Interview: Sara Al-Bazali and Devin Lewis of HEATHERS THE MUSICAL at CIBC Theatre

Veronica Sawyer and J.D. bring us through the trials and tribulations of popularity in the halls of Westerberg High in Heathers the Musical, which will be playing in Chicago on June 8, 2027. 

Before the Broadway in Chicago Summer Concert, BroadwayWorld sat down with Sara Al-Bazali, understudy for Veronica, and Devin Lewis, understudy for J.D., of Heathers the Musical. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

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Sara, I read in another interview you did that Heathers is really a dream show for you to be a part of, and now you’re here! Can you tell us a little about how you got here to be Veronica on the Broadway tour of Heathers The Musical? 

Al-Bazali: I think I auditioned 7 times, honestly. I had this week in early April of last year where I was going in and auditioning every single day for a different track in the show. They were trying to find a place to put me. Honestly, I don't really remember a lot of it, but I just remember every night going home and just being like, ‘Okay, if it's meant to happen, it's gonna happen. It's meant to happen, it's gonna happen.’ And somewhere in that week, they were able to find a spot for me in the show. I was a huge fan of it when I was in high school and I remember literally saying to my agents that I was going to quit the industry if I didn't get to do it when it came back to New York, which is a very dramatic statement, but I do stand by it. So I'm happy it all worked out, and that I'm here, because I guess I would be back in school if I wasn't. 

Lewis: I, on the other hand, was not super familiar with the show. I knew what it was, and I had heard most of the songs, but I actually had started doing some sort of job, and I was ready to transition a little bit, and this audition came up. One of my good friends, Jimmy Larkin, cast the show with The Telsey Office. And he's like, ‘Do you want to just submit this tape?’ And I was like, ‘Whatever. Like, truly, no. I felt no attachment to it.’ And then he was like, ‘Well, they really liked you, so just call back if you'd like to.’ And I literally went to one callback, and then I found out a couple days later that I had gotten it. I just felt really meant to be, I think, in that case.

Al-Bazali: (laughing) Complete opposite experience. You had one callback, I had six.

Lewis: With that said, this year has changed my life in so many ways, and I'm so grateful that I got this experience.

Heathers is such a global phenomenon, from a cult film to cult musical to TikTok sensation! How are you guys reimagining this story from 1988 to reach a whole new generation of fans in 2026? 

Lewis: What's cool is this show has many iterations. The first time they did it 10 years ago in the same theater in New York, there's some changes to the storyline. Obviously, music. And then they took it to London during the pandemic, and that's kind of where it kind of blew up on TikTok and social media. It was the same creative team and they reimagined the set, made a story super clear through sets and costumes, and then they brought it over here, made a few more changes, some different songs, and that's kind of how it went from 10 years ago to today. 

Al-Bazali: Yeah, I don't really think it actually needs all that much reimagining in terms of content. The 80s references are strong and they're there for the people who know the movie, but the throughline is universal. This could happen today. And it could happen in 20 years. The overall themes never really go away. 

Like you just said, the themes of bullying, social status, identity, and mental health are generational topics that transcend time and place and are still relevant today, and the musical really presents those issues through a modern lens. What message do you want patrons of any age to take away from Heathers? 

Al-Bazali: I think you have to treat people the way you want to be treated. No one is actually that different, deep down, and none of the social status, cliques, friends, whatever — none of the facade of high school is actually going to matter when you leave. The overall message is that you can't let that take over your whole life, and you have to see people for who they really are. It's funny because we do the show every night, and I'm like, ‘It's so dramatic, and the stakes are so high,’ but then I think about me in high school, and it did feel that high. It actually did feel that intense every day. I just want especially young people to walk away feeling seen, feeling like there's hope, and feeling like they're not alone. 

Lewis: On top of that too, I feel like they understand that, we're kind of always figuring it out, whether it's in high school or in our 20s. I feel that in my own personal life. We're always trying to figure something out, and it's just really important to be kind and gentle, not only to yourself, but the people around you as we're all figuring it out. That's what I think the show is — you really just see a bunch of teenagers just trying to figure it out. 

As Veronica, you really balance the comedy of the show with the drama. How do you manage one of musical theatre's most demanding roles, both vocally and emotionally?

Al-Bazali: I learned very quickly that you have to take it off when you get home, I'm so passionate about the story, and I love it so much that I think when I first started, I was letting it bleed a little bit too much into my life once I left the stage. I think also vocally, I have spent many hours stressing and worrying and thinking about my voice, like, ‘Am I gonna be ready?’ But letting the show be something that exists in the building, both emotionally and vocally, has been so helpful for me because once you get to a point where we're at now, I've been doing it a year and you realize it's muscle memory. Your body knows what to do, and I have to trust that it's gonna be there when I get to the theater and still live my life outside of the theater. It's the only way that you can sustain it. especially emotionally, because it's very heavy. And there's a lot of responsibility, I think especially on Veronica, to carry a whole arc of a character and make people feel seen and reflect the young people in the audience. As much as I love getting to do that, walking away with it is just not healthy for me. I have to be able to take it off and just be Sara and go hang out with my friends. 

Lewis: I've been saying since day one, but I am a firm believer that Veronica is just as hard — if not harder of a sing — than Elphaba. We always hear how much they have to commit their entire lives to sustaining that. The Veronicas that have come through the show have been absolute tanks and professionals and the best of the best of this craft. You have to be in order to play that role, for sure. 

And how do you manage as J.D.? 

Lewis: J.D. is tough too. Maybe not so much vocally, but emotionally. That's what makes it so fun, you really get to go on a journey watching J.D. and also playing J.D. You get to see so many sides of him and I think that's what makes it so fun, but also very hard. Every time I play the role, I'll sometimes leave with a headache. You know what I mean? The exhaustion of it. It really is exhausting. And a lot of his stuff comes in at the end of the show. So there is a technical stamina being like, ‘Okay, I have to pace myself in the show because the heavy hitting part of that role is in the second act.’ So you can't throw it all out in the first act and be like, ‘Well, that's good.’

Al-Bazali: I started saying strong 80, like strong 80%. And also, I can't drink coffee before the show because I'll push vocally. Because you do have to sustain the whole thing.

Lewis: Yeah. It's a lesson in sustaining.

Al-Bazali: And reserving.

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Thank you to Sara Al-Bazali, Devin Lewis, and Broadway in Chicago for this interview!

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