name-calling. Her musical number “Kindergarten Boyfriend” was a heart-breaking highlight of the show. As the fathers of the two jocks, Reuben Browne and John Gurdian delivered assured and confident performances, wringing every last ounce of comedy from their Act Two opening number “My Dead Gay Son“. Likewise, Veronica Carabai commanded the stage as Ms. Fleming every time she stepped out and her number “Shine A Light” gave us some fantastic vocals.

Musically, the production is packed with terrific numbers. The infectious attitude and energy of ‘Candy Store‘ contrast beautifully with the more tender and heartfelt ‘Seventeen‘, demonstrating the show’s ability to move effortlessly between comedy, rebellion and genuine emotion. Gary Lloyd’s choreography adds another layer of excitement, maintaining a lively pace and ensuring that the action rarely loses momentum.

The only issue I had at the performance I attended was the sound balance in some of the bigger ensemble numbers. The full ensemble and the band were much louder than the lead performers in these numbers, leading to some of the lines being lost due to a ‘muddy’ sound balance. Hopefully, this isn’t the case at every performance or venue because it was the only criticism I came away with from what was otherwise a fantastic show.

What makes Heathers the Musical particularly interesting is the way it combines its bright colours, energetic musical numbers and often outrageous humour with some genuinely serious subject matter. Bullying, sexuality and mental health are all explored, giving the production considerably more depth than its sometimes irreverent presentation might initially suggest. Beneath the laughs and the deliberately over-the-top storytelling lies an important message about kindness, acceptance, personal responsibility and the potentially devastating consequences of our actions.

This is certainly not a production aimed at younger children, but for audiences who enjoy their musical theatre with a darker edge, plenty of laughs and a generous helping of attitude, it makes for a thoroughly entertaining evening. With its combination of sharp comedy, strong performances and catchy songs, Heathers the Musical is a great choice for anyone contemplating a theatre trip.

****    Four Stars