Heathers the Musical- @sohoplace

The production that just won't stay dead - 10 years on from its first Off-Broadway run, and fresh off the back of two UK and Ireland tours and, a wildly successful five year stint at The Other Palace, Heathers the Musical returns to the newest West End theatre in 50 years, @sohoplace, for a 6 week run, before embarking on its third UK tour.

Based on the 1989 movie of the same name, Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe boast a strong script of witty one-liners and an abundance of comic relief, that effortlessly intersperses with the darker, more sinister elements. Heathers tells the story of 'greasy little nobody' Veronica Sawyer, another senior student of Westerberg High, just trying to survive another day. But when she is unexpectedly taken under the wing of the three most popular students in school, the Heathers, her dreams of popularity seem to be flourishing. That is, until she falls head over heels for the mysterious new bad boy, J.D. Think Mean Girls with murder and you get the idea. Never taking its foot of the pedal for a moment, Heathers is one of those shows that keeps on getting better and better as the highly gripping story progresses.

The Heathers score, with its killer lyrics and infectious melodies, has become a celebrity in its own right in recent years, with songs such as ‘Candy Store’, ‘Dead Girl Walking’ and ‘Seventeen’ becoming both social media trends and staples of the musical theatre world and beyond. With both high octane ensemble masterpieces, to sombre ballads, Heather has it all. But its the show's biggest numbers in Act 2, that really set the bar - opening with a joyous, high energy take on a dark subject, with 'Dead Gay Son' ,followed by the ingenuously staged 'Shine a Light' , with its now infamous audience participation. However, the absolute pinnacle is the number that was added in towards the end of the very first London run back in 2018, I Say No. Marking the turning point in Veronica's story, I Say No has got to be one of the greatest songs in recent musical theatre history, with its powerhouse melody and equally powerful lyrics, performed to utter perfection by the indomitable Jenna Innes.

A killer show needs a killer cast, and the current West End cast, made up of both old and new faces, all put a cleverly unique spin of the iconic roles audiences know and love from performers past. Returning to the iconic blue blazer, is Aberdeen-born Jenna Innes, who previously played the role last year on tour. Innes' has some of the most outstanding vocals currently on the West End and leads the cast brilliantly, with her naïve, yet angsty Veronica. Demonstrating some incredibly versatile acting choices, she delivers a truly phenomenal performance. Canadian actor Keelan McAuley is equally as impressive, in his turn as Jason 'J.D.' Dean, building effortlessly from mysterious, yet slightly sinister charm at the beginning, to exposing the true depths of the character's psychotic nature by his untimely end. McAuley makes some excellent creepy choices, and is perhaps one of the strongest performances of his character, culminating in a lasting impression, with a knockout performance of the powerfully disturbing 'Meant to Be Yours'.

Heathers would be nothing without… well, the Heathers, and luckily there are a trio of fantastic performers on hand, in this production. Fresh from the finals of ITV's 'Mamma Mia: I Have a Dream' is Esme Bowden, as the 'mythic bitch' Heather Chandler, who's fabulous portrayal brings out the cruelty, charm and brashness of this character, with some punchy vocals to boot. Making both her professional and West End debut is Sedona Sky, as Heather Duke, who provides a ballsy take on this spotlight stealer. A brilliant actress with some great creative choices, unfortunately her big solo number ‘Never Shut Up Again’ doesn't quite land with the impact it usually would (probably due to understandable nerves). Another returning cast member is Daisy Twells, as Heather McNamara, who brilliantly blends cruelty with vulnerability in the highly emotive 'Lifeboat'. An equally strong dancer, Twells excels as head cheerleader with a clean back walkover, and a slick performance.

Ivan Fernandez Gonzalez and Jason Battersby, make a humorous double act as Kurt and Ram, whilst Lucy Sinclair's flamboyance and killer riffs, stole the show in her big moment 'Shine a Light'. Also making her professional debut, is the impeccable Amy Miles, as the innocent yet tortured Martha Dunnstock, whose emotional and sensitive portrayal of Veronica's best friends, makes for one of the most moving showstopping moments for the whole show, with a masterclass performance of 'Kindergarten Boyfriend'.

With ever-successful direction from Andy Fickman, and impeccable choreography from Gary Lloyd, every last inch of the stage is put to expert use; the clever changes to 'Never Shut Up Again' and the big ensemble highlight 'Big Fun' are just some of the standouts. The relative simplicity of David Shields' set proves just why this show is so successful both on tour and in town: with lockers becoming a bed, to a rotating unit displaying a 7/11 store, a kitchen and a liquor cabinet on three sides, meaning all set changes can be carried out by the performers themselves, who deliver with ease, like a well oiled machine. Ben Cracknell's lighting design expertly bathes the characters in their iconic colours and ensures the whole show looks so very.

However, I do think a well deserved break is earned after this run though, to prevent a touch of Heathers fatigue settling in, but overall this show is an excellent dark comedy, with a message that has transcended beyond the stage to create its own community. Heathers always delivers a reliably strong show, with every cast bringing their own unique characterisations - a crowd-pleaser with a body count.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐