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Show: Heathers the Musical
Society: London (professional shows)
Venue: The Other Palace. 12 Palace Street, London SW1E 5BJ
Credits: BOOK, MUSIC, AND LYRICS by KEVIN MURPHY and LAURENCE O'KEEFE. Produced by Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills
Type: Sardines
Author: Jess Pether
Performance Date: 13/09/2022
Heathers the Musical
Jess Pether | 15 Sep 2022 01:53am
All photos: Pamela Raith
It’s often an advantage to review a show when you haven’t seen the film on which it’s based. The cult 1989 movie Heathers is one that passed me by, which meant I watched the musical without comparison and with a fresh perspective.
Heathers The Musical had its UK premier at The Other Palace in 2018 and came back as the theatre’s first post-pandemic production in 2021. Set at Westerberg High in Ohio, the teenage students are simply trying their best to survive. The goal is to get through the school year unscathed, which probably isn’t that dissimilar to student life in 2022.
A trio of Heathers rule the school – you can see where Mean Girls got its inspiration from – and nerdy classmate Veronica Sawyer thinks joining their clique is the only way to have a smooth ride. She doesn’t count on handsome but creepy new boy JD arriving and messing up her plans, which dissolve into bullying, forgery and murder.
The musical is an energetic and dazzling ride of a production. Fast paced, it bounces between comedy and tragedy so quickly you feel like you need to be strapped into your seat. The story is underpinned by the tricky and sensitive subject of suicide but deals with it in a camp and blackly comic way; songs such as My Dead Gay Son are firmly tongue-in-cheek. The title, I’m sure, sounds quite distasteful out of context but this is actually one of the most uplifting moments in the show.
The entire musical is built around strong melodies and tight harmonies. The score can be described as rock-pop and each principal performer has a powerful belt, which is needed to do almost every song justice. Erin Caldwell as Veronica is barely off stage and makes every note she sings look effortless. I couldn’t take my eyes off her and she has that special triple-threat quality all performers crave.
Each of the Heathers – Chandler, Duke, and McNamara – also have some big notes to hit and Madison Firth as queen bitch Heather Chandler is particularly compelling to watch. I also enjoyed the transformation of Jasmine Beel’s Heather McNamara, who softens as the show progresses and she realises it’s nicer to be nice. Vivian Panka plays the most sullen and serious Heather, completing the trio.
What some might describe as shout-singing does grate a little by the end of the show, and in some cases it means words are lost, which is difficult if you’re a trying to follow the plot for the first time. But you can’t deny this young cast have big things ahead of them.
The duo of Tobias Turley and Brandon Gale, who play popular jocks Kurt Kelly and Ram Sweeney, spend most of the show in their underpants (matching), but this doesn’t take away from the quality of their performance. They nail a slow-motion fight in the first scene, complete with gurning facial expressions, and their doofish behaviour is spot on throughout.
Nathaniel Landskroner as Jason ‘JD’ Dean has a satisfying character arc, starting off as a bit weird and creepy and ending up as… very weird and creepy. Actually, he becomes downright crazy. His relationship with Veronica is fun and believable.
So many aspects of the show add something extra and exciting; the bright, energetic chorus are strong and the rainbow lighting, used to match the Heathers’ outfit colours, is a clever touch. Heathers could easily fill a vast West End stage but there was something special about watching it in a more intimate venue.
Heathers The Musical is an unapologetic, camp romp of a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It jointly offers audiences a show they can watch without having to think too much but conversely, one that will touch you on a deeper level if you let it.