Review: HEATHERS THE MUSICAL, King's Theatre, Glasgow

At Westerberg High, the school is ruled by three popular mean girls called Heather Chandler (Verity Thompson), Heather Duke (Elise Zavou) and Heather Mcnamara (Billie Bowman). Veronica Sawyer (Jenna Innes) is an outsider who decides the only way to make it to college unscathed is to be accepted by the clique. 

Veronica isn't like the Heathers, she doesn't have the same cruel streak but she's valuable to the group because of her ability to forge handwriting on hall passes and report cards. New student Jason "JD" Dean (Jacob Fowler) is seen as a social outcast but he connects with Veronica, telling her that he can see she doesn't belong as part of this group.

It's tricky to not give too much away about the content of Heathers the Musical but in fairness, you've had over 30 years to watch the movie. It's a lot darker than the peppy posters suggest and the content warnings for the show include themes of suicide, murder, violence, eating disorders and sexual violence. What starts off as an accident that JD and Veronica cover up as a suicide, quickly becomes something of a spree. 

The songs are catchy and to utilise one of the titles of them, "Big Fun". The cast are fantastic and having seen the musical a few times I have to say that Jenna Innes is my favourite Veronica to date. She's brilliantly sassy and has great timing on the most iconic lines from the film and her "Dead Girl Walking" is the highlight of the evening.

Much like the film of the same name, Heathers the Musical has become a cult classic. In the style of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the musical has picked up a few traditions- at the end of the show fans throw coloured scrunchies on the stage. Without sounding too old, it's such a joy to see so many younger people at the theatre and the venue packed to the rafters on a rainy Tuesday night. High energy with a wicked storyline and great songs, Heathers the Musical is a sensation for a very good reason.

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

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