Upon entering the Empire, I was met with hordes of excited theatre-goers. One fan in particular had booked to see Heathers pre-COVID, and had been unable to go to her favourite musical.
The atmosphere was electric - some had even come dressed up as the iconic Heathers. After an upbeat pre-show playlist of 80s classics, the show began.
I won’t give away major spoilers, as this musical is a total rollercoaster with plenty of many twists and turns.
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To keep it extremely brief, the main character Veronica, who is considered to be a nobody in school, gets swept up into the world of the popular girls - The Heathers - while falling for handsome loner JD, who has a dark side.
The first thing to mention is that this show is filled with musical showstoppers - ‘Candy Store’ and ‘Dead Girl Walking’ were my two favourites.
Both tracks are punchy and memorable. In my opinion, the Heathers soundtrack has no skippable songs. Look out for ‘My Dead Gay Son’ for a surprisingly high tempo opener to the second act.
Perfectly choreographed and with incredible vocal performances by the entire cast, it’s impossible not to remain captivated for the entire show.
Two particularly notable performances were that of Verity Thompson, who played main antagonist Heather Chandler, and Jenny Innes who played protagonist Veronica Sawyer.
They had a way of bouncing off each other that made their rivalry very compelling to watch.
In terms of the theatre itself, the lighting and score worked really well with the physical theatre and dance routines. It was a fabulous display of light and sound, especially in the first act when each Heather was introduced.
I have seen the show on a few occasions and still found myself swept up by the plot.
The second half is fast-paced and intense, but still finds time for tender and heart wrenching moments.
Some of the themes in the show are mature and, at times, very upsetting. But despite this, the harder parts are tackled with flair that only a musical can achieve.
It is clear to me that Heathers is a timeless classic. The storyline is exciting and tragic. Some of the songs from the soundtrack recently went viral on TikTok, and it’s clear why. They’re bold and playful, with memorable melodies that tie the plot together.
I cannot recommend Heathers enough. I’ll no doubt be back at the Empire when it comes around again.
