By Alec Clayton
Published in The News Tribune, Jan. 24, 2020
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| from left: Annelise Martin as Heather Duke, Taylor Colvill as Heather Chandler and Juliette Hollified as Heather MacNamara. Photos by Kyle Sinclair and Mathew Price. |
Based on the hit 1980s dark comedy with Winona
Ryder and Christian Slater, “Heathers: The Musical” is certainly
dark, and there are a few funny lines, but it is not a funny play.
Lakewood Playhouse’s production is well acted,
with a large and talented cast of mostly youth actors who are relatively new to
South Sound stages, and there is good music. Both the film and the musical have
developed something of a cult following. The night I attended there were diehard
fans in the audience who knew the lyrics and sang along and clapped and stomped
their feet to the beat of the music – like a slightly less boisterous version
of a “Rocky Horror” audience. And many of them laughed at so-called punch lines
that were not only not funny but were vicious.
“Heathers” is a story of bullying, homophobia,
sexual harassment and assault, suicide and, ultimately, murder. No laughing
matter. To the writer and producers’ credit, the play makes a clear statement
to the effect that bigotry and bullying and homophobia are wrong, and it ends
on an uplifting note when the former bullies and their victims, including the
ghosts of the dead ones, come together in forgiveness and mutual support.
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| from left: Christine Choate as Martha, Molly Quinn as Veronica, Annelise Martin as Heather Duke, Taylor Colvill as Heather Chandler and Juliette Hollified as Heather MacNamara. |
Also to their credit, writers, composers and lyricists
Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy replaced the original song, “Blue” with a boys-will-be-boys
message with the more sensitive “You’re Welcome” because they realized, as Director
Ashley Roy noted in the program, “Blue” “validated a toxic culture of male
entitlement and freedom from consequent while further dis-empowering their
female lead.”
Students at Westerburg High
School in Sherwood, Ohio are dominated by a trio of bullying mean girls,
all named Heather: Heather Chandler (Taylor Colvill), Heather McNamara (Juliet
Hollifield) and Heather Duke (Annelise Martin) and a duo of bullying football
players, Ram Sweeney (Austin Payne) and Henry Temple (Kurt Kelly). Their primary
targets are misfits Veronica Sawyer (Molly Quinn), J.D. Dean (Avery Horton) and
Martha Dunnstock (Christine Choate). Veronica and J.D. fight back with disastrous
consequences.
All the actors playing high schoolers are themselves
teenagers, except for the Heathers, who are in their twenties, and they all
display acting chops such as you’d expect from more experienced actors. The
only actors with longtime stage experience are Eric Strachan, who plays the
football coach, Lydia Jane, who plays two adult roles, and Kyle Murphy, who
plays Principal Gowan and a couple of dads. All of them turn in fine performances.
Quinn and Horton are truly outstanding, as is Colville as Heather Chandler.
The song “Freeze Your Brain” a tribute to, of all
places, Seven Eleven, featuring J.D. was one of the funnier and more enjoyable
songs, and “My Dead Gay Son” featuring Strachan and Murphy with the ensemble is
an uplifting celebration of love and acceptance.
Viewers should be aware that the play contains adult
language, simulated sex, gunshots and smoking of non-toxic prop cigarettes.
This play is not recommended for young children.
The house was sold out the night I attended, and considering
the cult nature of “Heathers,” it might be wise to get advanced tickets.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Feb. 9
WHERE: Lakewood Playhouse
TICKETS: $31.00, $29 military and seniors,
$26.00 students/educators), pay what you can Jan. 23
INFORMATION: (253) 588-0042, https://www.lakewoodplayhouse.org/
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