Review: Heathers The Musical is dark....but Big Fun

L – R - Verity Thomspon as Heather Chandler, Jenna Innes as Veronica Sawyer, Elise Zavou as Heather Duke, and Billie Bowman as Heather McNamara

You are downtrodden, dump your best friend to get in with the “cool” kids, and fall for a bad guy with issues … your everyday tale of High School life in America.

Well not quite with Heathers The Musical (it opened last night at Peterborough New Theatre), which takes a very humorous but dark and satirical look at those “best days of your life” and throws in heaps of drugs, sex, suicide and murder to great effect.

Yes, welcome to Westerberg High, this is a black comedy, rock pop musical with a difference where teenage traumas are taken to the Nth degree.

Jenna Innes is outstanding as the angst-ridden 17-year-old Veronica Sawyer, desperate to be liked. She really gets into the character - torn between love and doing the right thing – and what an amazing voice.

Jenna Innes as Veronica Sawyer (background) and Jacob Fowler as Jason ‘J.D.’ Dean

Veronica sells out to be liked by the titular Heathers, led by the the excellent Verity Thompson who has an instant and long-lasting stage presence, before realising being the “fourth Heather” isn’t all it is cracked up to be.

Then along comes Jason ‘JD’ Dean, played by Jacob Fowler, a strangely compelling performance as the mysterious drifter-cum-High School shooter .

Any High School romp wouldn’t be complete without a couple of sex-mad, lecherous “jocks”, so special mention to Alex Woodward (Kurt) and Morgan Jackson (Ram).

Despite the adult themes, the heavier issues are dealt with if not sensitively then with a lot of humour – who would have thought a song called My Dead Gay Son sung at a funeral could be hilarious?

The hugely talented cast has great energy and the songs terrific and catchy – even with some sound issues.

•You can see Heathers The Musical at New Theatre until Saturday. Tickets at www.newtheatre-peterborough