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A CurtainUp Review
Heathers: The Musical
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We do death by poisoning. Funny. We do death by gunshot. Once. Funny. Death by gunshot twice. Funny. Fake hanging. Funny. Death by bomb. Funny.—Director Andy Fickman I think one of the reasons I'm loving doing ‘Heathers' so much is because there's always been this connection of theater being the escape to the awfulness of high school, and I love the idea of writing a show that maybe for some kid that's being bullied might provide hope or inspiration. If that happens even once, it was worth everything. — Kevin Murphy, co-writer of book and music. |
Barrett Wilbert Weed (Photo: Chad Batka)
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Twenty-five years later, Kevin Murphy ( Reefer Madness ) and Laurence O'Keefe ( Bat Boy ) added music for a stage versio now at New World Stages. Their book, music and lyrics expand the essence of the songs, reaching perverse, ridiculous, and hilarious levels.
Directed with biting perceptiveness and relevance by Andy Fickman the world of Westerberg High is still teen terror time for those who are not accepted by the cool, cruel threesome, the Heathers. The Almighty Heather Chandler (Jessica Keenan Wynn), head cheerleader Heather McNamara (Elle McLemore), and bulimic Heather Duke (Alice Lee) make the rules and all outsiders are dweebs.
Fickman's direction keeps a purposeful balance to the evil Heathers and their popular minions like bird-brained football players Kurt and Ram. , The story's good girl, Veronica (Barrett Wilbert Weed), envies the Heathers ("They are solid Teflon —never bothered, never harassed...I would give anything to be like that"). She does what she must to be accepted, even ignoring her longtime best friend, Martha (Kati Ladner), who is overweight and awkward. Veronica knows these are not really her friends ("Heathers are people I work with and our job is being popular and shit").
When Veronica meets a new kid in school, J.D. (Ryan McCartan), she is intrigued by his all-black garb and cool cynicism that, we slowly discover, masks a seriously disturbed youth. It is later revealed that his mother left him and his father owns a de-construction company, blowing buildings up, so they are always on the move.
Veronica is a bit put off by J.D.'s determination to kill all the popular kids at Westerberg High to make the world better.However, the two support each other and fall in love, although J.D. begins mind-playing with Veronica and edging her toward horrendous actions, He uses her skills in forging handwriting to cover up his emerging deadly actions.
When Almighty Heather humiliates Veronica, they make her a prairie oyster with a dose of drain cleaner (J.D's recipe). Result? One less Heather. Veronica forges a suicide note, writing, "I am more than shoulder pads and makeup. No one sees the me inside of me." From the floor, the dead Heather quips, "Jesus, you're making me sound like Air Supply." This is the beginning of terrible things happening in quirky ways to Westerberg High's popular kids. Things like murder, poison, explosives, real and faked suicide.
The well-crafted focus of Murphy and O'Keefe's book and comical/shocking songs modifies the shallow heartlessness of adolescence using offhand slangy humor. One of their more tuneful songs, "My Dead Gay Son," turns upbeat with wacky humor by Anthony Crivello and Daniel Cooney.
McCartan's deft portrayal of J.D.'s feelings are well displayed in the music. Meeting Veronica at the local 7-11 over a Slurpie, "He offers her a sip, singing "When the voice in your head says you're better off dead/ Don't open a vein/ Just freeze your brain. J.D, is the bad boy, proves his indifference to the violence although his love for Veronica is honest. Perversely, their Romeo and Juliet duet, "Our Love is God," is performed as they plan to punish Kurt and Ram.
Weed's Veronica convincingly displays her optimistic side with an inner darkness. She willingly goes along with J.D.'s actions, albeit with a lot of guilty tears. In her sincere "Seventeen" after the school's third death, Veronica tries to persuade J.D. to join her in a normal life. Her good-bye to J.D. leads to a mélange of changes, desperate actions, and resolutions.
Timothy R. Mackabee's sets and Amy Clark's Technicolor costumes with scrunchies and shoulder pads, boost the buoyant production without trying to hide the nasty undercurrent of intimidation. The matching knee socks, however, looked false for the era. More unfortunate are Leah Loukas's hair and wig designs. Where is the huge curly hair proudly teased and sprayed by every high school girl around in the '80's?
As sharply horrendous/hilarious as Heathers: The Musical is, the concept of teen angst and peer bullying is sadly not dated and is, perhaps, worse today.
One last note: May be inappropriate for 13 and under.
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Heathers: The Musical Book, Music, Lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy Based on the original motion picture screenplay by Daniel Waters Director: Andy Fickman Cast: Elle McLemore, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alice Lee, Barrett Wilbert Weed, Ryan McCartan, Evan Todd, Katie Ladner,Jon Eidson, Anthony Crivello, Michelle Duffy, Dan Cooney, Dan Domenech, Cait Fairbanks, Rachel Flynn, Molly Hager, Charissa Hogeland, AJ Meijer, Matthew Schatz, Dustin Sullivan Choreographer: Marguerite Derricks Music Direction: Dominick Amendum Set Design: Timothy R. Mackabee Costume Design: Amy Clark Lighting Design: Jason Lyons Sound Design: Jonny Massena Running Time: Two hours, 15 min. One intermission. Theater: New World Stages Stage 1, 340 West 50th Street (Between 8th and 9th Ave) Tickets: $50.00 - $75.00. Tickets, (212) 354-6510 or Telecharge.com. Performances: Wed through Sat. at 8pm; Sat. at 2pm and 8pm. Sun at 3pm and 7:30pm. Previews: 3/15/14 . Opens: 3/31/14. On Sale Through: 9/7/14 Review by Elizabeth Ahlfors based on performance 3/29/14 Songs Act I Beautiful/Students at Westerberg High Candy Store/ The Heathers (H. Chandler, H. McNamara, H. Duke) Fight for Me/ Veronica, Students, Faculty Freeze Your Brain/ J.D. Big Fun/ Popular Kids and Veronica Dead Girl Walking/ Veronica, J.D. The Me Inside of Me/ Students, Faculty Blue/ Popular Boys and Heathers Blue (reprise)/ Students, Faculty Old Love Is God/ J.D. Veronica, Kurt Songs Act II Prom or Hell?/ Veronica My Dead Gay Son/ Ram and Kurt's Dads, Mourners Seventeen/ Veronica, J.D. Shine a Light/ Mrs. Fleming, Students, Faculty Lifeboat/ H. McNamara Shine a Light (reprise)/ H. Duke, Students, Faculty Kindergarten Boyfriend/ Martha Yo Girl and Meant to Be Yours/ Heather Chandler, Ram, Kurt, J.D. Ensemble Dead Girl Walking (reprise)/ Veronica, J.D., Students, Faculty Seventeen (reprise)/ Veronica, Martha, H. McNamara, Students, Faculty |
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