Heathers is a rock musical directed by Andy Fickman, based on the cult classic 1989 film ‘Heathers’. The musical first previewed in 2013, in LA. Due to the success, it moved to Off-Broadway in 2014. In June of 2018 it came to Off-West End and it is now being performed at the Haymarket Theatre.
The Musical is about a teen called Veronica who feels like an outcast. In the opening number ‘Beautiful’ we understand Veronica doesn’t really fit in, until the Heathers adopt her. The Heathers are the ‘it’ girls. They decide to take her on as their friend. The show follows Veronica, on her crazy adventure of becoming a Heather and all this entails.
The role of Veronica is played by Carrie Hope Fletcher. Carries portrayal of Veronica is outstanding, she shows Veronicas vulnerability throughout the show, yet towards the end in the number ‘I say no’, we see a genuine change in Veronica. We can see that whilst she thought being a Heather would end all her problems, in reality its where all her problems begun. The character development throughout the play makes the audience sympathise with Veronica, as her life gets exceedingly more messed up.
J.D is played by Jamie Muscato who does an excellent job of showing how insane JDs behaviour really is, yet making him a realistic character. It was not until the songs ‘Our Love is God’ and ‘Meant to be yours’ that personally, I saw that JDs psychopathic ways root from his love for Veronica and his intention to protect her at all costs. He is a very complicated character and whilst he has a dark side to him, his character is also quite humorous which is really amusing.
Heather Chandler is played by Jodie Steele, who really captures the idea of Heathers being built of ‘solid Teflon’, ‘never bothered by anyone else’, as described by Veronica. The song ‘The Me Inside Of Me’ really sums up the character of Heather Chandler well, and Steele brings an aspect of humour to it, which makes this song very amusing. As well, the iconic song ‘Candy Store’ really sets the tone for the whole show, showing how much power Heather Chandler has over everyone, including the other two Heathers, which alludes to later on in the show to what they do when there is no Chandler.
Heather Duke is played by T’shan Williams, her character emphasises this idea that everyone wants to be the most popular girl in school, as when Heather Chandler dies, Duke decides she needs to replace her (shown by Duke wearing the iconic Heather Chandler uniform). Her powerhouse of a song ‘Never shut up again’, new to the London productions really shows how repressed she was by Chandler, and therefore shows that idea again of how toxic this school really is.
Heather McNamara is different from the other two Heathers. Played by Sophie Isaacs, McNamara is the nicer Heather, seen as more innocent, and in her song ‘Lifeboat’ she describes how all her friends are dead and she just feels really sad- so sad that it’s driven her to suicidal thoughts. After expressing these feelings we see her fellow classmates taunt her about how she’s being dramatic. Veronica helps McNamara through this difficult time, which I thought when watching, was a really interesting friendship but actually really sweet.
All round, the ensemble and cast really make this a feel good show. The cast is smaller than most shows, which means you really notice each character and the show is really easy to get involved with. The song ‘Shine a light’ was one of my personal favourites ,it really involves the audience as the actors are performing at the audience and get audience participation, which is different for a West End show, but really fits to the show well, and actually alludes to a scene from the movie. The ensemble honestly add such character to the show, it’s very entertaining.
Heathers is a musical like no other! Naomi Sullivan, who saw the show with me said “It’s really a must see show, you laugh and cry with the characters, and it really is a feel good show”. It is only has a short run, the cast are amazing and so are the fans. Get your tickets while you can at https://theatre.ticketmaster.co.uk/book/M6NJ-heathers-the-musical/#perf=M6NJ-1E&date=2018-10-16&time=7.45PM&seats=none. You won’t regret seeing this fabulous show!!
