Heathers The Musical At Theatre Royal, Plymouth Review

Reviewed by Helen Wyatt

Last night we were very privileged to be able to see Heathers the musical at Theatre Royal Plymouth. It was the first night of the run and the theatre was absolutely packed! Heathers has previously been on the West End, and is now on a national tour, with a short stop at Plymouth. Heathers is a black rock comedy set in 1989 at fictional Westerberg High School in Ohio, and showcases the differences between the popular kids and the “nobodies”, leading to lots of High School drama. Heathers is based on a film that came out in 1988 but neither of us had actually seen that, so we really didn’t know what to expect at all from the musical. The first thing to say is that this show is definitely not for young kids, and has an age rating of 14+. It deals with some dark and troubling teenage issues and there is some very colourful language peppered throughout the show!

That said, it is a very funny show, with everything from big comedy slapstick moments to subtle amusing details that you might miss if you blinked. We both didn’t see the same things throughout the show so you could watch this more than once and get a slightly different show each time, depending on which character you focused on more. There was a great use of black comedy throughout the show, and you found yourself laughing at super dark moments, despite what was being discussed or portrayed.

The lead actors were excellent, and the talented cast had very powerful voices; Jenna Innes as Veronica Sawyer gave a great performance as good girl turned rebel turned hero and wowed us all with her vocals; Jacob Fowler was very convincing as the dark rebellious JD, perfectly cast opposite Veronica; and the three Heathers (Verity Thompson, Elise Zavou, and Billie Bowman) worked brilliantly together as the mean girls trio, causing havoc while ruling the school, but also blowing us away with their vocals and perfectly timed choreography.

The whole cast were amazing, but we particularly loved Kingsley Morton as Martha Dunnstock who was a fabulous supporting actor as Veronica’s best friend but when given her time to shine with a solo she really knocked it out of the park! We also loved Alex Woodward and Morgan Jackson as Kurt and Ram, the two jocks, who were so funny in their roles with perfect comedic timing and bravery!

The singing from the whole cast appeared absolutely effortless, with beautiful harmonies and solos, and the show was brilliantly choreographed. There was excellent use of the stage with minimal movement, taking you from school, to houses and even church in the blink of an eye. We loved the strong 80s vibe and everyone had very convincing American accents. The use of the live orchestra was a brilliant touch, although it was a shame they were hidden in the pit! There was a standing ovation at the end of the show to a packed theatre which was well deserved.

You will always receive a warm welcome at Plymouth’s Theatre Royal, with a bright and airy entrance. There is somewhere to get light bites and drinks/snacks and plenty of places to relax while you are waiting for the show to start. Parking is within easy reach and you could always have a meal somewhere close by before the show. We were also pleased to note the accessibility of the theatre appeared good, with level access to the show and easy routes to accessible toilets also.

Heathers comes highly recommended – go and grab your tickets before they all sell out!

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £37

Heathers the Musical is at Theatre Royal Plymouth from Tuesday 4 April to Saturday 8 April 2023. For more information or to book tickets visit www.theatreroyal.com or call the box office on 01752 267222

Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR