Return of Heathers? - Page 3

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/3/25 at 5:54pm

You’re gonna ask “Jordan, you despise this show why would you ever go back to it?” and the answer is because someone asked me and it was free plus there’s several people in this cast I genuinely like. 

My problem with this musical has always been that it doesn’t understand its source material and actively tries to water down what makes it one of the greatest movies of the 80s that had so much to say about the world teenagers were living in. I’ve sat through this show now four times and have never once enjoyed a second of it, but I had a (somewhat) different experience today. 

Someone who knows this show better than I do can tell me if I’m right in thinking there have been some rewrites in act one. Nothing major but there seemed to be some differences. What this production gets right though is the casting. Lorna is very very good, the best that I’ve seen do that role on stage. Her being as good as she is though highlights the scripts problem with this Veronica and how I think it so misses who the character is. 

Casey is a pretty excellent JD, leaning more into a Christian Slater representation of the character than the others I’ve seen. Watching him, he knows who JD is and I felt did the character justice, a lot of times pushing against who the musical wants him to be and it worked very well. 

I’ve become quite a fan of McKenzie Kurtz and thought her casting was a bit odd in this but she 100% nailed it, best of the cast, no notes from me. But again, I felt she added her own “isms” to it, as a way to offset what the musical wants this Heather to be. And everyone else was fine, there’s nobody in this cast that I felt wasn’t top notch, it’s again just the material they’re working with that works against them.

As for the audience, I expected a sh*t show. But for a theater filled with what looked like people under 20, they were very respectful - except after songs when the screaming and shrieking was next level. I’ve said before that during pre-shows announcements, they need to say something to the effect of “We love your enthusiasm but show us by clapping, not screaming” and this show is RIPE to be the first test case of that, to see if it could work.  

So in conclusion, a mixed bag today which (for me) was shocking. Not walking out of this and angrily ripping my playbill to shreds was something I absolutely didn’t anticipate happening so I guess you can consider that a rave review from me. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/3/25 at 5:58pm

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/3/25 at 10:28pm

It’s not a perfect show, but the rewrites for London and licensing tapped into rage and nastiness in a way the original didn’t. It’s not the tone of the movie, but at least it’s grown some teeth and a less sentimental heart.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 7/4/25 at 1:53am

Jordan Catalano said: "Someone who knows this show better than I do can tell me if I’m right in thinking there have been some rewrites in act one. Nothing major but there seemed to be some differences."

Glad you enjoyed-ish a show you previously didn't! Always a good feeling. 

Heathers got some significant tweaks for its London run. The most major are the addition of two new songs ("I will Never Shut Up Again" for Heather Duke in act 1 and "I say No" for Veronica in act 2) and the replacement of another (the football jocks lost the sophomoric "Blue" in place of the more overtly threatening "You're welcome.") Bunch of minor lyric tweaks and streamlining of the book scenes too (The scenes with Jason's dad, for example, got entirely rewritten.) Most of them are changes that help the show, but honestly move the material farther away from the arch tone of the original film into something more sincere/serious. Ce la vie, I guess!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/4/25 at 7:06am

But did those changes happen for the recent run at The Other Palace? I saw the show at Theatre Royal Haymarket last in 2022(?) and still hated it. Again, casting for this production at NWS masks a LOT of problems i have with the musical.

[hayden6]

Posted: 7/6/25 at 9:31pm

I had a fantastic time (after being a fan of the show since the original Off-Broadway production)! There are so many great numbers and the cast is phenomenal. As others have mentioned, McKenzie devours as Heather Chandler. I had to force myself to take my eyes off of her during multiple scenes where she wasn't meant to be the focus. Lorna was fantastic (as expected) and I found her Veronica to be more likeable than in the original production and pro-shot. I was very impressed by Casey Likes; I thought he was great in Almost Famous and Back to the Future (certainly better than his material in either of those), but JD is a very different role. His voice is fantastic and I feel like he sold the role. I was really glad to see Olivia Hardy in a larger role after loving her performance in Kimberly Akimbo and Erin Morton's Kindergarten Boyfriend did not disappoint.

I enjoyed Never Shut Up Again & I Say No much more than in the pro-shot. While I understand the reasoning for replacing Blue, I still think You're Welcome feels out of place with the rest of the score and is pretty much a dud.

Criticism about the show losing the tone of the film is valid (it does), but I think it's for the better in this case.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 7/7/25 at 6:26am

Jordan, I wish I could remember where I saw it, but I'm positive I saw an article or a video where they mentioned the book was revised again. Maybe it was the producer's TikTok? Andrew Patino. That's his name. He vlogs about his behind the scenes work on shows. 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 8:36am

The ‘Heathers’ Musical Is Back, With a Little Less Darkness

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/theater/heathers-the-musical-preview.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U08.h7_u.sQ8YKb31LuCx&smid=nytcore-android-share

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 9:31am

 

1 Minute Critic Review
"What’s your damage, Heather?” It’s a good question with a potentially perverse answer, depending on who you ask. 

Heathers, featuring a book, music, and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, ran a mere five months Off-Broadway in 2014, but its 2018 UK resurrection, which included several tours and runs on the West End, set in motion a new generation of Corn Nuts (a term for fans of the musical). Heathers 2.0 isn’t so much a reimagining as a high-polish paint job. 

Few characters evolve beyond Veronica, resulting in a pastiche rather than the original film’s subversive effect. As J.D. says, “The extreme always seems to make an impression.” 
3/5 stars
FULL REVIEW HERE

[inception]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 9:53am

The mauve outfit on Courtney is gorgeous.

[Kad]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 7:39pm

The show’s IG put up a message dissuading bootlegs and the comments are as unhinged and entitled as you’d expect. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 7:45pm

The show needs to use Yondr pouches. 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 7:48pm

Jordan Catalano said: "The show needs to use Yondr pouches."

Imagine the tantrums? 

I’m looking forward to seeing this when these insane fans are presumably back in school. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/13/25 at 7:52pm

The fact they didn’t see this coming is insane.