Heathers: The Musical

It was clear from the number of raised eyebrows, dropped jaws and thunderous applause after the opening number, that Millennial Productions hit their debut musical out of the park!

If you’re not familiar with the Heathers story, it is based on the 1988 film of the same name starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. As with so many 1980’s teen movies, it followed a high school student who just wanted to fit in and be popular, so she hangs out with a clique known as the Heathers, despite finding herself unhappy with the way they treat others. However, after meeting an attractive and rebellious new classmate JD, she finds herself sucked down a dark path as he teaches her that being a somebody can be murder.

Erika Naddei owns the character of Veronica, with impeccable comic timing, world-class vocals and her irresistible pull towards Elliot Gough felt so real, the audience were almost intruding! The entire cast – some performing dual roles – work incredibly hard with tireless energy, but special mentions do need to go the wonderfully acid-tongued performance of Chelsea Sales as the alpha Heather, Heather Chandler. They say good things come in three… Heather Duke (Josie Ross) & Heather Mcnamara (Marguerite Du Plessis) were exceptional and the perfect ensemble of the ‘Heathers’. Du Plessis’ beautiful & emotional rendition of ‘Lifeboat’ quickly brought the audience back to reality with the real themes of the show.

Brandon Taylor-Cotton and Matty Domingo as the highly unlikeable but hilarious jock duo Ram and Kurt, were the perfect team, who carried the show in the darker moments with their perfect comedic timing.

The choreography, for one, arranged by Lauren Bensted, is phenomenal. The dancing is synchronised, echoing the clique-y nature of Westerberg High, and it was polished! The lighting design (Perry Sanders), too, is used to great effect, setting scenes, isolating spaces, and mimicking action, whilst in-keeping with its primary-coloured theme.

We could talk all day about the ensemble because without them being on top of their game, this musical can really fall flat. However, what Millennial Productions have done is relied on less is more. We were given less stage, less props, less ‘filler’ and more talent, more polished choreography, more staging ‘parts’ that didn’t rely on the actors or crew to be seen. It was incredibly clever and a true homage to the commitment of this company and their future performance goals.

The musical’s adult humour and discussion of suicide, sex, and murder meant that it felt almost wrong to laugh at some parts, though this no doubt adds to the show’s popularity. Josh Lovell and William Chen’s duet ‘My Dead Gay Son,’ during which they dance around their sons’ funerals and admit their love for one another ensures that even in the show’s darker moments there is an undertone of comedy.

Heathers The Musical is so far from the saccharine fuelled feel good show I expected; it has depth and so many lessons. It is shocking, but has you laughing, cheering and at times holding your breath. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Kade O’Rourke, Lauren Benstead and Caitlin Wall have delivered an exceptional musical debut for Millennial Productions – I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Mel Newton