Warning: The following article contains discussions of suicide, homophobia and sexual assault.Hamilton introduced the idea of theater pro-shots to the public, and musical theater fans can rejoice knowing they have a new musical to watch, which is Heathers the Musical. The movie dropped on The Roku Channel September 16, 2022, and the West End cast brings new life to the cult classic story. The 1988 movie Heathers has had a massive influence on the teen film genre, and the musical is bound to bring new fans into the chaos at Westerburg High. The musical allows each character to shine, helping audiences connect with their deepest thoughts.
Each of the Heathers characters is iconic in their own way, and the musical had to simultaneously capture their essence from the film while also expanding on it, giving each character their own thoughts and motivations. From the dialogue to the lyrics, every character can be perfectly understood in their own words.
"Give Me Some Hope Here. Something To Live For."
Students Of Westerburg High
Veronica tells the audience that the students of Westerburg High grew up and turned into monsters. J.D. says they are done living in society as it is. Ms. Fleming says they all have dark parts inside of them that they are scared to reveal. While there may be some validity in each of those claims, it's important to see them as they represent themselves.
The students throw slurs and insults as easily as breathing, but when they finally speak for themselves, they admit that they're terrified. They feel hopeless and alone and are just looking for a reason to get through the day. As important as the central plot may be, it's just as important to see the average student as they really are.
"All Teenagers Are Essentially The Same"
Pauline Fleming
Pauline Fleming may have started from a place of concern, but her response to the string of 'suicides' quickly turned into a way to promote herself. She put on dramatic shows that made her look better and forced students to reveal themselves emotionally before abandoning them when they needed support most.
Ms. Fleming truly believed that teenagers were a monolith, and despite her claims to care about their feelings, she didn't treat them like they had any. The ghost of Heather Chandler claims that the great secret is that "The adults are powerless," but it seems more fitting to say that the adults in Westerburg just don't care.
"I'm Talkin' You And Me In The Summer Of '83"
Kurt And Ram's Fathers
J.D. wrote that Kurt and Ram were gay in an attempt to destroy their reputations after death, but he failed in that mission when Ram's dad openly praised his son for his bravery. But both the scheme and the funeral come across as dated and needlessly homophobic until the two men start making out.
Then, it just becomes another time that adults make teenage suicide about themselves. Neither father speaks about his son except as a vessel for his own repressed sexuality, so the line that describes them best is when Ram's dad explicitly makes his child's funeral about his affair, overshadowing the boys entirely.
"But Now You're Good Enough To Get With Me"
Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly
Ram and Kurt are a pair in every way, which is why they were set up to be shamed as a gay couple after their deaths. While this was certainly a terrible thing to do, both because it involves murder and becomes weaponized homophobia, it's hard to say much positive about the football players themselves.
A lyric from their song "You're Welcome" sums up their personalities best, because it shows how seriously they took the social hierarchy. Veronica was unpopular at first, and thus deserved of being tormented. Then, she was popular and thus was required to sleep with them. No matter how their deaths changed the school, Kurt and Ram weren't actually portrayed as being any deeper than that.
"I'm A Sucker For A Happy Ending"
Martha Dunnstock
Martha was the school outcast, and the decision to make her more prominent than in the Heathers movie allowed the show to expand on her struggles. She wasn't just unpopular but was actively attacked by every popular person in school, most of whom had been her friends when she was little.
For a character going through all of that, spinning her life as a fairytale that was guaranteed a happy ending gave her hope. When Veronica crushed that hope, she turned to the only happy ending she could think of by attempting to kill herself.
"If I Say The Wrong Thing... They'll Throw Me Right Over The Side"
Heather McNamara
In a show that relies on the idealization of those who commit suicide, Heather McNamara is proof that being popular doesn't ensure happiness. She doesn't stand out much, which audiences eventually learn was a conscious decision. Seeing how Heather Duke was treated, McNamara learned to be perfect.
Heather modeled her behavior off of Heather Chandler, so when her idea of perfection turned out to be so unhappy she would kill herself, it sent her spiraling. Heather McNamara lived in a world of careful constructs, one where having a perfectly symmetrical face ensured success, and when those rules fell apart, so did she.
"I Will Never Shut Up Again!"
Heather Duke
Being part of the in-crowd was not enough to protect Heather Duke from the torments of high school, but she believed becoming the queen bee would finally give her the respect she always wanted. Her bulimia was mocked by her friends and her teachers, and being told to "shut up" became her tagline.
The song "Never Shut Up Again" does a lot to explain Heather Duke's shift from the most sympathetic Heather to a worse version of Heather Chandler. Heather Duke learned that power was the only protection a girl could get, and she wielded that power to make sure nobody silenced her again.
"I Know Who I'm Eating Lunch With On Monday. Do You?"
Heather Chandler
Of all the famous movie mean girls, Heather Chandler is one of the most iconic, with her red scrunchie and her pack of followers. It's easy to see why Veronica would want to be a part of her group, and it's just as easy to see why J.D. thinks it's okay for her to die.
But this quote, which is not nearly as well known as most of Heather Chandler's, tells a more important story. Heather is full of bravado and her power can make life difficult for Veronica, but it's also extremely limited. In the grand scheme of things, all she can threaten Veronica with is sitting alone at lunch. For a teenager, that may seem like the end of the world, but it's absolutely not important enough to kill over.
"Making The World A Decent Place For People Who Are Decent."
Jason Dean (J.D.)
J.D. was absolutely the kind of villain who believed he was the hero, and his complicated moral understanding fed into that. As he saw the way the world hurt both him and Veronica, he decided to change it, which would have been noble if he knew where to draw the line.
The musical clearly pushes the message that everyone hurts people, but nobody deserves to be killed. Being human means having bad days and surviving them until better ones come around. Without the hope of a better future, J.D. let his pain become violence, where eventually only his own death could start the work of making that "decent world."
"We're All Damaged. We're All Fragile. We're All Freaks, But That's Alright."
Veronica Sawyer
There are so many amazing quotes that sum up Veronica's character, but this one fits every side of her, even at her darkest. She proves that she would hurt people to stay popular, and she would cover up murders to keep from losing J.D.'s love. That's a lot to come back from, but she manages to do it by learning that everyone is just as lost as she is.
Even more powerful than the original movie, Heathers: The Musical shows every character and all their broken pieces, not letting villains use tragic backstories as a way out of their choices. Only by acknowledging that everyone feels awkward and unloved can Veronica start bringing everyone back together.