Yvonne Arnaud – until 21st October 2023
Review by Heather Chalkley
4****
This award winning adaptation of Daniel Waters film Heathers packs a punch. Appealing to a young audience, it delivers key messages about issues that every blossoming adolescent faces in their final years of high school. Based in America, the film is relevant to young adults everywhere.
First off, the quality of singing and music is outstanding all the way through. The score tells a story of consequences woven through a script full of love, hate, suicide, violence, abuse, bullying, sex, sexuality and murder!
Jenna Innes (Veronica Sawyer) puts every emotion out there, flipping through fear, joy, guilt and anger with passion and gusto. This is matched by the trio of Heathers (Elise Zavou, Verity Thompson, Billie Bowman). Each Heather representing a different aspect of what it is to be ‘popular’. Jacob Fowler (Jason ‘J.D.’ Dean) uses his physicality to pervade the stage with an eerie menace, overlaid with charm and intelligence. The build-up of J.D. and Veronica’s relationship and the intertwining darkness is painfully, realistically performed by Fowler and Innes. The light to balance the shade of the piece is provided by the jocks Kurt (Alex Woodward) and Ram (Morgan Jackson) who spent the majority of the performance in their underpants! The whole ensemble underlines the impact and consequences of your actions, which are so condensed and magnified in the high school environment. However the youthful joy of life and energy of being young bursts its way through in the song and dance.
The choreography and costume is sharp and direct, leaving you under no illusions that this is a high school full of energetic young people on a journey of discovery.
This is an in-your-face performance laying out some strong social challenges, which will not suit everyone. However, this piece is fast becoming cult viewing, a coming of age play that reaches into the hearts of every young adult.