Heathers: The Musical

Long before there were Chers, Regina Georges and Blair Waldorfs there were Heathers. And their shoulder-padded rule over Westerburg High was cruel and complete — until Veronica Sawyer and her boyfriend JD upset the status quo. Though its place in the Mean Girl movie canon has fallen, 1988's Heathers is a movie ripe for musical theatre adaptation. Played with tongue firmly in cheek there are the great '80s costumes, the bad boy and a set that's all lockers and croquet references.

The cast gives themselves over to Heathers completely. Jaz Flowers has Veronica's wide-eyed vulnerability and fierce sense that something isn't right in the state of Westerburg, while Lucy Maunder's leader of the pack swagger is only outshone by her dead Heather ghostliness. And can someone give Lauren McKenna a leading role pronto. Her Kindergarten Boyfriend is a show-stopper. It's a wonder director Trevor Ashley found time to mould this show between Les Miserables performances but Ashley's touch guides the camp humour. The show's only real let-down is the inability to balance the sound mix between the band and the performers' voices. It's not a problem unique to Heathers. Other Hayes productions have wrestled with the issue and in such a small space the sound issue really makes itself known. Even so, this production is a dark, fun reminder of the Mean Girl origins.