Sheffield Lyceum – until 5 October 2024
Reviewed by: Natasha Aspden
4****
On a dreary, rainy October night with a serious case of flu I needed something to inspire me to venture outside and get myself into gear. Luckily I had tickets booked to see Heathers the Musical at Sheffield Lyceum and this cure was far greater than any Lemsip or Olbas stick you’d normally try!
With a set ripped straight out of the west end production at The Other Palace and lighting, sound and effects to boot we were off to a head start and I have to say the rest of the show didn’t disappoint.
Upon arrival we were informed that Jenna Innes would not be playing Veronica tonight and May Tether would be on as cover. Always happy to see an understudy step up and take the spotlight, I was thrilled to see what May could do with the part. May brought a certain fun quirkiness to the role in a different sense to any Veronica I’ve seen before, being much more nerdy but also quite plain faced with her humour. She also blended like caramel on the ear with Keelan McAuley as JD, who again played the role completely differently to how I have seen it done before. McAuley’s JD was much more visibly unhinged from the beginning, skipping out on some of the mysterious brooding that others have gone for in favour of a more comical and visual performance. His slightly rocky tone to his vocal also brought a different tone to the music than what I have heard before and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by a Bon Jovi esque JD.
The three Heathers, Chandler, Duke and McNamara played by Esme Bowdler, Sedona Sky and Daisy Twells respectively were all good in the roles, lacking in energy possibly early on but definitely growing into the show and absolutely killing it by the end. Jason Battersby and Ivan Fernandez Gonzalez were both solid as Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly respectively, with Battersby putting in a top drawer comedic performance on the night. Lucy Sinclair and Conor McFarlane were both hilarious as Ms Fleming and Ram’s dad, with Sinclair taking the notorious “Steve” segment further than I have EVER seen it taken before, asking the unfortunate audience member to demonstrate some tongue action from the swinging sixties to the audience, of course eliciting a suitable reaction from the crowd.
However my absolute standout of the night was Amy Miles as Martha Dunnstock. Miles was pitch perfect in the role, both in terms of the vocal and her delivery and tenderness in the part. Lovably innocent and endearingly believing she absolutely stole the show in this smaller role for me and was well worth the watch on her own.
Overall, this latest tour of Heathers the Musical keeps up with the exceptionally high standards of the past and juts out on its own at the same time. This show is well worth a watch whether it be your first time or your thousandth. Get yourself down to Sheffield Lyceum by 5th October to avoid missing out.