Review: HEATHERS – THE MUSICAL, The Musical Adaptation Of The Cult Classic Comes To Darling Quarter

Making his musical theatre directorial debut, Jake Tyler delivers a wonderful production of HEATHERS-THE MUSICAL for The Mitchell Old Company, a new independent theatre company. Utilizing the 2018 update of Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe's (Book, Music and Lyrics) adaptation of Daniel Water's 1989 cult classic coming of age movie, the challenging topics of bullying, homosexuality, sexual assault, and teen suicide are explored with humour and an underlying sensitivity to ensure meaning is felt beneath the brilliant score and bold aesthetic.

While the original 1989 cinematic release of HEATHERS was considered a financial 'flop', the movie that led the way for the slew of more honest depictions of the teen high school experience became a cult classic, so it feels only natural that it was picked up for a musical makeover. The stage update ensures that the iconic lines are retained in dialogue and lyrics while minor changes have been made to the plot and character list to provide a backstory as to how protagonist Veronica Sawyer (Tiegan Denina) made the conscious decision to drift away from her best friend Martha Dunnstock (Jayd Luna) and seek the 'friendship' and protection of Heather Chandler's (Sabrina Kirkham) clique of Heathers (Kira Leiva as Heather Duke and Laura Dawson as Heather McNamara) before being drawn into the mysterious and ultimately unbalanced world of Jason Dean/J.D. (Jerrod Smith). The 2018 update also sees modifications to the original score including You're Welcome to better address the female experience with regards to consent and sexual assault, a number added for Heather Duke to ensure all the female characters are given a voice and a more definitive expression of Veronica reaching her final decision that she can no longer put up with JD's antics.

Drawing much of the production design elements from the West End production (it is noted that no separate set or costume design is credited in the program), particularly in terms of costuming that presents the Heathers as much more precise colour blocked clones than the movie, ensures that this is a visually captivating work. The costuming pushes the characters into stereotypes to further play to the comedy of the work that highlights the absurdity of human, particularly teenage, behaviour that despite all its protestations that people should be individual, ends up proving that people feel that looking alike will have them accepted as they seek a place to 'belong'. It also reinforces society's perception of power and wealth as the no uniform policy of American public schools makes way for an informal 'uniform' inspired by the exclusive private schools and the boardrooms of the rich and powerful. Large metal lockers serve as the only set dressing, opening to reveal various location elements, being combined as a raised platform for vertical variety or forming a backdrop for the halls of Westerberg High. The stage is split with a raised rear walk, accessed via central stairs and the black box stage rigging is adorned with black placards with iconic phrases from the work painted in white, reinforcing that it is expected that much of the audience will come to this work with prior knowledge of the story.

The key feature of this new production is the introduction of some fabulous new talent to keep an eye on. Tiegan Denina is an absolute delight as Veronica Sawyer. Recent VCA graduate, Denina gives Veronica a wonderful depth and sincerity as she ensures that she makes the role her own, avoiding any temptation to try to imitate previous performers. Her interpretation of the songs shows a strong understanding of the underlying text as she plays with tempo and the decision between when to sing through a line and when to give a more spoken tone while retaining a musicality as the interaction of the text with the events unfolding takes precedence. Her physicality ensures that her interpretation of Rheanna Hindmarch's choreography is presented with a natural intuition that ensures the audience sees Veronica, not a performer playing a part. Denina has nuanced reactions and connects with the audience, further endearing the troubled teen to the audience and ensuring that her internal battle with doing the popular thing and doing the right thing is clear and the underlying understanding that beneath the hair and makeup she is still the girl that prefers jiffy pop and movies with a real friend than popularity and power plays with bitches.

As the quietest of the Heathers, Laura Dawson delivers and endearing Heather McNamara, the ultimately naïve and seemingly stupid follower in the original power trio. She gives a bright doe-eyed expression inline with her signature yellow, but it is her solo Lifeboat that really has her shine both dramatically and vocally as powerhouse vocals are given the requisite texture to fully convey that beneath the bright exterior, she's also struggling. Similarly, Martha Dunnstock's solo Kindergarten Boyfriend allows Jayd Luna to share an incredibly beautiful, pure voice. While some of Luna's dramatization of the misfit Martha, relegated to ridicule because she didn't grow up to be a waif like the other girls she went to kindergarten with and because she retains a pure and honest view of the world, are a little forced it feels that is potentially more of a directorial choice that tried to quickly convey Martha's character in the limited stage time she has early in the story.

As J.D./Jason Dean, Jerrod Smith exhibits the requisite level of moodiness and a focused intensity to signify when he's recalling traumatic events that trigger his homicidal tendencies. This shift ensures that the audience sees a Jekyll and Hyde duality within the character while giving hope that good may still win. Jake Vollbon and Sam Welsh, as Kurt Kelly and Ram Sweeney respectively, provide a comic relief to the story in their physicality while reinforcing the meat-head sex-crazed antics of the jocks that are all brawn and no brains. They draw on all the stereotypes to create easily recognisable cringeworthy characters.

Collectively a wonderfully tight performance with strong vocals and clean choreography. If this is an indication of The Mitchell Old Company's capabilities, this new theatre company is one to watch out for along with its young stars at the start of their professional careers. Deliciously dark and wonderfully hilarious, HEATHERS - THE MUSICAL is the bizarrely brilliant antidote to the real world while still shining a light on some of the challenges that teens still face in the form of bullying and bitchiness, consent, sexuality, and mental health but hopefully not the homicidal extremes expressed on stage.

https://www.mitchellold.com.au/

Photo credit: Nicholas Gomez

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