Heathers: The Musical [DVD]

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Angela Thomas, “Heathers’ school run at The Other Palace extended into 2023,” Musical Theatre Review (July 26, 2022) Lindsay Champion, “What’s Your Damage?! Heathers the Musicalto Slay Off-Broadway’s New World Stages This Spring,” Broadway.com

Alexis Soloski, “Heathers review – cult 80s film becomes a candy-coloured musical,” The Guardian (April 1, 2014) It undoubtedly had a huge influence on 2004’s Mean Girls, a film which similarly took a unique approach to the concept of inner school cliques. GIRL 1: NEW WAVE GIRL – (16-18) She wants her MTV and dresses accordingly. Voice: belt to at least C# (a soprano up to high A/B is also a plus). Anthony D’Alessandro, “‘Heathers’: The Unpopular Kids Rule In Paramount Network’s Millennial Update – TCA,” Deadline (Jan 15, 2018)

Ashley Lee, “‘Heathers: The Musical’ Set to Make New York Debut in Spring 2014,” The Hollywood Reporter (Dec 10, 2013) The cinema release will mark the first time Heatherswill be shown in the UK since its streaming debut last year in the US and Canada. The musical is still available to streamthrough the free ad-supported Roku Channel but unavailable in markets outside the US. Heathers: The Musicalis available for licensing via Concord Theatricals. The materials are based on the 2019 West End production. Removal of curse words as well as onstage smoking, drinking and R-rated sexual scenes (note: there are still PG-13 sexual scenes).

On the success of the show overall, Freeman felt that the bite had been taken out of the original source material, while Ann Treneman in The Times disdainfully claimed “It’s a cult, basically.” Conversely, Tim Bano stated “It turns out Heathers is a masterful deconstruction of hypocrisy and a hymn to acceptance and tolerance.” BIG BUD DEAN: J.D.’s single dad. Big jolly personality that barely conceals the enormous rage bubbling just below the surface. Quite possibly a serial bomber. Elsewhere, rumours destroy reputations overnight, a plot device that works even better re-watched from the internet age. Final scenes include JD detonating a suicide bomber vest. That’s still marginally milder than the alternate ending in which the entire school blows up and they all go to prom, as social equals, in heaven. Or the unfilmed scene that would have seen Martha stab Veronica and call her Heather, leaving Veronica to gasp her dying words: “My name’s not Heather, you bitch!”

The cast is led by Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer, who is set to continue the role as the show transfers into the West End. Carrie Hope Fletcher joined the cast fresh from winning the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her stint as Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family (UK Tour). Carrie previously played Éponine in Les Misérables in the West End for three years. She has also released her debut album When The Curtain Falls. Lesley Goldberg, “‘Heathers’ Sequel Not Moving Forward at Bravo,” The Hollywood Reporter (Aug 7, 2013) Critics have argued that Heathers the TV show has mistakenly conflated diversity and positive representation.