Heathers: The Musical (2022)

Not the original 1988 film, which I haven’t actually seen. No, this is a performance of the stage show that was filmed live for Roku. And while I also haven’t seen the musical onstage, I’ve listened to the cast recording plenty of times, so it was fun to see the numbers performed within the context of the whole show.

Like a lot of people navigating the apocalyptic wasteland of high school, Veronica Sawyer envies the Heathers, a trio of popular girls who rule the school and never have to worry about being harassed or laughed at. A lucky turn of events places her inside the clique, but Veronica learns that being a Heather comes with its own challenges, namely being forever under the thumb of “mythic bitch” Heather Chandler. When Veronica takes up with a troubled loner named J.D., they start to push back against the Heathers, and in the process, they upend the whole school.

I’m not getting too much into the plot details—the original Heathers may be 35 years old, but if I haven’t seen it, I’m sure others haven’t either, so I’ll avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say, the film this show is based on was Mean Girls before Mean Girls existed, with an even bigger bite and a more menacing edge. The musical brings a bit of camp to some of the more disturbing plot points, but it also allows things to get genuinely messed up, and the characters react as such.

My first exposure to Heathers in any format was when Riverdale did it as their musical episode in season 3. I liked what I heard of the songs there, and when I looked up the show online, I was surprised to discover the score was written by Laurence O’Keefe. If you haven’t heard the cast recording for Bat Boy, you’re absolutely missing out. For years, that was the only show of his that I’d heard about, so I jumped at the chance to listen to more of Heathers. The score is super catchy and endlessly playable. I especially love the opening number “Beautiful,” the wickedly playful Heathers anthem “Candy Store,” the twisted love song “Our Love is God,” and the wistful ballad “Seventeen.”

Like I said, it was fun to watch a live recording of the show. While the cast recording gave me a good sense of the story, I appreciated the chance to fill in the last of the gaps and see everything play out. Maddison Firth, Vivian Panka, and Teleri Hughes are bitchy and color coordinated as Heathers Chandler, Duke, and McNamara respectively, and they always bring it when they’re onstage. Liam Doyle and Rory Phelan do well as Kurt and Ram, two jocks who are equal parts cruel and dumb. Simon Gordon makes for an unnerving J.D., while Mhairi Angus is sweet as Veronica’s best friend Martha. Unfortunately, Ailsa Davidson is kind of a weak link for me as Veronica. I never felt like she rose above “all right,” and she lacks an edge that I pictured Veronica having. This makes the recording not as good as it could’ve been, but I still found it worth watching.

Warnings

Violence (including attempted rape,) sexual content, language (including sexist, homophobic, and ableist slurs,) drinking/drug use, and strong thematic elements (including suicide.)