Heathers first opened in London at The Other Palace in 2018, and it’s since had two West End runs, tours, and opened back at TOP in 2021. Although this was originally announced as a limited run, the show has called TOP home for over a year now and has consistently sold out the theatre!
Heathers The Musical is based on the 1988 film of the same name, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. The musical follows Veronica Sawyer who manages to worm her way into the elite group of ‘Heathers’ (Heather Chandler, Heather Duke and Heather McNamara) who rule the school. But things take a sinister turn when she develops a crush on bad boy JD and classmates start to wind up dead…
On the night we visited Westerburg, May Tether was the one donning the blue blazer. This was my second time seeing Tether as Veronica; I also saw her perform on tour last year in the role and have been a fan ever since. Her version of Veronica is goofy, lovable, and endearing, but also has an inner strength to her – which she clearly shows when she finally stands up to JD and ‘says no.’ Tether displays phenomenal vocals throughout the show, with ‘I Say No’ being the standout number of the entire show. Her vocal control within this performance is astounding.
The current wearer of the iconic red blazer is Maddison Frith. Her performance as Heather Chandler unfortunately lacked something for me. It may have been that Tether’s and the other Heathers’ performances were energetic throughout, which really highlighted the reduced level of energy in Frith’s performance. I think her rationale behind this was to play Chandler as smug and pouty, but it was too contrasting to the performances of the other leads and meant that the mythic bitch wasn’t quite the standout role it should be in this production. However, Frith’s voice is wonderful.
The Heather that does stand out is McNamara (Jasmine Beel). Beel is an absolute joy to watch, her vocals are consistently strong throughout the performance, and she brings a sweetness to the role that makes this Heather so likeable.
I also feel as though the casting for JD isn’t right, as he did not appear to be a similar age to the others on stage. I know casting slightly older people to play high schoolers isn’t a new concept, but in this production this casting doesn’t work and slightly diminishes the role’s believability.
I love the soundtrack of Heathers, and I think that is where the production really shines. The songs are varied and catchy, with pop style numbers such as ‘Candy Store’ which have you bouncing in your seat, to absolute belts such as ‘I Say No’ and ‘Lifeboat.’ I did find that some of the vocal performances were slightly shouty in places throughout the show, which felt unnecessary, particularly in such a small space.
The choreography by Gary Lloyd is sharp and precise; I don’t know who can teach me the ‘Candy Store’ dance, but I want to learn it! The finale, however, could use some actual choreography – it felt as though the cast were improvising, and the finale could be a showstopper with some finetuning and tightening.
I also feel like I need to highlight in my review that Heathers could be doing so much more in terms of diversity in their casting. It’s 2022, and diversity and inclusivity should be at the forefront of every production – I should not be having to write a passage like this in any review, as diverse casting should be the norm. This show attracts a younger audience, and everyone should see someone that looks like them on stage.
Heathers isn’t perfect, but it also doesn’t try to be. It’s camp and satirical with some important messages underlying the script – although I hope not everything is relatable! It’s apparent that Heathers resonates with people and has a strong fan base. Whilst it’s definitely not for everyone, one thing is clear: this is a very fun show – some may say BIG fun.
{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}
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