Heathers: The Musical
| Heathers: The Musical | |
|---|---|
|
Off-Broadway Poster | |
| Music | |
| Lyrics |
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| Book |
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| Basis | 1988 film Heathers |
| Productions |
2010 New York Concert 2013 Hollywood 2014 Off-Broadway 2015 St. Louis 2015 San Francisco |
Heathers: The Musical is a rock musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy and based on the 1988 cult film Heathers. After a sold-out Los Angeles tryout, the show had a production Off-Broadway in 2014.
Background
The show's director, Andy Fickman, had been working with Daniel Waters (the screenwriter of the film) on the musical. After seeing Laurence O'Keefe's work with Legally Blonde and how he transitioned film to theatre, he decided to pair him with Reefer Madness collaborator Kevin Murphy. Flickman said of the experience, "we found that Heathers gave a great deal of opportunity for ‘80s commentary and a great chance for music and storytelling".[1]
Synopsis
Act 1
In 1989 Westerburg High School, seventeen-year-old Veronica Sawyer is frustrated with the hellish competitive social hierarchy. She manages to join the popular clique, Heather Duke, Heather McNamara, and their leader Heather Chandler, by proving herself useful at forging notes ("Beautiful"). After discovering that Veronica's friend Martha "Dumptruck" Dunnstock has liked football player Ram since they dated in kindergarten, they make Veronica forge a note from him, confessing he still likes her. She tries to stop them, but is given an ultimatum: give the note to Martha or go back to being unpopular ("Candy Store").
Ram and fellow footballer Kurt pick a fight with the eccentric loner new kid, J.D., and Veronica finds herself attracted to him ("Fight for Me"). She meets him again in a 7-Eleven on her way to Ram's homecoming party. They hit it off and he offers to buy her a Slurpee, saying he uses the brain-freeze to numb the pain of his troubling home life ("Freeze your Brain").
At the party, things get out of control and Martha shows up, thinking Ram invited her because of the note ("Big Fun"). The Heathers try to prank her having her hit a pig piñata with a "Martha Dumptruck" sign around its neck, but Veronica stops them. She decides being popular isn't worth it and resigns from the Heathers, and Heather Chandler informs her they intend to ruin her social life at Westerburg. Feeling she has nothing to lose now, she breaks into J.D.'s bedroom and sleeps with him ("Dead Girl Walking").
After having a nightmare about Heather Chandler tormenting her, Veronica decides to go to her house to apologise, with J.D. tagging along. Heather orders Veronica to make her a hangover cure, and J.D. suggests putting toxic drain cleaner in it as revenge. Veronica says no, but mixes up the drinks and accidentally gives it to Heather anyway, killing her. Fearing no one will believe it was an accident, she using her forging skills to write a suicide note ("The Me Inside of Me"). In the process, she makes Heather sound more deep and complex than she actually was, gaining her sympathy from the entire school.
With Heather Chandler dead, Duke decides to assume control, taking Chandler's iconic red scrunchie from her locker as a power symbol. Veronica gets a call from Heather McNamara, telling her to come to the cemetery. When she gets there, she discovers McNamara and Duke locked in a car, trying to fend off a drunk Kurt and Ram. With Veronica there, the footballers set their eyes on her instead ("Blue"), but she escapes by feeding them more alcohol until they pass out. The next day, they tell everyone they had sex with Veronica anyway, and she's branded a slut ("Blue (Reprise").
J.D. and Veronica plan to get revenge on the two by having her lure them into the woods with the promise of a genuine threesome and shooting them with tranquilizer darts, putting them out long enough for cops to find a forged suicide note proclaiming they're gay lovers. But after shooting, Veronica realizes J.D. has given her real bullet and intended to kill the footballers all along ("Our Love is God").
Act 2
At Ram and Kurt's joint funeral, their fathers decide to accept their apparent homosexuality and work towards making the world more tolerant ("My Dead Gay Son"). Seeing this as a sign their murders are making the world a better place, J.D. tries to convince Veronica they should make Heather Duke their next target. She refuses, saying she wants to give up killing and live a normal life with him ("Seventeen"). Martha asks Veronica for help breaking into J.D.'s locker, as she suspects he murdered the footballers, insisting Ram couldn't be gay because of the love note he wrote her. Scared she'd find something incriminating or J.D. would kill her next, Veronica is forced to remove Martha's suspicions by confessing she forged the note.
Pauline Fleming, the school guidance counsellor, holds a therapy assembly in order to discuss the suicides and prevent anymore from happening("Shine A Light"). Heather McNamara is the only one to step forward, confessing she's thought about killing herself due to ruthlessness of high school ("Lifeboat"). Heather Duke and the rest of the students mock her for it. Angry, Veronica tries to confess to the murders, but no one believes her. Heather McNamara attempts suicide by overdosing ("Shine a Light (Reprise)"), but Veronica stops her in time. J.D. tries to talk her into killing Heather Duke again, but realizing how unstable he is, Veronica breaks up with him instead.
Feeling she's not pretty or thin enough for anyone to ever love her, Martha tries to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge ("Kindergarten Boyfriend"), but winds up in hospital with a few broken bones. Heather Duke passes around a petition for a student suicide commemoration holiday, saying J.D. started it. Veronica's parents confront her about finding proof she's suicidal, and she realizes J.D. plans to make her his next victim. ("Yo Girl"). He breaks into his room and tells her he's changed his mind, believing the solution is to kill the student body that's brainwashing her. He plans to blow up the school while everyone's at a pep rally, making it look like a mass suicide by leaving a note with the signatures from the petition ("Meant to Be Yours").
Veronica decides to put an end to J.D.'s madness, even if she has to die in process ("Dead Girl Walking (Reprise)"). She confronts him as he's setting up the bomb and they fight, causing J.D. to shoot himself. Thinking he's dead and having no idea how to disarm the bomb, Veronica takes it out to the empty football field, intending to save the other students by sacrificing herself. Still alive, J.D. follows her and convinces her to let him take the bomb instead ("I Am Damaged"). The bomb goes off, killing J.D. Veronica takes the red scrunchie from Heather Duke, and declares she's going to make sure everyone at school starts being good to each other ("Seventeen (Reprise)").
Productions
Pre Off-Broadway
There was a reading sometime in 2010, with Kristen Bell as Veronica, Christian Campbell as J.D., and Jenna Leigh Green, Corri English, and Christine Lakin as the Heathers.[2]
On September 13–14, it was presented as a concert at Joe's Pub. The show was directed by Andy Fickman, and it starred Annaleigh Ashford as Veronica Sawyer, Jeremy Jordan as Jason Dean, Jenna Leigh Green as Heather Chandler, Corri English as Heather McNamara, and Christine Lakin as Heather Duke, James Snyder as Kurt Kelly, PJ Griffith as Ram Sweeney, Julie Garnyé as Martha "Dumptruck" Dunnstock, Eric Leviton as Ram's Dad, Kevin Pariseau as Kurt's Dad/Principal, Jill Abramovitz as Ms. Fleming/Veronica's Mom, Tom Compton as Hipster Dork/Preppy Kid, Alex Ellis as Goth Girl/English Teacher/Young Republicanette, and Kelly Karbacz as Stoner Chick/School Psychologist.[3]
The show played at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in Los Angeles for a limited engagement on the weekends from September 21, 2013 to October 6, 2013. The cast included Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica, Ryan McCartan as J.D., Sarah Halford as Heather Chandler, Kristolyn Lloyd as Heather Duke, and Elle McLemore as Heather McNamara.[4]
Off-Broadway
In 2013, It was announced that Heathers: The Musical would be brought to Off-Broadway, previews beginning in March. In February 2014, the cast was announced. It included Barrett Wilbert Weed, Ryan McCartan, and Elle McLemore reprising their roles as Veronica, J.D, and Heather McNamara, respectively, with new additions to the cast being Jessica Keenan Wynn as Heather Chandler and Alice Lee as Heather Duke.[5] The show began previews on March 15, 2014 and opened on March 31, 2014.
A cast album was recorded on April 15–16, 2014 with an in-store and digital release of June 17, 2014.[6] It was released a week early on June 10, 2014.
On June 9, Dave Thomas Brown replaced Ryan McCartan as JD and Kristolyn Lloyd assumed the role of Heather Duke, replacing Alice Lee who left to appear on Rising Star. On July 10, Charissa Hogeland replaced Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica. Hogeland was previously the Dance Captain for the show and played the part of New Wave Party Girl, understudying the roles of Veronica, Heather Chandler, and Heather Duke.
Heathers: The Musical played its final performance at New World Stages on August 4, 2014.[7][8] Coincidentally, New World is also the name of the original film's distributor.
Canadian Premiere
In February 2016, Hammer Entertainment, a community theatre in Hamilton, Ontario, will be producing Heathers: The Musical with an all-Canadian cast, directed by Nicholas Kulnies.
Principal roles and major casts
| scope"col" | Character | scope"col" | Los Angeles | scope"col" | Original Off-Broadway | scope"col" | Closing Off-Broadway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veronica Sawyer | Barrett Wilbert Weed | Charissa Hogeland | |
| Jason "J.D." Dean | Ryan McCartan | Dave Thomas Brown | |
| Heather Chandler | Sarah Halford | Jessica Keenan Wynn | |
| Heather McNamara | Elle McLemore | ||
| Heather Duke | Kristolyn Lloyd | Alice Lee | Kristolyn Lloyd |
| Martha Dunnstock | Katie Ladner | ||
| Kurt Kelly | Evan Todd | ||
| Ram Sweeney | Jon Eidson | ||
| New Wave Party Girl | Charissa Hogeland | Lauren Cipoletti | |
| Young Republicanette | Cait Fairbanks | ||
| Stoner Chick | Rachel Flynn | ||
| Beleaguered Geek | Zach Bandler | Dustin Sullivan | |
| Hipster Dork/Officer McCord | Trevor Shor | Dan Domenech | |
| Preppy Stud/Officer Milner | AJ Meijer | ||
| Mr. Sweeney/Big Bud Dean/Coach Ripper | Rex Smith | Anthony Crivello | |
| Mr. Kelly/Mr. Sawyer/Principal Gowan | Zachary Ford | Daniel Cooney | |
| Mrs. Sawyer/Pauline Fleming | Rena Strober | Michelle Duffy | |
| Swings | Molly Hager, Matthew Schatz | ||
Musical Numbers
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† Not featured on World Premiere Cast Recording
Awards and nominations
Original Off-Broadway Production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Barrett Wilbert Weed | Nominated |
| Outstanding Music | Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy | Nominated | ||
| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical | Barrett Wilbert Weed | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Choreographer | Marguerite Derricks | Nominated | ||
References
- ↑ "Heathers: The Musical Has Original Screenwriter Dan Waters On Board Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors". Bleedingcool.com. 2010-09-23. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
- ↑ "What Rhymes With Corn Nuts? Heathers Musical Will Receive New York Concert". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
- ↑ ""What Is Your Damage?" Heathers: The Musical Gets Joe's Pub Concerts Sept. 13". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2011-05-08.
- ↑ http://www.broadway.com/buzz/171449/heathers-the-musical-based-on-the-80s-movie-set-for-world-premiere-in-los-angeles/
- ↑ http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Barrett-Wilbert-Weed-Ryan-McCartan-Jessica-Keenan-Wynn-More-to-Star-in-HEATHERS-THE-MUSICAL-Off-Broadway-Full-Cast-Announced-20140206#.Uxn78Pl_uSo
- ↑ http://www.broadway.com/buzz/175467/so-very-heathers-the-musical-will-record-cast-album/
- ↑ http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/HEATHERS-Sets-Early-August-Closing-Date-Off-Broadway-20140710
- ↑ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/schools-out-heathers-the-musical-to-close-off-broadway