Heathers the Musical is a show with bite. Its bark isn’t bad either
Heathers the Musical
at the Oxford Playhouse
from Tuesday, October 22 to Saturday 26
Review by JON LEWIS
Teenage Kicks
An ominous but humorous tone is created as soon as the audience sees the set for Heathers the Musical before the actors enter the stage. A logo for the Westerberg Rottweilers, the American football team, is placed prominently in the hall of the high school suggesting that this is a show with bite. Its bark isn’t bad either.
Andy Fickman’s production of Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy’s murderously addictive musical version of Michael Lehmann’s 1988 movie Heathers is faithful to Daniel Waters’ original screenplay. The central character is Veronica (fine-voiced understudy May Tether) a senior year student keen to become a member of the popular ‘mean girls’ gang led by the three Heathers.
Heather Chandler (Esme Bowdler), or Heather 1, Heather Duke (Sedona Sky) and Heather McNamara (Daisy Twells) are role models for the privileged party set, looking down on the nerds and the less attractive in their year. Their male equivalents are the football jocks Kurt (Iván Fernández González) and Ram (Jason Battersby), lads with a high opinion of themselves, their ballooningly inflated egos just waiting to be popped.
This enchanted circle of the self-appointed beautiful people is challenged by the unholy presence of Veronica’s new psycho boyfriend JD (Keelan McAuley). JD is a natural born killer whose mother committed suicide by walking into a building being demolished by her husband. JD, a child at the time, is haunted by this act and developed his nihilistic philosophy as a reaction. The murderous spree that ensues is treated comically and the victims become ghosts that haunt the living in a new afterlife community.
The songs are toe-tappingly catchy and the packed audience of young adults whooped and cheered after each number. The second half opens with a surprisingly joyful, funny, and liberal, anthem to the deceased, My Dead Gay Son. It’s sung as a duet by Kurt and Ram’s fathers (Alexander Service and Conor McFarlane) at the boys’ funeral hinting at another gay relationship. Of the many memorable songs, Dead Girl Walking, You’re Welcome and Kindergarten Boyfriend add poignancy to the subversion. A great show to get younger adults passionate about theatre.