Review: HEATHERS rules at TUTS Underground

HEATHERS the musical at TUTS Underground is very very. It's full of Swatch dogs, Diet Cokeheads, and teenage angst that comes with a body count... backed up by buoyant songs about being popular and pretty. It's based on a 1989 feature starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. At the time the black comedy movie was a revolution that changed the idea of what kids were all about, painting them more as monsters than innocent heroes. '80s teen films were largely sweet and treacly thanks to John Hughes where outsiders were always empowered by the end, and the girl got the boy or vice versa. HEATHERS was all about a world weary girl named Veronica who meets a sociopathic outsider name J.D., and they begin killing the popular kids while making it look like death by their own hands. It was a satire with teeth about teenage suicide which was a huge topic of concern during the era. I was surprised when I heard it had become a musical, because the material seemed to be blacker after school shootings grabbed national headlines. Suicide had been replaced by a palpable fear of kid on kid violence in schools, and HEATHERS seemed dangerously close to home suddenly.

Veronica comes onto the senior year scene and quickly rises to popular status thanks to her mad skills at forgery. She strategically befriends the most powerful girls at school - Heather Chandler, Heather Duke, and Heather McNamara. They spend their days going to keggers and making fun of the "lesser kids" around them. Then a mysterious new kid shows up in a trenchcoat named Jason Dean or "J.D.", and Veronica immediately feels an attraction. The Heathers try to force Veronica to make fun of her old friend Martha Dunnstock, and a fight between the mean girls and Veronica erupts. The next day Veronica and J.D. come to the lead Heather to apologize, but end up somewhat mistakenly giving her a coffee cup filled with Draino. Heather Chandler dies, and the two are suddenly faced with jail instead of college. Quickly Veronica forges a suicide note, and soon the community of Sherwood, OH is singing Heather's praises in the wake of her sudden tragic death. The rest of the musical details Veronica and J.D.'s further descent into a vigilante justice against the popular which just in turn makes them all... well... more popular.

The musical at TUTS Underground exists in its own stylized world with the '80s as seen through a kaleidoscopic lens. Bright neon colors abound, and the original MEAN GIRLS or HEATHERS show up in their signature loud hues of red, yellow, and green. The sets are an inventive use of simple lockers and several levels which configure to become any location they need to be. The chorus kids bee bop around the halls in period costume of their respective stereotype - New Wave Party Girl, Young Republican, Stoner Chick, Preppy Stud, Hipster Dork, and Beleaguered Geek. The songs swirl with ideas of what it means to be "beautiful" and "popular". HEATHERS seems to be the new GREASE representing the '80s just as the other stylized the '50s. The book simplifies the narrative and actually clears up some relationships, so it's a great adaptation of the source material. A lot of the iconic movie quotes are in the script as well, and mention of them resulted in cheers from the audience.

McKenna Marmolejo captures the right internal struggles of Veronica who is torn over feelings for J.D. and the horror of what is happening around her. She's a strong choice to lead the audience through the world created by the musical and an amazing singer. The three Heathers are also extremely well cast. Kathryn Porterfield seems born to play megabitch Heather Chandler, but her amazingly sweet singing voice gives her an added dimension missing from her movie counterpart. Natalie Coca also delivers a surprisingly heart tugging solo during Heather McNamara's breakdown. Chelsea Stavis rounds out the trio with excellent comic timing and a pouty presence that steals most of the scenes she is in. As far as the boys go, Mason Butler gets the hard task of playing J.D. who comes off ultimately psychopathic. Luckily he's so likeable naturally, the audience won't have a hard time understanding Veronica's attraction. Thomas Williams and Andrew Carson are hysterical as the jocks turned accidental gay icons Kurt and Ram. The kids are given able solid support with the myriad of adults played by Susan Koozin, Pierre Alexander, and Brian Mathis. The cast all around is top-notch with many local Houston theatre faces in the mix, and nobody misses a beat through the whole show. They all seem genuinely thrilled to be up there, and the crowd fed off their infectious spirit.

HEATHERS probably won't be everyone's cup of tea given the satirical bent on what could be a serious topic, but TUTS Underground has wisely decided to just have fun with all of it. This production directed expertly by Marley Wisnoski has excellent energy, and takes full advantage of the upbeat score and an exuberant youthful cast. It's a solid flourish for this company to close out its third year with a notable production of a daring musical based on a cult classic. Everything comes together, and the musical is a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on what it means to be a mean girl. HEATHERS rules with a chainsaw!

HEATHERS runs through May 8th at the Hobby Center. Check showtimes carefully as HEATHERS is often staggered for start times around other events at the venue. Tickets and show information can be found at https://www.tuts.com/shows/heathers

To post a comment, you must register and login.