Student Blog: My Completely Normal Interest in Heathers: The Musical
Want a Slurpee? I don’t have one, unfortunately. However, I can offer you something else: My completely normal, totally casual obsession with Heathers: The Musical.
Greetings and Salutations, want a slurpee?
I don’t have one, unfortunately. The nearest 7/11 is a half-hour walk from me, and I’m sick of trudging in a single-file line in between mounds of crusty snow that are all over NYC. Trust me, the show I'm on the SM team for at NYU is NOT close to my dorm and I'm doing enough walking already. However, I can offer you something else:
My completely normal, totally casual obsession with Heathers: The Musical Off-Broadway.
I’d imagine most people are familiar with the 1988 film the musical is based on. Before I saw the Off-Broadway production, my mom claimed she could recite the entire film word-for-word (she has yet to prove this, and I’m convinced she’s bluffing.) I’d also imagine the greater theater community is aware of the musical adaptation, including its various productions all across the world.
But there’s something about the current production at New World Stages that has grabbed my attention, and it’s stuck to my brain with seven layers of rubber cement.
For those of you who know nothing about this spectacular musical depiction of “teen angst bullshit”, let me provide you with my attempt at a brief plot summary:
Veronica Sawyer, a seventeen year old student at Westerburg High in Sherwood, Ohio, is starting her first day of senior year on September 1st, 1989. Tired of the ignorance and bullying she’s experienced throughout high school, Veronica uses her forgery skills to join the school’s most popular trio: The Heathers. Alongside Heather Chandler, Heather Duke, and Heather McNamara, Veronica makes her way to the top of the high school hierarchy. But through a series of events involving mean teenagers, annoying football players, and a new kid in a trench coat with an ever-so-slightly murderous nature, Veronica explores her own morality…and how powerful that really is.
Yeah…I’m really not the best at writing summaries.
But that’s besides the point. Let’s talk about the ridiculously talented cast and crew that make this show what it is. Since October, I’ve seen Heathers (don’t make fun of me, I’m very passionate) nineteen times. I don’t know if there’s been a single performance I’ve seen with the exact same cast. Over the course of my Heathers shenanigans, I’ve seen three Veronicas, five Heather Chandlers, four Ms. Flemings, three Heather Dukes, two JDs, two Marthas, and three Heather McNamaras, just to name a few. And I can say with certainty that each performer brings something different to their character (or characters, for some cast members.)
One thing about Heathers at New World Stages is that it’s got a fantastic team of swings and understudies. Each major character has two or three covers (if the principal actor is unable to perform, there is a first, second, and sometimes third actor who will fill the role, depending on what other roles are being covered.) I’ve gotten very lucky to see a ton of first covers, a couple second covers, and even a third cover. Each of the show’s six ensemble characters are played by actors who understudy for the principal roles. Additionally, Heathers has a team of four standby actors, three of whom will cover the ensemble roles or principal roles when multiple actors are out, and one of whom is the first cover for both Veronica and Heather Chandler! In my nineteen times seeing this show, I believe I’ve seen every ensemble and standby actor cover multiple roles.
I’m pretty sure my frequent presence at this show has started to catch the attention of the cast. Although, that’s probably not the only thing Heathers-related people know me for.
After I saw the show for the first time, I started drawing fanart of the characters. One drawing turned into two, into four, into…somewhere around eighty individual heathers fanart drawings. In November, I made a massive drawing including every single current cast member in the show, including the swings and ensemble. And I have been known to give the cast keychains or stickers of my drawings of them from time-to-time…
I’m not here to gush about myself though. I’m here to gush about Heathers. And this all leads to the grand question of why am I so obsessed with it?
I don’t think I could pinpoint a single specific reason, but there’s one thing that resonates with me that is so deeply clear and important.
And that is rooted in the very first lines of the show:
“September 1st, 1989. Dear Diary,
I think I’m a good person.”
Heathers is a show about maturing. It’s a show about people, about the struggles of the world we live in, and how we view ourselves in the grand scheme of things. Heathers is about the complexities of morality. And while I can’t speak for everyone, something tells me these grandiose, moral questions fill the minds of young adults all over the world. They certainly plague my mind.
Veronica Sawyer is a seventeen year old who questions if she’s a good person. In the show, her and many other characters do things that would probably identify someone as a bad person. You can make an argument that every character in this show could be considered a bad person. But at the same time, you could also make the opposite argument. And truth be told, it’s incredibly tricky to make a final judgement.
Perhaps I’ve gotten ever-so-slighty existential. Regardless, even if you don't have a moral dilemma, I can assure you that Heathers is a performance you can enjoy. The music is catchy, the visuals are stunning, and the cast is hilarious and have voices of pure gold. And of course, the community! So many artists and theater lovers all over the world have connected with this show, and I’ve already made friends who love Heathers just as much as I do.
I think everyone I know is probably sick of me yapping about how much I love this show. But until my hyperfixation slows down, I’m not planning on stopping anytime soon. Sorry, not sorry, folks.
The fact that I get to learn about theater in the coolest theater city in the world is one thing, but the fact that I’ve fallen in love with a show that I get to look at from every design and plot perspective is another. Every time I walk past the booth at Heathers, I get excited. Knowing maybe, one day, I might be behind one of those booths, calling a show like the hardworking stage managers all over the industry. The excitement of seeing a show like Heathers so many times is just as much of an educational experience for me as a student as it is an entertainment experience. And trust me, I’ll be back at New World Stages as soon as I can.
Just look for the red winter hat!
