Heathers the Musical

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The now cult show Heathers the Musical is back and bigger and better than ever in a somewhat revised version, again directed by Andy Fickman who staged the original 2014 Off Broadway version and the recent hit London revival. This stage musical adaptation by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe (Legally Blonde and Bat Boy) based on the 1989 screenplay by Daniel Waters deals with edgy material (teen suicide, sexual assault, bullying, homophobia, homicide) and seems to have caught the mood of high school today even though the story takes place 36 years ago. The top-notch cast is led by Lorna Courtney (the original star of &Juliet) and Casey Likes (Marty McFly in the Broadway version of Back to the Future).

Like later films and musicals Mean Girls, Hairspray and Dear Evan Hansen, Heathers is predicated on the theory that high school is hell – but you can do something about it. Serious minded Veronica Sawyer, a senior at Westerberg High, is intimidated by the Heathers, the three queen bees who run the school, Heather Chandler, “mythic bitch,” Heather McNamara, star cheerleader, and bulimic Heather Duke, who can’t wait to replace Chandler as the top dog, as well as bullied by jocks Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly. Veronica decides if she is to survive her last year before leaving for college she needs to get in with this clique even it means losing her friendship with overweight nerdy Martha Dunnstock, the butt of many jokes. She uses her forgery skills to get the Heathers to owe her a favor, and they offer to give her a make-over and take her under their wing.

Just as Veronica has become one of the Heathers, though she fights against their disregard of others, she meets the new kid Jason “J.D.” Dean, who quotes Baudelaire and wears all black and lives to make “the world a decent place for decent people.” Fascinated by J.D. particularly after he vanquishes the bullying jocks, Veronica starts dating him, and he, ever the loner, is equally fascinated by her.

However, although they have a great deal in common, little does she know how damaged he is: he watched his mother commit suicide as a child and his psychopathic father runs a demolition company which is into nefarious doings. When J.D. suggests a way to get rid of queen bee Heather Chandler, she goes along with it only to discover he meant to be rid of her permanently. Things don’t get better as Heather Duke takes over in her place. After two more such incidents, Veronica breaks off her relationship with J.D., only to find that he is planning a big event and only she can stop him.

Courtney’s big-voiced Veronica is on stage almost all of the time and she is very convincing as the conflicted teen. Her layered performance helps elevate the show to more than a satire of teen movies. As J.D., Lakes is initially likeable and then revealed to be coolly sociopathic. As the three Heathers in their color-coded outfits by Dave Shields and Siena Zoë Allen, McKenzie Kurtz (in red), Elizabeth Teeter (in yellow) and Olivia Hardy (in green) are excellent as the girls you love to hate. As nerdy Martha Dunnstock, Erin Morton is quite sympathetic, never knowing how her own behavior makes things worse for her. Xavier McKinnon and Cade Ostermeyer as the dumb jocks are hilarious in their juvenile antics.

As the adults in their lives, Kerry Butler, Ben Davis and Cameron Loyal play a series of roles very differently, although all equally clueless to understand the teens in their charge: Butler (who has appeared in the original casts of the stage musicals Hairspray and Mean Girls) is Ms. Fleming, the eccentric guidance counselor making everything about her and more interested in her media standing, as well as Veronica’s baffled mother. Loyal is Principal Gowan, Veronica’s Dad and father of one of the jocks. Davis is Coach Ripper, Dad to the other jock, and best as the sinister Big Bud Dean, J.D.’s father.

The powerhouse pop-rock score by Murphy and O’Keefe is neatly divided between anthems (“Beautiful,” “Candy Store,” “Shine a Light”) and ballads (“Seventeen,” “Lifeboat,” “Dead Girl Walking,” “Kindergarten Boyfriend”) which define how teens feel about growing up. Each character gets his or her solo which helps develop the storyline. There are also three new songs, not heard in New York before or on the original cast album: the jocks’ “You’re Welcome” which substitutes for the now inappropriate “Blue;” “Never Shut Up Again,” Heather Duke’s statement of how the removal of queen bee Heather Chandler has freed her to be herself, and “I Say No,” Veronica’s breakup song with J.D. when she tells him that he needs “help I can’t provide.” All of these songs fit beautifully into the previous score. The accomplished arrangements and orchestrations are by O’Keefe and Ben Green, with the unseen orchestra directed by Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh behind the set.

The new and bigger production has a utilitarian unit set by David Shields which manages to suggest every high school you have ever seen, as well as bringing on set pieces for the teens’ bedrooms, parties, and meeting places. Ben Cracknell’s lighting adds potency and power to the high-energy events on stage throughout. The costumes by Shields and Allen define the many characters as soon as you lay eyes on them. Dan Samson’s sound design makes sure that you hear all the words.

Andy Fickman’s polished production with its highly effective choreography by Gary Lloyd (additional choreography by Stephanie Klemons) is a Broadway-style production in a smaller house. If Heathers the Musical seemed too cynical in 2014 when it also played at New World Stages, time or events have caught up with it and it now seems a reflection of the life we live. With Broadway stars Lorna Courtney and Casey Likes leading the high-powered cast, Heathers the Musical should be a hit of the summer and beyond – and not just for teens and twenty-somethings who were in full evidence at the performance under review.

Heathers the Musical (extended through May 24, 2026)

New World Stages, 340 W. 50^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit http://www.heathersthemusical.com

Running time: two hours and 25 minutes with one intermission