Heathers: The Musical offers a darkly comic take on American high school culture, that whilst not asking to be taken too seriously successfully manages to dismantle the nihilistic allure of teenage angst with bopping, in-your-face musical numbers.
Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe’s musical adaption of the 1989 film by Daniel Waters has impressed audiences initially in the mid to late 2010’s. This production demonstrates it has no signs of growing stale. Set in the misery-inspired yet typically relatable school of Westerberg, the plot follows new girl Veronica as she navigates numbskull jocks and the notorious ‘Heathers’ – three girls of the same name who offer very little in individuality but plenty in toxic reputation management. On her journey, Veronica runs into the mysterious JD, a not-like-the-other-boys distant soul who despite keeping his head down, also doesn’t play by the rules. How far is Veronica willing to go with JD to break the status quo of the school that farms misery for so many of its students? And will their solution truly fix anything?
The first thing to be noted in this production is that there are some exceptional vocal performances. The songs are full-bodied, powerful and pitch perfect in their presentation. Esme Bowdler’s performance is pointedly charismatic and compelling as Heather Chandler. Keelan McAuley’s vocal range as JD is remarkable and astutely controlled, yet flexible enough to embrace a frenzied chaos that is utilised very well when his character is actively relating to a more emotionally intense disposition. The wider cast and ensemble vocals are some of the highlights here. Behold a cast beautifully in tune with one another and utterly committed to painting a strong musical tapestry for their audiences every night.
May Tether, stepping in for Jessica Innes as Veronica for this performance, proved there is no shortage of showstoppers in the wings for this team. Her vocal performance fantastic, her comedic sensibilities excellent and her precision in portraying this slightly lost yet headstrong teenager really drew an image of Veronica the audience could immediately relate to and believe in. Iván Fernández González and Jason Battersby were also equally as amusing and captivating as Kurt and Ram respectively.
Whilst the show is broadly a triumph, there is sometimes a felt lack of presence in the interplay between audience and performer. A sign of a cast on rails with a show so slick it has become routine? Perhaps. But I felt there was a slight slackness that provoked the audience to feel invisible briefly. A truly refreshing moment that came as an exception to this was Lucy Sinclair’s moment with ‘Steve’. Although this piece is so well crafted you’d be forgiven for thinking it needs nothing more, this live, dangerous-in-a-fun-type-of-way improvisations really embellished the production well.
What it does well, it does really well: and sometimes that is the basics. Even in the face of expectation, as tonight the crowd was filled with Westerberg wannabes all dressed up as their favourite characters, it makes an impression. The audience proved to be possibly the most electric and celebratory audience I have seen at the Sheffield Lyceum in recent years. The attentiveness and adoration shown is a testament to the work that we bore witness to. And take it from me, as someone with no strong knowledge of any of the world of Heathers, it is not a prerequisite to have a good time here.
Heathers: The Musical is running at the Sheffield Lyceum until 5th October 2024. Be sure to check their website at https://www.heathersthemusical.com/tour for further dates up and down the country.
Reviewer: Louis Thompson
Reviewed: 1st October 2024
North West End UK Rating: