Richmond Theatre- until 12th October 2024
Reviewed by Brooke Burlinge
5*****
Richmond Theatre brings Heathers The Musical based on the 1989 film involving a bunch of high school kids with all the usual cliques you would expect to see. There’s the three popular girls, Heather Chandler (Esme Bowdler), Heather Duke (Sedona Sky) and Heather McNamara (Daisy Twells) or, as they are known, the ‘Heathers’. There’s the typical loner boy who sticks out of the crowd and has plenty of grudges to hold and of course the arrogant jocks who can rarely think for themselves. However, this play is so much more than your everyday, average high school musical with plenty of little twists weaved in and out of the storyline, ultimately putting an end to a few characters within the show. Somehow the production is able to balance the comedy, plot twists and darker themes throughout perfectly, giving us as the audience a perfect amount of suspense and a sort of thrill whilst watching the show.
The cast are absolutely phenomenal, everyone’s character was portrayed flawlessly to the audience and not to mention everyone’s vocals were completely astonishing and well projected. All Heathers provided the faultless characteristics of a typical ‘mean girl’ in an American High School, during the song ‘Candy Store’ their harmonies blended exquisitely well together. Despite their completely obnoxious and unlikeable personalities and characteristics.
Ram (Jason Battersby) and Kurt (Iván Fernández González) provided much comedic relief even during the darkest of scenes and are a truly magnificent double act with their fast-paced wit and physical comedy. I think it’s clear to say that everyone in the audience loved the innocent and caring Martha (Amy Miles) who’s performance of ‘Kindergarten Boyfriend’ was angelic and simply alluring, her vocals clear and smooth which truly hit the hearts of everyone within the theatre. The song provided everyone a small bit of relief and calmness compared to the fast pace of the eventful second half.
Veronica (Jenna Innes) and J.D. (Keelan Mcauley) were most certainly the stars of the show. Keelan Mcauley play Jason Dean amazingly, especially towards the end, the way he held himself and how he communicated the character definitely gave the audience sinister, slightly psychopathic vibes which fits the character. Jenna Innes also portrays Veronica wonderfully, displaying to the audience Veronica’s instant likeability and her sincere, sweet personality. Both their vocal performances were out of this world alongside the music played by the extraordinary band. It was clear that they are strong and skilled singers, their voices blending satisfactorily together especially in their performances of ‘Our love is God’ and ‘Seventeen’. They certainly had us on the edge of our seats in suspension, particularly towards the dramatic conclusion of the production.
The stage was simple and compact yet effective with parts of the set easily being pulled back and forth to produce a new and different atmosphere for each new setting. The costume design also was very effective, clearly pointing out what cliques each person was in and adding just that little bit more of depth to the characters and performance as a whole.
Overall, Heathers was a truly captivating production which offered a compelling performance and a good entertainment factor. It is certainly a show you should go to see if given the chance.