Heathers (2014 Musical Recording) Review
“You can fly with eagles or if you prefer,
Keep on testing me and end up like her.”
Months back I reviewed the Heathers film from the 1980’s. I mentioned that it was deliciously dark and different, though the point of the film seemed to get muddled. My final verdict was 3.8 slushies out of 5.
As an adaptation, however, the musical version of the story soars. With all due respect to Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Barrett Wilbert Weed and Ryan McCartan kill as Veronica and JD (see what I did there?). The play introduces a softer, dorkier version of Veronica who has been largely content to blend into the background of her high school as she watches people around her turn on each other, until a chance run-in with the Heathers gives her the dizzying chance to feel popular. This sounds cliché, but the conflict is elevated largely because alpha-girl Heather Chandler (Jessica Kennan Wynn) is a magnificent antagonist. Where the film makes Heather-Prime more grounded (and somewhat pitiable, thinking she needs to date creepy college guys to cement her popularity), the musical version chews scenery, threatens, and belts out songs about her consequence-free life.
There are very few songs in the musical that aren’t catchy and wonderful (though unfortunately the finale is one of them, which is a bit too bright and pop-y). Beautiful is a killer opening, Freeze Your Brain is one of the best Broadway style “I want” songs that I know, “Big Fun,” “Blue,” and “Dead Gay Son” are all gruesomely hilarious (a quick note on the last, that song is based DEEPLY in misunderstanding and irony and isn’t intended to celebrate LGBT violence). Special credit has to go to “Dead Girl Walking (Reprise),” which manages to make the climax of the story even more spectacular than the film. It’s clear that the soundtrack was made with a lot of love, and is endlessly repeatable.
One of the big issues I took with the film was its mixed message on violence: sometimes it’s meant to be played as comedy, sometimes serious. The musical does a much better job, originally treating the violence playfully before naturally progressing into darkness around the end of Act I. The play hammers down the message that “hurt people hurt people,” and that while insecure teenage cruelties don’t justify violence, they do perpetuate it. The only way to fight that violence is treating the people around you with kindness and understanding, even when it’s difficult. Again, the finale song is a little too syrup-y sweet and maybe even heavy-handed with that message, but given the type of violence we’ve seen in schools since 1989 (when the play is set), it’s hard to blame anyone for hoping things can get better.
It’s tragic the show isn’t touring because unlike, say Hamilton, where basically the entire story is delivered in the soundtrack, if you haven’t seen the original film (or it’s been a while,) you can get pretty confused on this one. That said, if you can get by on a plot summary or you’ve seen the film first, dive into this one. 4.5 slushies out 5.