Heathers: The Musical @ Blue Firebox Theatre Company
—Jill Sweeney
How do you take a pitch-black cult classic movie like Heathers—the cynical, spikier older sister to 2004’s Mean Girls (which had its own stage adaptation in 2018)—and musical-ize it for Broadway without losing what made it a classic to begin with? Harder still, can the piece work now that some of its darker moments—considered absurdly over the top at the time—have become part of the day-to-day life of the American teen? Heathers: The Musical might not pack the same punch as the OG Heathers, but new company Blue Firebox Theater’s gender-inclusive production succeeds at finding many of the moments that make it so very…very.
Outsider Veronica (Salem Moon) is content to vent to her journal about the hell that is high school while keeping her head down. But her skills as a forger bring her to the attention of the high school’s ruling clique: The Heathers. Insecure Heather Duke (Cheyenne Ballew) and peppy Heather McNamara (Andrea Rodriguez), along with the rest of the student body, worship at the platform heels of Heather Chandler (Arya J. Valley).
Suddenly Veronica is running with the cool kids, despite her objections to the Heathers’ bullying ways, but she still steps in to protect friends like Martha Dunnstock (Brenda Fisher), aka “Martha Dumptruck,” from the popular kids’ cruelty. After Heather C declares Veronica a social leper, she meets dark and intense new kid Jason “JD” Dean (Brenna Petersen). Their love is the catalyst for the pair to burn it all down, Bonnie-and-Clyde style: cue the murder montage. But when Veronica wants to back out, can she stop JD from sending the whole school up in flames?
Moon has quite the big blazer to fill—Winona Ryder’s Veronica was an icon for nice but disaffected teen girls everywhere. But Moon rises to the challenge, really capturing the emotional arc of the character and belting out some impressive high notes, particularly on Act I’s “Dead Girl Walking.” She and Petersen’s J.D. had just the right push-pull of attraction and repulsion, especially as JD starts ramping up the psychopathy. J.D. is a harder sell in these post-Columbine days, but Petersen gives the guy just the right amount of wounded swagger to sell us on why Veronica falls under J.D.’s spell.
You need a larger-than-life actor to portray HBIC Heather Chandler, and between their auburn bouffant “do” and fire-engine red platforms, Valley towers over the cast, topping off at around 6’5’’. But it’s not just their height that sells Heather C’s authority: Valley dominates the stage in each scene, oozing with power and menace. And the character’s femininity is in no way diminished by the presence of a pencil-thin moustache above her ruby red lips, or the chest hair peeking out of her lacy black lingerie as she flounces around the stage in a maribou-trimmed silk dressing gown. Even though (spoilers!) the character is killed off in Act I, we’re glad we get to hear Valley’s tart, acerbic commentary from beyond the grave.
Ballew’s Heather Duke and Rodriguez’s Heather McNamara balance the comedic elements of their characters without losing sight of the darker, sadder layers underneath. I particularly enjoyed McNamara’s performance of Act II’s “Lifeboat,” as Heather M starts to crack under social pressure. Mark Eaglesham and Taylor Hoyt as jocks Ram and Kurt are appropriately dimwitted comedic presences, though their tragic demise gives rise to one of the show’s best ensemble numbers (based on one of the movie’s most quotable moments), “My Dead Gay Son.” And Noelle Synclair (stepping in for original performer Hannah Fuller) lent guidance counselor Ms. Fleming the right mix of flightiness and attention-seeking.
On the whole, the ensemble came together well, though some of the vocal performances were pitched so low as to be inaudible at times, even with the majority of the cast wearing body microphones—which ought to be adjustable. Director Tanner Hudson and choreographer Kiba Walker made a nice use of the space, especially in the Heathers’ big Act I number “Candy Store” and party number “Big Fun.” I also liked their choice to have the ensemble provide vocal support from backstage during some smaller numbers, giving them a welcome shot of heft and volume.
The costumes (credited to Lauren Hinojosa and Logan Coley Broker) drew some inspiration from the original Broadway production’s designs and were universally well crafted. I particularly enjoyed J.D.’s introductory costume, a complicated black satin corset piece over loose black slacks and topped with a light black trenchcoat. Equally well-done were the Heathers’ color-coded preppy uniforms of blazers, skirts, and knee socks.
Heathers: The Musical is a different beast than the film—more optimistic in some ways, harder to take in others. In a strange coincidence, I saw a production of the Mean Girls musical shortly after seeing this Blue Firebox production. At the time I thought Mean Girls was the “more fun” show—but it was bits of song from Heathers that kept popping up in my mind in the days that followed. Blue Firebox Theatre Company’s production finds the black heart of this show and polishes it ‘til it shines, with a cast that pushes past gender norms in favor of raw, real emotion.
This company is one to watch.
WHEN: Closed
WHERE: 316 E Hickory St, Denton, TX 76201
