Ever since Grease hit the stage and screen, a steady stream of musicals based in American high schools makes the 1980s setting of Heathers feel like we’re on familiar ground. The show has all the trappings of the likes of High School Musical, as the stock characters are all there, including the jocks with more brawn than brains, the geeks, the fat one and, of course, the popular kids who everyone wants to be seen with. Unlike those other schools however, things at Westerberg High are about to get very dark indeed.
Meet the Heathers, a colour co-ordinated trio with sharp looks and even sharper tongues who all happen to share the same first name. Heather Chandler (Verity Thompson) is top of the pecking order and everybody knows it, not least the seriously put upon Heather Duke (Elise Zavou) and cheerleader of the pack Heather McNamara (Billie Bowman). A place at the lunch table with these girls will make your popularity soar but cross them and your life won’t be worth living.
Smart girl Veronica Sawyer (Eleanor Walsh) has the knack of forging others’ writing and sets out to put her skills to good use in order to win their favour, become an honorary Heather and thereby guarantee herself a smooth ride through High School. The Heathers are convinced that Veronica could be a useful addition to their ranks, and Heather C soon exploits Veronica’s talents to torment Martha ‘Dumptruck’ Dunnstock (Kingsley Morton), Veronica’s lifelong friend.
Things seem to be going mostly to plan for Veronica when along comes the brooding and fearless JD (Jacob Fowler), who appears to be the only one at Westerberg High who doesn’t need anyone’s approval but his own. After a booze-fuelled night of partying that ends in Veronica throwing up over Heather C, her alliance with the Heathers is threatened and she turns to JD for solace. Visiting Heather C’s home with JD the next morning to beg forgiveness, Veronica and JD provide a hangover cure that is a little more permanent than most of them expected. As events spiral out of control, Veronica finds herself being pulled between her conscience and her darker desires.
Heathers is a slick, energetic production that is driven along by a young and highly talented ensemble. Technically the production is flawless, with some impressive lighting picking out the Heathers’ characters and colours and a six-strong band blasting out an impressive score.
Performances are universally strong, the vocals stunning and the choreography highly accomplished. Of the three Heathers, Thompson dominates the stage with commanding presence, whilst Zavou and Bowman’s characterisations contrast perfectly, each with their own distinctive flaws and insecurities.
The comedic duo of football jocks Ram and Kurt, played by Morgan Jackson and Alex Woodward, find the ideal blend of irritating, bullying menace and downright stupidity. Their physical comedy and timing are as well honed as their buff bodies.
As JD, Fowler brings impressive vocals and a believable edginess and danger. Morton has loveable awkwardness in her portrayal of Martha, and demonstrates that she too has a voice to be reckoned with in her touching number, Kindergarten Boyfriend. Maeve Byrne as Miss Fleming also brings vocal strength to the teacher who loves the spotlight in the show-stopping Shine a Light.
Walsh’s Veronica however is the stand-out performance of this production, her voice soaring effortlessly to meet the power and range required by a demanding score.
Themes of abuse, teen suicide, bulimia and sexual assault are not the usual stuff of stage musicals, but that is what makes Heathers so refreshingly different. In a world where the kids are damaged by and not so very different from their damaged parents, it’s hard to imagine how this can all end happily, yet somehow it does. After all the unpleasantness, the show’s final message, that we’re all messed up so should be nice to each other, feels a little too contrived and sickly sweet.
Based upon the 1980’s cult film, Heathers has itself has become a cult phenomenon to a new generation. Judging by the whoops, cheers and standing ovation from a capacity audience on opening night, this production is unlikely to disappoint.
