It was a night of '80s fashion, fun and murder that was so very, when 'Heathers: The Musical' opened at Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
Based on the 1988 film 'Heathers' starring Winona Ryder, the musical was packed with belted rock songs and dance numbers, and followed the rise and fall of Veronica Sawyer as she tried to find her place at Westerberg High.
The show saw Veronica play witness to the murders of her school peers, as the new kid J.D (played by Stephen Madsen) mercilessly removed them from campus in an effort to make the world a kinder place.
Jaz Flowers took on the role of Veronica, delivering a solid and well-rounded interpretation of the cult-classic's female lead. Her vocals constantly blew away audience members and triggered round after round of applause.
Alongside her was Kirby Burgess as Heather Chandler, Erin Clare as Heather McNamara and Libby Asciak as Heather Duke. Their entrance to the stage halfway through the show's opening number was fiercly angelic, accompanied by the soft chants of the ensemble “ahhh, Heather, Heather and Heather”... Croquet never looked so good.
The music in the show was a seamlessly crafted hybrid of modern pop and '80s rock, with a hint of musical theatre spice. The talent of the performers shone as they sung and danced their way through the show with impressive energy and stage presence.
Most of the iconic moments from the original film were kept in the musical and made funnier than ever. As for the famous chainsaw line? It was unsurprisingly met by an eruption of applause and cheers.
The onstage chemistry between Veronica and J.D was undeniable, as they connected through songs like 'Freeze Your Brain' (“happiness comes when everything numbs, who needs cocaine?”) and 'Seventeen' (“fine we're damaged, really damaged, but that doesn't make us wise”). Reeling the audience in for a few minutes of that old teenage lust we'd all felt before... Minus the murder.
Another performance worth mentioning was that of Lauren McKenna, who played both Martha Dunnstock (or Dumptruck) and Ms. Fleming. She was able to separate the loud, crazy teacher with the vulnerable nobody student with ease, even fooling this reviewer into thinking they were two different actors.'Heathers: The Musical' was funny, heart-warming, musically outstanding and full of the same tongue-in-cheek humour the film managed to convey.
