Hackensack Theatre Company to Welcome Barrett Wilbert Weed for Q&A Following HEATHERS, 10/29

Hackensack Theatre Company will host Barrett Wilbert Weed, who starred as Veronica Sawyer Off-Broadway, at an intimate question and answer session during Heathers: The Musical's New Jersey premiere next month. Weed will be on hand following the October 29 performance during the limited run, which will play for just eight performances at the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, located at 39 Broadway in Hackensack, NJ, from October 15-31.

"This will be the very first community theater production of Heathers that I've seen and I can't wait to see what Hackensack Theatre Company has in store," Weed says. "I can't wait to meet everyone at this wonderful theatre on Broadway. It should be an amazing night!"

Based on the classic 1989 film that starred Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, and Shannen Doherty, Heathers: The Musical tells the story of the story of Westerberg High, a school ruled by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing triumvirate: Heather, Heather and Heather, the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. Before long, dark comedy ensues when Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new boyfriend, the mysterious and sexy stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in their place - six feet under.

With book, score, and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, Heathers: The Musical includes a string of instantly memorable showstoppers such as "Dead Girl Walking," "Candy Store," "I Love My Dead Gay Son," and "Shine a Light." The original Off-Broadway production, which ran successfully for five months at New World Stages last year, was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Music and Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Barrett Wilbert Weed).

Heathers: The Musical, which is being co-produced with the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., kicks of Hackensack Theatre Company's eleventh season. The company has previously staged successful runs of The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret, Urinetown: The Musical, and scored six Perry Award nominations through the New Jersey Association of Community Theaters (NJACT) for their 2013 production of August Wilson's Fences.

"Hackensack Theatre Company is at its best when we bring smart, edgy shows to the stage," co-Artistic Director and Heathers: The Musical co-producer Caseen Gaines says. "When I saw Heathers in New York last year, I knew it was just a matter of time before we would bring it to Hackensack. I never imagined we would be the first group to stage it in New Jersey, but I'm very excited we are."

Gaines isn't alone in his excitement about the show's Garden State debut. The musical's official Twitter page has crowned the production with a cheeky nickname and hashtag -- #JoiseyHeathers - and tickets to the run of Heathers: The Musical have broken venue box office records.

"I still can't believe how fast tickets are moving for this show," director Gregory Liosi, who is also Artistic Director of the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, says. "Within our first week, we had already come close to selling out half of our run. The pressure is on, but my amazing cast and crew are all ready to rise to the occasion."

"As a fan of the show from the start, it's unreal to actually be in it," cast member Kacie Tyler Broadfield says. "It's really hard to put my enthusiasm into words."

The remaining tickets for the October 29 performance, which includes Barrett Wilbert Weed's question and answer session, are $25. Tickets for the rest of the run of Heathers: The Musical are $19.00 for all seats. Patrons should be advised that Heathers: The Musical may not be appropriate for children under the age of thirteen.

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