Review: Heathers

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Heathers.
I first discovered Heathers through my love for Mean Girls the musical. After watching Mean Girls earlier this Summer, I encountered several people online who stated that Mean Girls bared a strong resemblance to Heathers the Musical. In actual fact, Heathers, based on the movie released in 1988, served as a major source of inspiration for the concept behind Mean Girls. Due to the fact that I consider Mean Girls to be one of my favourite musicals of all time, I was intrigued on the idea of seeing Heathers.

Heathers is set in Westerberg High, where high-school student Veronica Sawyer is simply just another of the nobodies dreaming of a better day. But when she’s unexpectedly taken under the wings of the three beautiful and impossibly cruel Heathers, her dreams of popularity finally start to come true. Until JD turns up, the mysterious teen rebel who teaches her that it might kill to be a nobody, but it’s murder being a somebody. I personally found the storyline to be utterly gripping. Whilst the show is of a light-hearted nature with humorous characters, it covers topics surrounding dark issues, including bullying, teen suicide, sexual assault, and violence in schools. Despite Heathers being set in 1989, it is still as relevant today as it was when the film was first released. With 18 school shootings having taken place in the past year, it could perhaps even be argued that this storyline is even more important than it was in 1989. The book, co-written by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, excellently captures the essence of what life can be like for those attending high-school. Additionally, I was also left rather impressed with the way in which the leading characters of Veronica and J.D. were written. Both characters are far more than two-dimensional characters; each had multiple layers and an exceedingly large amount of depth. The relationship between these two characters and how it progressed throughout the show made for fascinating viewing.

The score to Heathers, also co-written by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, is exceptional. I had listened to a portion of the Off-Broadway cast album before entering the theatre, so I was somewhat familiar with the music before watching the show. Throughout the score, there are several really catchy tunes, and to call them memorable would be an understatement. My personal favourites from the score are the musical numbers of 'Dead Girl Walking' and 'Seventeen', both of which I have been playing on repeat for the past 24 hours.

Carrie Hope Fletcher in the role of Veronica Sawyer is incredible; there can be no other way to describe it. Throughout the show, she has an exceedingly engaging stage presence, maintaining a clear control of the stage. She showed a great range to the character, clearly showing the progression from this nerdy and awkward teenage girl, to this strong, menacing and powerful persona. She is also a remarkable singer, giving a powerful rendition of 'Dead Girl Walking'. Fletcher had an electric chemistry with her co-star Jamie Muscato, who was equally phenomenal. In the role of Jason 'J.D.' Dean, Jamie Muscato truly had every aspect of the character down to a tee. In Muscato's portrayal we are able to see the more juvenile and child-like side of J.D., his caring and kind nature with Veronica, as well as his psychotic and sociopathic tendencies when dealing with enemies and his troubled past. Elements of his performance also reminded me of the late Heath Ledger's stunning Academy Award winning performance as The Joker in The Dark Knight. It was very much a compelling performance.

The lighting design, created by Ben Cracknell, is also rather admirable. Throughout the show, the lighting is often used to either symbolise the emotions of the character or to complement the costumes that the characters were wearing. It was clear a lot of thought had been put into this and it was highly impressive.

The featured star of Heather is, drum roll please... CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER!

This was an extremely difficult choice between Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jamie Muscato, however I eventually chose to award it to Fletcher. Fletcher gives an astonishing performance and it is one that is highly memorable. She has an astounding voice and a clear wide range of acting abilities.

Now for my final verdict on Heathers. I give Heathers...

Heathers delivers several important messages, has a great score and two incredible leading performances. Therefore, I have decided to award it four stars!

Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer