Funny jokes and over-the-top acting – such fun!
“How very” of a show was Heathers at Liverpool Empire. I was welcomed with open arms to Westerberg High. Full of dry humour, savageness, pure camp and a lot of energy, the production is a worthy adaptation of the 80s high-school cult classic – be it, a more sanitised one.
Veronica Sawyer, an unpopular girl, climbs the social hierarchy by surprisingly befriending the cool, good-looking clique in school: the Heathers. When she meets the charismatic, mysterious JD, everything takes a dark turn when “their love is God”. Would she still believe that “there’s good in everyone”?
By far the best aspect of this show were the performances. Jenna Innes plays a nuanced, credible Veronica Sawyer. Her vocal display was strong and had believable chemistry with JD (Jacob Fowler). Fowler’s voice was like butter and his characterisation was nuanced through the show, (my highlight being “Our Love is God”, when he broke loose). Although he had charisma, he did not showcase the sinister, psychotic undertones that JD is usually known for – I wanted a bit more of Christian Slater’s menace and less weird-kid-trying-to-be-cool energy.
Rocking the red, yellow and green blazers were the Heathers. Heather Chandler (Verity Thompson) had a unique voice and she commanded the entire high school (too well if I might add as I did have some flashes of my high school bullies that terrorised me not so long ago). Billie Bowman portrayed a very spunky Heather McNamara. Unfortunately, I had issues hearing Heather Duke’ (Elise Zavou) solo “Never Shut Up Again” due to some temporary sound problems, however, she nailed the portrayal of the insecure, yet envious character. The rest of the supporting cast did a wonderful job in bringing to life the story of the high schoolers and the teachers – another one of my favourite moments was the opening of Act Two (“My dead gay son”). The audience responded very well to the number and that set the scene for the entire second part of the show. The lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe were witty, funny and surprisingly smart – but the music by the same duo might slip from my mind very soon.
As expected with a cult classic – Heathers gathered an enthusiastic audience. On one side, there were very devoted younger fans – some of them even wearing cosplay versions of the iconic outfits. This production was popular among them, partly because of the revival of Heathers content on TikTok and also because of the long-lasting success of the London and touring shows. Unsurprisingly, on the other hand, a lot of the theatregoers were big fans of the original movie. That made an endearing theatre experience, where young and old generations gathered together and collectively analysed complex issues such as suicide, sexuality, mental health, and eating disorders (prevalent in 1989, but very actual even now). In the current environment, watching persisting issues through an absurd, satirical critical lens is almost cathartic. And even though I might not have “hugged it up” with my high school bullies, I enjoyed for once the self-awareness of a show that showcased a culture full of indifference to suffering. Adults that shift their emotional baggage to their kids are “powerless” – or debatable, they do not care.
I saw the show in two different iterations (both at The Other Palace in London and the Theatre Royal Haymarket) before and that made me realise two shortcomings of this production. Firstly, I would have enjoyed a more racially diverse cast. Secondly, as the Liverpool Empire Theatre is the largest two-tier theatre in the UK, I would have relished it if the actors would have played it for the ‘groundlings’ and the chap seats, hamming it up.
Besides the high energy, phenomenal performances, glitz and glam of this production, the show successfully helps the viewer reflect upon a dark, but truth reality: “We’re All Damaged. We’re All Fragile. We’re All Freaks, But That’s Alright”.