The 1989 cult movie Heathers has come full circle: after being adapted for the stage, the dark comedy has found its way back to the screen in the form of a professionally captured version of the musical, a proshot. Although the musical theatre version stays relatively true to the original story set in the late 80’s, the plot still has many elements that resonate with today’s viewers, such as the desire to fit in, bullying, toxic relationships, sexual assault, and suicide. This contemporary feel largely accounts for the hype the show has received from its —primarily young adult— audiences. With this proshot, Heathers the musical might gain even more popularity.
A cocktail of high energy and cynicism
The story revolves around teenager Veronica (Ailsa Davidson), who befriends the Heathers (Maddison Firth, Vivian Panka, Teleri Hughes), three mean girls with the same name who run the school. But Veronica’s new-found popularity and her budding relationship with mysterious new kid J.D. (Simon Gordon) quickly turn out to have a deadly outcome.
The mostly upbeat, poprock-adjacent music, written by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy, is the musical’s biggest appeal. Energetic ensemble numbers such as ‘Candy Store’, ‘Big Fun’ and ‘Never Shut Up Again’ are vivified even more by Gary Lloyd’s sharp, dynamic choreography. Songs from act one and act two are cleverly mirrored by the recurrence of musical themes, which denote a change in Veronica’s views on the unfolding action. For example, the starting melody of Veronica’s powerful break-up anthem ‘I Say No’ is that of J.D.’s creepy love song ‘Our Love is God’. By using his tune and then changing it in the rest of the number, Veronica breaks free from his influence.
Overall, the cast are gifted performers. Lead actress Ailsa Davidson’s rendition of ‘I Say No’ is awe-inspiring, mainly because of her strong belt. From the opening number ‘Beautiful’, Davidson makes clear that she has a unique voice, and she continues to prove her singing capabilities throughout the show. Another stand-out singer is Vivian Panka, who also brilliantly conveys Heather Duke’s evolution from obedient follower to mean new leader. However, some performances of cast members are less satisfactory. For example, Gordon’s singing and acting could use a tad more power to convey J.D.’s craziness and Firth’s portrayal of Heather Chandler is somewhat artificial at times.
Ailsa Davidson’s rendition of ‘I Say No’ is awe-inspiring
The show combines high-energy numbers with cynical jokes about suicide, murder and death, mostly uttered by J.D. or Heather Chandler. While most of the sardonic one-liners are funny in the context of the show, some viewers might be taken aback by the directness of the dark humour. Heathers does not shy away from singing a ‘silly’ song about sexual assault or from using bulimia to get a laugh. However, the humour is a vital technique to make these dark topics addressable. The musical uses tropes and stereotypes like “homophobes are gay themselves” and “boys will be boys” and invites us to laugh at them. By overemphasising them, the show implies that the audience should be smart enough to recognise that these are indeed stereotypes. Moreover, the contrast with truly emotional moments, such as suicidal Martha Dunnstock’s song ‘Kindergarten Boyfriend’, is maximised. Those genuine parts remind the audience of the seriousness of the heavy content matter.
More details, less impact
The Heathers the Musical proshot is one of many professional recordings of musical theatre shows that have been made in the last decade, of which MTV’s Legally Blonde the musical and Disney+’s Hamilton are very popular. In contrast to a live performance of a show, a proshot makes musical theatre accessible from the viewer’s home, even in other countries, and it can be watched many times. This proshot is a taped version of the London production of Heathers, which reopened in late 2021 and will be running in The Other Palace until February 2023. The recording is a compilation of two live performances and some separately filmed scenes.
The screen adaptation manages to transmit the energy of the show only partly
The proshot does not compare to a live experience, but it has its own unique advantages. For example, the performance is shown from different angles. Frequent close-ups show little moments you might miss or would not pay attention to in a theatre, such as funny interactions between ensemble members or Veronica’s sympathetic looks during J.D.’s big introductory number. Wide shots give the viewer an overview of the entire stage, which especially works well during group numbers. Furthermore, a movie offers more options in terms of graphic design: a sequence where the school teacher talks to a reporter is shown in the style of 80’s television, and transitions between scenes are —less successfully— depicted as drawings. Unfortunately, cuts between different takes of the same scene are sometimes visible. Actors suddenly stand in a different way or their facial expressions have changed drastically since the last shot. Because of these slip-ups, the viewer is temporarily pulled out of the story. The screen adaptation therefore manages to transmit the energy of the show only partly.
Still, the proshot is an enjoyable experience on its own for everyone who likes a dark but hilarious show filled with energetic dance numbers and songs sung by powerful female characters. Heathers the Musical Movie is already streaming in the US and Canada on the Roku Channel and is expected to arrive in the UK and Europe in the near future.