I had heard lots about Heathers the Musical with its cult following and huge fan base for the songs.  Also I heard some disapproval from some of the adults or critics who had seen it or of the 1989 movie, which wasn’t a musical.  Heathers was projected as a counter to all the silly, romantic, air head high school stories with its dark themes and black comedy.  When I read the film plot, I was concerned at the attempted rapes, murders and suicide, although one of my favourite musicals is Parade which ends with a lynching.  So would Heathers the Musical be Marmite or Peanut Butter?  Would I hate it or love it? 

Heathers is about new girl 17 year old Veronica Sawyer (Christina Bennington)’s ability to survive at high school where she isn’t one of the cool girls, The Heathers are liked by the cool boys, the jocks, Ram Sweeney (Joaquin Pedro Valdes) and Kurt Kelly (Ross Harmon).  Being clever Veronica develops a strategy to ingratiate herself with the three Heathers by using her ability to forge detention notes and the like.  Her acceptance by the Heathers means that the boys also stop abusing her.

The bullying culture at Westerberg High is quite toxic and Veronica’s close friend Martha Dunnstock (Madison Swan) is picked on.  Veronica, though, is adopted by the Heathers, given a makeover and looks forward to an easier life at school in the song “Beautiful”.  Veronica is attracted to a new boy Jason Dean or JD (Jordan Luke Gage) who can quote poetry by Baudelaire, but JD criticises her for dropping her best friend Martha. 

The leader of the Heathers, strikingly tall and blonde Heather Chandler (Jodie Steele) finds out Martha has a crush on Ram and gets Veronica to forge a love letter supposedly from Ram to Martha.  Chandler offers inducements to Veronica in the pretty song “Candy Store”.  Veronica’s parents (Lauren Ward and Steven Serlin) don’t like her new friends and wish she was back with Martha.  JD starts to give Veronica an inkling of his disturbed past in “Freeze My Brain” when he uses the Slurpees from a 7-11 to numb his insecurity: “When the voice in your head says you’re better off dead.” 

After the Heathers humiliate Martha, Veronica resigns from their friendship group.  Veronica gets drunk at a party and throws up on Heather C and realises she will now be their enemy.  She goes to JS’s house and sleeps with him, “Dead Girl Walking”.  The sex scene is lit red.  Veronica tries to apologise to Heather C and makes a hangover cure for them both.  JD makes another with drain cleaner and, in a muddle, Heather C drinks it and dies.  The rapes from the film have been excluded in the West End version of Heathers.  JD makes Veronica compose a suicide note supposedly from Heather C “The Me Inside of Me” which when publicised makes Heather C even more iconic in death than she was in life. 

Veronica escapes the date rape set up by Kurt and Ram, but the two jocks tell lies about Veronica and badly beat up JD when he tries to defend her.  At JD’s instigation Veronica lures them to the cemetery promising them the threesome they fantasize about with her.  JD gives Veronica a gun with a tranquiliser bullet and he will tranquilise Ram while she shoots Kurt also to knock him out.  Veronica forges a suicide note saying that Ram and Kurt were lovers and gay to destroy their reputation.  JD shoots Ram and Veronica misses.  Veronica realises with horror that Ram is dead and JD shoots Kurt dead as well.  The bullets were real.