Heathers: The Musical perfectly captures what it’s like to be a teenager and mixes it with the darkest wit and the catchiest songs.
Teen movies from the ’80s were my saviour during those awkward teenage years. You know when you’re 16 or 17 and you feel like the world is against you? You’re extra dramatic, overly emotional and everything just seems a little too much. No movies captured that feeling quite like the teen movies of the 1980s. I’m talking about Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Breakfast Club. I’m also talking about Heathers, minus the murder obviously. Winona Ryder and Christian Slater perfectly captured how ridiculous your teenage years feel. But Heathers: The Musical takes those feelings of teenage angst and mixed it with dark humour and created one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen.
“Part of me wishes I got to watch the musical as a teen because it shows how it feels like to be a teenager perfectly”
I was lucky enough to see Heathers: The Musical at The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre this week. I went in knowing very little about the show, other than it was loosely based on the 80s movie. The show is something else. It’s dark and twisty. Shocking and slightly haunting, but it’s also hilarious, full of joy, and surprisingly empowering.
Part of me wishes I got to watch the musical as a teen because the cast captured what it feels like to be a teenager perfectly. It’s why I love John Hughes’ movies so much. They make you feel understood and heard during a time when everyone feels like your worst enemy.
Heathers: The Musical follows Veronica Sawyer as she struggles to fit in at the fictional high school Westerberg High. She longs to be one of the popular girls. She’s tired of feeling invisible and unwanted, but then the Heathers invite her into their world. However, Veronica quickly realises the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The Heathers are bullies and Veronica quickly realises that she has to act just like them in order to remain popular.
“If you can handle the heavier themes then you must grab a pair of tickets and visit Westerberg High at the Bord Gáis.”
Her friendship woes don’t last for too long when newcomer Jason Dean (JD) arrives at the school. JD is like the boy we all fell for when we were teenagers, he’s different, and he reads and dresses differently, but JD has a far darker side Veronica never expected. When an innocent drink mixup results in the accidental poisoning of Heather Chandler, JD convinces Veronica to stage her suicide. They, literally, get away with murder and decide to get rid of the ‘popular elite’ at their school forever.
Heathers won’t be every musical lover’s cup of tea. The show’s themes include murder, suicide, eating disorders, and sexual violence so it’s undoubtedly quite triggering for many. But if you can cope with the heavier themes then you must grab a pair of tickets and visit Westerberg High at the Bord Gáis. The show is growing in popularity in the musical theatre world and I’m not one bit surprised. It’ll be hailed a classic by teens in the future.
Heathers will make you feel nostalgic, it’ll make you cry, but it will also have you dancing in your seat. I’d highly recommend going just to see the phenomenal cast perform My Dead Gay Son. It’s one of the best musical moments you’ll ever witness, trust me.
Heathers: The Musical stars Jenna Innes as Veronica Sawyer, Jacob Fowler as Jason ‘JD’ Dean, and Verity Thompson as Heather Chandler. It also stars Elise Zavou as Heather Duke, Billie Bowman as Heather McNamara, and Kinglsey Morton as Martha Dunnstock.
You can catch Heathers: The Musical at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre until May 6th.
