BWW Previews: Chicago premiere of HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL

Hold onto your corn nuts and prepare to put down the pate and motor. HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL makes it's Chicago debut with Kokandy's production at Theater Wit (1229 W. Belmont). Previews begin Feb. 28, the show opens March 4 and runs through April 24.

And we aren't kidding about putting down the pate and motoring. The show is already becoming the hottest ticket in town and it hasn't even opened yet. Previews are already sold out and tickets for performances in the first couple of weeks are going fast.

The rock musical feature music and lyrics by Kevin Murphy (REEFER MADNESS) and Laurence O'Keefe (BAT BOY and LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL), had a sold-out run in Los Angeles and a successful off-Broadway production as well. The score also received a Drama Desk Award nomination for best work.

"What they have done to musicalize the film is very smart," says James Beaudry, who directs Kokandy's production. "They have kept it true enough to the original material, but they have also found their own truth to the piece so we aren't just replicating the film on stage. The musical material stands on its own and should offer surprises to fans of the film."

Still, it is the iconic, 1988 cult film, with its litany of quotable lines ("What's your damage," and "F-k me gently with a chain saw" to name a few) that is no doubt creating demand for tickets to the show. One of the quintessential films of Generation X, it starred Winonna Ryder and Christian Slater as Veronica and J.D., respectively.

Courtney Mack, who plays Vernoica in the musical, says it wasn't until she learned of auditions for the show that she watched the film.

"I sat down with a friend of mine and watched it to see what I was getting myself into," she says with a laugh. "It's dark, a bit weird and bizarre, but it resonates with you."

"The musical is a timeless show," she adds "Most of us went to high school and experienced bullying or being the bully at some point. I definitely connect to the material because of my experiences in high school."

"The American high school experience is such a specific thing and it is something we all share," Beaudry says. "There are parts of the experience that approach universal. It satirizes them and creates a dark fantasy. And it is something you identify with whether your were popular or not."

The musical stays fairly true to the plot of the film: Veronica is an outsider who ascends to popularity when befriended by the clique of mean girls all named Heather who run Westerburg High. The accidental death of the lead Heather (and the subsequent power vacuum it creates as well as additional murders of the popular kids) move things into the realm of black comedy. The original film was the antithesis of the homogenized high school world created in the popular John Hughes films of the time.

"My friends all tell me that Veronica is the closest thing to myself I will ever get to play on stage," Mack says. "It is a bit overwhelming and intense to play her. I'm on stage singing for the entire show and there is the fact that there are so many people in love with the film that there's a lot to live up to."

She says she knew she had to play the character, though.

"She is a very smart character. She sees the Heathers as a way out from constant bullying, but has to come full circle to be OK with herself," Mack says. "A lot of people struggle with being themselves, especially in high school. If you are yourself, you get picked on for it."

"Finding the right tone for the musical has been the most challenging," Beaudry says. "The show has funny scenes, dark comedy and an honest-to-God musical heart. Finding the balance of these three things and the way to tell the story in a way that make sense is no easy task, but audience should love what we've done."

At it's heart, the film (and musical) was about teenager who goes on a murder spree of the popular kids in school -at first, accidentally, but with more and more thought, planning and conviction as things go on.

"It certainly is the elephant in the room isn't it? Millennials have grown up rehearsing school shootings the way Generation X used to practice tornado and fire drills. Guns have became more powerful and more prevalent," he says. "This is a satire. If we can't laugh at something, how can we begin to dissect it and deal with it?"

Beaudry says the musical really is about Veronica's journey to hell and back.

"We focus on a girl who sells herself out to be popular and then has to deal with the aftermath. It's not about shooting classmates, it is about surviving high school," he says. "We owe it to the audience to tell it honestly and not hide from who the characters are or what they do. No one goes to SWEENEY TODD and wonders about the morality of the characters, so why should HEATHERS be any different?"

"Good theater begins a conversation," he adds. "For us, this is a story of redemption."

As for what she hopes the audience comes away from the show thinking, Mack says that's easy.

"No matter your age, be your true, authentic self and teat people with kindness," she says. "Also, let your freak flag fly and be proud of who you are."

Kokandy Production's HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL runs Feb. 28 through April 24 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. Tickets $25-$38. Call 773.975-8150. kokandyproductions.com

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