"Heathers" Musical Headed to Stage

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:38am

"The industry trade paper reveals that Fickman, who directed the musical "Reefer Madness," is working with "Reefer" partner Kevin Murphy, who is writing the "Heathers" lyrics and the book, and composer Larry O'Keefe, who earned a Tony nomination for best score for the Broadway version of "Legally Blonde."

The trio has worked on the production under the radar for some time reports THR, a recent reading, "Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell played the lead and Christian Campbell was J.D., with Jenna Leigh Green ("Wicked"), BrokeDown Cadillac lead singer Corri English and Christine Lakin (the CW's "Valentine") as the three Heathers."

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/HEATHERS_Musical_Headed_to_the_Stage_20090312

This is brilliant, amazing, fantastic, etc. LOVE Heathers, love Larry O'Keefe. This is gonna rock.

[JenNYferTheatrical]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:40am

To be honest, I was cynical about this (mostly because when I heard songs from Thomson & Mann's adaptation of Jawbreaker, which were AMAZING and then made a crack about making Heathers into a musical) and then I saw Larry O'Keefe and Kristen Bell and I was sold.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:42am

Speaking of Jawbreaker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J1CXweBpYI

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:46am

I can imagine Kristen Bell would be awesome. How's her voice? I've heard her sing a little, but can she really belt?

[SingingCats]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:48am

I can't wait for the power ballad entitled "I Love My Dead Gay Son!"

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:53am

I've heard some of the music, and I have to say, the "I Love My Dead Gay Son" song is like ten levels of ****ing hilarious and brilliant, as is the rest of the music. From what I have heard this show is by far, in my opinion, the best thing Larry O'Keefe has ever written.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 11:28am

To say this made my day is an understatement. There are SO many possibilities of great showstopping numbers -

"Corn Nuts!"
"F*ck Me Gently (With a Chainsaw)"
"Dear Diary..."
"The Urge To Purge"
"What's Your Damage?"
and of course, "Lick it Up Baby, Lick It Up"

[enroutetothesky]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 12:17pm

EveHarrington posted on 3/12/09 @ 10:46am

I can imagine Kristen Bell would be awesome. How's her voice? I've heard her sing a little, but can she really belt?

She graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a major in musical theater so she definitely has the training. And she had some amazing songs in Reefer Madness both on-stage and in the movie (I'm thinking Little Mary Sunshine in particular).

[Bodes08]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 12:22pm

While I do love Heathers, and see the potential in it to be a great stage musical, I'm starting to get sick of people turning popular 80's movies into musicals.
Heathers, Ghost, Dirty Dancing, The Breakfast Club, etc..
I'll admit some of them turn out to be great (Hairspray), but I think some are just a lazy attempt at striking Broadway gold, and some don't even do that.
That's just my opinion, but it's kind of getting old.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 12:52pm

Ghost was a musical? I missed that.

I just hope they find a way to include the croquet game.

[EVIE]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 12:55pm

Jenna Leigh Green!

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 1:36pm

Well this actually sounds promising.

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 1:44pm

"I think some are just a lazy attempt at striking Broadway gold, and some don't even do that.
That's just my opinion, but it's kind of getting old."

Maybe for some people, but I can attest to the fact that this isn't a desperate attempt to make money or "strike Broadway gold". It's a genuinely funny, genuinely enjoyable piece so far, and I can only imagine how much better it will get.

"She graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a major in musical theater so she definitely has the training. And she had some amazing songs in Reefer Madness both on-stage and in the movie (I'm thinking Little Mary Sunshine in particular)."

I didn't know she went to Tisch! That's cool. :) From what I've heard of the score, it's very rangy, so I was just curious. Character-wise and acting wise, I'm sure she totally nails it, and I really hope she continues on with the show. Updated On: 3/12/09 at 01:44 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 5:35pm

Kristen Bell has a fantastic singing voice, but what makes her stand out is her ability to really sell a number, she's a true musical comedy star that unfortunately went on a different path. She was tapped for both XANADU and LEGALLY BLONDE so I hope she decides to come back to the NY stage with this piece. She'd be perfect for it, and Jenna Leigh Green as one of the Heathers, perfection!

[withoutlovewithoutU]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 6:16pm

This just made my night!
Please let Kristen Bell come back to Broadway! I really love her and Heathers as a musical sounds awesome!

[mormonophobic]

Posted: 3/12/09 at 10:17pm

This actually sound pretty exciting. I'm a huge fan of the film and with even a portion of the talent listed here this could work quite well. It's strange because I always thought Jenna Leigh Green did so well challenging her inner Heather for all those years on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I also wonder if she read for (and will hopefully be cast as) Heather Duke, since she has a certain Shannen-Doherty-circa-early-90210 quality about her. Though it's not certain that they will stay with the same costumes, I can already picture her in those ridiculous outfits they wore.

And I can't convey my excitement for Kristen Bell in a musical. Or really Bell in anything at all. There hasn't been a thing she's done that I didn't like (Veronica Mars, Heroes, Reefer Madness, etc.) and I think she's a crazily talented person with a beautiful voice. Although we haven't gotten to hear that much of her, it does seem like she has some range (compare "Lonely Pew" to "Little Mary Sunshine", for instance) and the part is not at all what I would expect from her.

Also a question about Jawbreaker for those in the know - in that clip and the surrounding material does anyone know who was playing what? It's pretty clear after watching Suck It that Tracy McDowell was Courtney, the Rose McGowan character. So who is everyone else? Not particularly important, just something I wondered.

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 3/13/09 at 1:53am

This is simply genius!!! All kinds of awesome are written all over this! Fickman and Murphy from Reefer Madness, with their leads Christian and Kristen (even Lakin who played Joan of Arc in the film and is Fickman's squeeze) will make this insanely hilarious. Jenna Leigh Green is the perfect bitch and O'Keefe seems the perfect fit for this material, hopefully combining the pop sound of Legally Blonde and the rock-musical style of Bat Boy.
I. Can. Not. Wait.

[EveHarrington]

Posted: 3/16/09 at 11:04pm

I can't say enough how ****ing brilliant this is going to be :) And Jenna Leigh Green actually played Heather Chandler (the main one) in the L.A. reading.

[pli1018]

Posted: 3/16/09 at 11:49pm

I don't care if Kristen Bell was starring in Hannah Montana the Musical, I would see it just because of her.

[Anakela]

Posted: 8/27/09 at 11:28am

Variety announced today that Fox is doing Heathers: The TV Series (to which I of course ask: why?), but I wonder what this means, if anything, for the status of Heathers: The Musical, which I am so looking forward to.
Fox, Sony TV look to revive 'Heathers'

[legally_popular]

Posted: 8/27/09 at 11:57am

"Jenna Leigh Green as one of the Heathers, perfection!"

^Exactly what I was thinking! I wonder which one she played.