Heathers the Musical: Get to know the cult hit 💙❤️💚💛
Honey, whatchu waitin’ for?
From cult film to cult musical, Heathers the Musical has become a huge hit since it first arrived on our shores half a decade ago and it seems the exitement around the show continues.
With the show running in the West End, a tour on the way and a filmed production in the works join us as we take you through what you need to know about Heathers.
What is Heathers about?
Heathers the Musical is based on the 1989 film of the same name and tells the story of a schoolgirl named Veronica, who tries to fit in with the popular clique of three girls all named Heather. Heather manages to get in with the group once they learn about her talent for forging handwriting - a great source of fake hall passes!
But things turn south when Veronica falls for J.D. who uses her talent to pull off some violent and deadly schemes.
Heathers the musical's first UK production opened at The Other Palace back in 2018 with Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer.
Who's in the cast?
The London cast of Heathers currently stars Erin Caldwell as Veronica Sawyer, Nathanael Landskroner as Jason ‘J.D’ Dean, Maddison Firth as Heather Chandler, Vivian Panka as Heather Duke, and Jasmine Beel as Heather McNamara.
Also in the cast is Lydia Eliza Roberts as Martha Dunnstock, Tobias Turley as Kurt Kelly, Brandon Gale as Ram Sweeney, Ashleigh Harvey as Ms Fleming/Veronica’s Mom, Stuart Turner as Ram’s Dad/Veronica's Dad/Principal Gowan and Ryan Bennett as Kurt’s Dad/Big Bud Dean/Coach Ripper.
The ensemble includes Elliot David Parkes, May Tether, Lewis Asquith, Georgia Gagen, Amonik Melaco, Billie Bowman, Bayley Hart and Eleanor Morrison-Halliday.
New London cast from February 2023
From 21st of February the London production of Heathers the Musical will star Miracle Chance (Be More Chill), as Veronica Sawyer and Ellis Kirk (Dear Evan Hansen) as Jason 'J.D' Dean.
The new Heathers are Olivia Barnett-Legh, (professional debut) as Heather Chandler, Kia-Paris Walcott (Millennials) as Heather Duke, and Katharine Pearson (Back To The Future) as Heather McNamara.
The cast is completed by Katie Ramshaw (Roger and Hammerstein’s Cinderella) as Martha Dunnstock, Will Breckin (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) as Kurt Kelly, Cristian Zaccarini (Grease) as Ram Sweeney, Rachel Breeze (La Boheme) as Ms Fleming, Alexander Service (Little Women) as Ram's Dad/Big Bud Dean/Coach, Alexander McMorran (Come From Away) as Kurt's Dad/Veronica's Dad/Principal with Elliot David Parkes (Heathers) as Beleaguered Geek, Megan Hill (But I’m A Cheerleader) as Midwestern Surfer Punk, Georgia Anderson (Hairspray) as New Wave Party Girl, Sophie Hutchinson (The Addams Family) as Drama Club Drama Queen, Georgia Iudica-Davies (The Book of Mormon) as Young Republicanette, Bibi Jay (Betty Blue Eyes) as Stoner Chick, Lewis Asquith (Heathers) as Hipster Dork and Kaine Ruddach (Mamma Mia!) as Preppy Stud.
When is Heathers finishing?
Heathers The Musical will be hanging up the its croquet mallets and bidding a farewell to London audiences on Sunday 3rd September where it finishes its run at The Other Palace.
However, the UK and Ireland Tour will be continuing into the autumn and will finish at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 28th October 2023.
About the musical
Heathers is currently running at The Other Palace in London and booking through until 19th February 2023. The production is produced by Paul Taylor-Mills and Bill Kenwright with Bill having bought The Other Palace from Andrew Lloyd Webber's LW Theatres.
The first version of Heathers in the UK took place at The Other Palace when it was workshopped in 2017, it then returned to the venue as a full production the following year with Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer. In the same year, the production transferred to the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Following the re-opening of UK theatres in 2021, the musical returned to the West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket once again and embarked on a UK tour before returning to where it all began at The Other Palace.
How to get tickets for Heathers the Musical
Tickets for the London production can be found at The Other Palace's website.
Sing-a-long performance
The sing-a-long performance will take place on Wednesday 18th January 2023 and has is expected to be a 'singing & dress-up extravaganza'.
Heathers isn't the first musical first musical to put on special sing-a-long performances, & Juliet and Six have also held these nights that let you sing your heart out along with the cast.
Is Heathers the Musical being filmed?
The West End production of Heathers the Musical was filmed in May 2022 at The Other Palace with and will be screened in select cinemas for one night only on 28th March 2023.
Is Heathers going on tour?
Yes Heathers the Musical will head on a second UK and Ireland tour starting early 2023 with more information to be announced.
WATCH: West End and touring casts of Heathers unite!
Check out our favourite musicals based on movies:
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot arrived in cinemas in 2000 telling the story of a boy from County Durham who took up ballet lessons. The film is set around the backdrop of the miners' strike of 1984-85. In 2005 the musical version opened at the Victoria Palace with music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall (who also went on to pen the screenplay to Elton's biopic, Rocketman).
The musical was a huge success and ran in the West End for just over a decade closing in 2016 ahead of a refurbishment of the theatre which would then welcome Hamilton as its next resident. The musical was broadcast live across cinemas in 2014 and during this period had our very own Ruthie Henshall as Billy's teacher Mrs. Wilkinson.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
While Chitty Chitty Bang Bang may feel like it was always designed for the stage, we had to wait a while for technology to catch up before we saw our fine four fendered friend up on the stage. The 1968 film was based on the book by Bond writer Ian Fleming which starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts. However, the story wasn't put on the stage until 2002 where it opened at the London Palladium starring Michael Ball as Caractacus, Emma Williams as Truly Scrumptious and Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jemima.
The musical version included the songs from the original including 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', 'Hushabye Mountain' and 'Me Ol' Bamboo'. The film's original composers, the Sherman Brothers (also known for Mary Poppins) composed six new songs for the stage adaptation.
Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens is one of the few musicals that is based on a documentary. The 1975 film showed the lives of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (Big Edie) and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale (Little Edie), they were related to First Lady Jackie Kennedy but found themselves in an isolated life in a decaying mansion overrun with cats in their later life.
The first act is a fictional imagining of what the mother and daughter's lives may have been like in the 1940s as rich aristocrats living lives of luxury. The second act jumps to 1975 with the actress who played Big Edie in Act I switching over to play Little Edie in Act II. This part of the musical is based on the content of the documentary pulling lines directly from the source material.
Hairspray
Hairspray has been a huge hit since it first opened on Broadway in 2002 packed with comedy and feel-good songs. The show is based on the 1988 film of the same name which was written, directed and produced by John Waters, and starred Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad and the legendary drag queen Divine as Tracy's mother, Edna.
The musical has plenty of feel-good songs including 'Good Morning Baltimore' and 'You Can't Stop the Beat' and of course the powerful 'I Know Where I've Been'. The musical adaptation was successful enough that it was then itself adapted into a movie musical in 2007!
Heathers
Before the Mean Girls came along, the Heathers were terrorising the hallways. The 1989 film has a cult following and is considered one of the greatest coming of age films of all time so it's no surprise that Heathers eventually got the musical theatre treatment.
The musical quickly became a fan favourite with plenty of us listening to the Broadway cast recording on repeat when it was released and jumping for joy when the Heathers arrived in the West End. The show proved to be popular here having run on the West End twice already as well as getting a UK tour.
Kinky Boots
Set in a shoe factory in Northampton, Kinky Boots is a story about celebrating difference and accepting each other. The show's book was written by Harvey Fierstein with songs by Cyndi Lauper after opening on Broadway in 2012 it wasn't long until the musical hit the West End with the show opening at the Adelphi theatre in 2015.
Legally Blonde
How do you improve on the iconic film that is Legally Blonde? Why, add some amazing songs to it that's how! Legally Blonde has been a hit among theatre fans since it opened in 2007 with its campy up-beat songs such as 'Omigod You Guys', 'Positive', 'So Much Better' and 'Legally Blonde'.
The show made it to the West End in 2009 with Sheridan Smith in the lead as Elle Woods. It's since toured the UK twice with Faye Brookes and Lucie Jones in the leading role respectively.
Pretty Woman
The iconic 1990 Julia Roberts film is one of the more recent films to get the musical theatre treatment. Pretty Woman: The Musical premiered in Chicago in 2018 and transferred to Broadway a few months later where it ran for a year.
The show opened on the West End in early 2020 but closed after a month because of the COVID-19 pandemic - however as theatres returned, they opened back up in their new home at the Savoy Theatre.
Little Shop of Horrors
This was another cult classic that went from film to stage, to film again. The first version of Little Shop of Horrors was a black and white B movie which was released in 1960. The musical adaptation came out in 1982 with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman – the pair who went on to pen music for some Disney greats including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
The show's score includes the songs 'Skid Row (Downtown)', 'Somewhere That's Green' and 'Suddenly Seymour'. The musical was quickly adapted into a movie musical in 1986 and there are plans for another film with Billy Porter in the role of Audrey II.
Singin' in the Rain
With how well this story adapts to the stage we wouldn't be surprised if people thought the stage version of Singin' in the Rain came first. However, the beloved 1952 Gene Kelly film didn't make it to the stage until 1983 when it opened at the London Palladium with Tommy Steele as Don Lockwood.
The stage version has come with plenty of amendments throughout its various revivals but still includes the songs we all love including 'Fit as a Fiddle', 'Good Mornin'', 'Would You' and of course, 'Singin' in the Rain'.
Waitress
Sugar, butter, flour. Waitress the musical has captured our hearts as we learn about what baking can do. The story is based on the 2007 film written by Adrienne Shelly who also directed and starred in the film. Sadly, Adrienne didn't live to see the film's release where it received positive reviews.
The stage adaptation has a book by Jessie Nelson and music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. Sara has also starred in the leading role both on Broadway and the West End. The show has gone on to become a fan favourite with it making a return to Broadway and heading on a UK & Ireland tour.
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