Returning to London again, Heathers is a fun and camp night out at the theatre, but this isn’t the slickest of productions.
You would think that London may be over-saturated with Heathers; it ran at The Other Palace in 2018, transferred to the West End that same year, and has since had seven separate runs in the UK and the capital. Yet, once again, this summer Heathers: The Musical returns, this time to the new temporary theatre Arts at the Marble Arch. Once again, the show’s cult followers rapidly buy tickets and guarantee a huge commercial success.
For those who know the 1989 movie of the same name, the show is essentially the same story. It depicts a brutal American high school, full of selfish teenagers, who all worship the Three ‘Heathers’, a trio of bullies who practically own the school. When the previously geeky Veronica joins their crew and begins to date the anguished Jason Dean, lethal chaos ensues…
This is not a show of great nuance. Cliché after cliché fills the show, including the geek and the American football bully. Yet Andy Fickman’s energetic direction leans into the absurdity of the plot and the shiny nature of the evening to create moments of hilarious delirium. When two fathers embrace their sexuality in Dead Gay Son, the audience goes mental; a mirror ball soon spins, and pride colours appear everywhere. It is crazy camp joy. There are other moments in a similar vein; the show is at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
It also helps that there are some absolute bangers by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, sung by a vocally stacked cast. Gerardine Sacdalan is the clear stand-out as Veronica Sawyer. She brings a beautiful softness to numbers such as Seventeen, whilst giving the audience riffs for days when belting tunes like Beautiful. It’s a wonderful vocal performance matched by a varied acting one, at once painfully vulnerable, then soon cold and cruel. Sophie Manners is another highlight as the lovably awkward Martha Dunstock; the auditorium releases a collective ‘awww’ whenever she speaks.
Soon though, the bops grow tiresome. As yet another 21st century pop song begins in quick succession, Our Love Is God, Big Fun, Never Shut Up Again, I begin to zone out. The dodgy sound design means lyrics and band often blur into one jumbled mess. Likewise, there is a lack of sharpness in the production generally. Followspots are often slightly behind, dancers clearly fall into the wrong places at the end of numbers, and there is the odd out-of-tune vocal blemish. I imagine this production was not at its strongest, though these issues will surely be stamped out by the time the show tours the UK.
As a side note, Arts at the Marble Arch is a flawed theatre. Sirens and traffic are too often an accompaniment to the brilliant seven-piece band; I can but imagine the scenes when Lewis Capaldi was performing just metres away in Hyde Park the night before. Thankfully, this won’t be an issue for those visiting Westerberg High as it travels the nation.
Heathers is a gloriously easy watch: camp, energetic and witty, you are guaranteed an enjoyable night at the theatre. Yet a slightly slicker production, in a slightly more professional venue, would have helped this show really bring the ‘big fun’. For now, simply ‘fun’ will have to do.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
