Due to a ridiculous schedule with my own production and other commitments these past few months, I’m way behind on publishing reviews, so sorry about that.
*****
I admit from past experiences I’m not a fan of Bill Kenwright Productions, so I approached Heathers with a tinge of worry amid the excitement. You see, I had not seen the show before, yet was familiar with the music due to both Off Broadway and West End Original Cast Recordings. I also had good memories of the 1988 Daniel Waters film of the same name which (incidentally) this musical follows closely.
Heathers tells of Veronica Sawyer, an unfashionable High School student, desperate to belong to the major clique, all named Heather. After initial success, Veronica falls foul of leader, Heather Chandler and turns to new student and bad boy, Jason Dean (JD). What follows is a tale of murder, revenge and suicide. But however dark the themes may sound, there is a glorious wealth of humour throughout.
What makes Heathers work is an excellent book with a top-drawer selection of songs from Kevin Murphey and Laurence O’Keefe. All are memorable; not a weak tune among them. Still, to bring such a good template to life, you need the cast, and all on show were amazing.
I must say, I loved every bit of Rebecca Wickes’ performance; be it song or character; her mannerisms were so believable. She was outstanding as anti-heroine, Veronica, with numbers: Beautiful, Dead Girl Walking and I Say No, out of this world. Equally so was Simon Gordon in the role of JD who duetted exceptionally with Wickes in Seventeen and Our Love is God, as well as his own Freeze Your Brain.
“And then there’s the Heathers. They float above it all.”
On my viewing, the Heathers were Daisy Twells (Chandler), Merryl Ansah (Duke) and Lizzy Parker (McNamara). These three absolutely smashed it as the terrible trio, especially during the popular Candy Store. Individually and respectively, The Me Inside of Me, Never Shut Up Again and Lifeboat again exceeded expectations.
Supporting, we had Liam Doyle (Kurt) and Rory Phelan (Ram) as the expertly portrayed dense High School Jocks, lured to their deaths by JD. Also on show were Bailey Hart (Ms Fleming) singing Shine a Light, Mhairi Angus (Martha) with Kindergarten Boyfriend, plus Andy Brady and Kurt Kansley as Ram and Kurt’s fathers.
This tour production was directed by Andy Frickman with choreography from Gary Lloyd. Musical direction was in the hands of Gary Hickerson.
Heathers is a brilliant show, a real rollercoaster ride which flows at an amazing speed without a dull moment in sight. The tour has now ended but I urge you to check it out either back in the West End or the next available tour. This time, Bill Kenwright Productions left me satisfied and wanting more.
Cheers.
Antony N Britt
Antony N Britt - Author 