Heathers The Musical

Heathers is a little bit like Grease or Disney’s High School Musical franchise, but way nastier, blacker and dirtier.

As reported in an earlier Stage Whispers interview, the content of the show has polarized Miranda’s regular audience, but a packed, mostly younger opening night house enthusiastically lapped every moment up.

A striking chalkboard design motif begins in the foyer and extends to the stage; a promise of the original entertaining production director Meg Day can be counted on to serve up. Here she’s capably backed up by M.D Joshua Ransom’s rock band and choreographer Tracey Blankenship’s punchy, aggressive moves.

The plot doesn’t stray far from the 1988 ‘cult’ movie. The Heathers reign as Westerburg High School’s three viciously nasty cool girls, with meat-head footy jocks Ram and Kurt not far behind in the mean stakes. Nice girl Veronica joins the Heathers ‘in’ circle, thanks to her forgery skills, but when she falls for the handsome, brooding newcomer J.D., things get complicated.

It’s black musical comedy with a rock-musical score.

Tanya Boyle as Heather Chandler and Stephanie Josifovski as Heather Duke create convincing high school bitches from hell, start to finish. Jess Farrell, though, gets a chance to explore a greater range and find a measure of redemption as Heather McNamara. She makes us sympathetic, and there’s a sense that she’s built to this with a nuanced subtext. All three are terrific vocally, and their work together is darkly funny.

The ‘lead’ role though, despite the title, is Veronica Sawyer, and Emma Taviani follows her splendid portrayal of Elphaba in Miranda’s Wicked with another impressive, layered performance, and splendid singing.

How many other musicals provide so many fabulous roles for talented young women.

Daniel Cullen is appropriately moody and brooding as outsider J.D., and his chemistry with Emma is terrific, though his stagecraft doesn’t match her theatrical discipline.

Elle Zattera hits the mark as bullied outcast Martha Dunstock. Michele Lansdown, doubling as teacher Ms Fleming and Veronica’s mum, makes her strongest impression as the eccentric teacher.

Daniel O’Connell and Jay Cullen as Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly really put the meat in meathead with their vacuous performances. Brad Facey and Garth Saville triple on various roles, but really threaten to steal the show for a moment as Ram and Kurt’s dads.

The energy of the ensemble is infectious, with Mia Pimental, a terrific dancer with an eye-catching edge to everything she does, a standout.

Heathers’ satire of bullying, date rape, malicious gossip and peer pressure is appropriately strong and affecting in a wickedly humorous way. While the full on sexual references in act one affected the sensibilities of some audience members, I’d personally say be broadminded and get along to see this one.

A reprise of the song ‘Seventeen’ casts an optimistic light on the end of the show.

We can be seventeen, we can learn how to chill, 
If no one loves me now, some day somebody will
We can be seventeen, still time to make things right, 
One day we'll change the world, but let's kick back tonight.

It’s a simply moving finale.

Neil Litchfield

A note: from where I was sitting at the back of this intimate theatre, the bass tended to dominate the sound mix in full-on rock numbers.

Photographer: Grant Lesley