Do you have a sweet tooth? If so, you’re in for a treat because Heathers the Musical has opened its ‘Candy Store‘ once more in London’s West End. Making its triumphant return, this musical is based on the 1988 film of the same name starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. We follow the protagonist, Veronica Sawyer, as she attempts to navigate through her senior year of high school whilst finding out her first boyfriend is somewhat of a psychopath dragging her into situations that truly test her own morals and beliefs. The audience are thrown into the world of Westerberg High where three untouchable Heathers rule all. Heathers the Musical thrusts us into 2-3 hours of big fun musical numbers, outrageous characters and an abundance of dark humour. The musical numbers in this show rely heavily on the ensemble and with 13 cast members making their West End debut, each person held their own on stage providing every number with full sound and energy.

Jenna Innes was a surprising Veronica as her tone of voice was not one previously heard for this character, impressively mixing belt and head voice in the climaxes of her songs. This produced a clean, clear and healthy sound, something that she would have mastered from her prior experience in the role during the most recent UK and Ireland tour. Keelan McAuley’s depiction of JD was intoxicating from start to end. His standout performance gripped the audience; luring them in with his gritty vocals and episodic moments of vulnerability. McAuley used his rocky, animalistic undertones to truly bring the character to life and although he carries out some unspeakable acts, one could say the audience still harboured a soft spot for JD towards the end of the show. Unquestionably, this was down to the raw emotion that McAuley brought to the stage.

Even though the central relationship of the show is between Veronica and JD, a special mention is to be said for Ivan Fernandez Gonzalez and Jason Battersby who portrayed Kurt and Ram respectively. Their chemistry on stage was palpable and each interaction between the two was the epitome of American high school jock culture.

Hot off her journey with Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream, Esme Bowdler was a powerful Heather Chandler. Using her dynamic vocals and cut-throat delivery of some of the most well-known lines in the show she really captured the persona of a ‘mythic bitch’. Heather Duke is a character that has a real arc within this musical and Sedona Sky wonderfully portrayed this to the audience. She brilliantly utilised her skills as a performer, contributing significantly to the ensemble numbers with her dance and vocal ability. With all this being said, the standout Heather of the night was undoubtedly McNamara. Daisy Twells really honed in on the childlike essence of McNamara and the whiny quality of voice she used for this role was perfection. Exquisitely flexing her impressive vocal skills during Lifeboat where her character reaches her pinnacle of desperation, Twells incredibly remained grounded and mature in the expression of Heather McNamara’s emotional epiphany.

With David Shields’ set design and Ben Cracknell’s lighting, you know what you’re in for as it’s almost an exact replica of The Other Palace production. Some could argue that the scenery and lighting is almost as iconic as the costumes, which could be seen worn throughout the audience by dedicated fans. This obviously works very well which makes me think of the famous saying “why fix something if it isn’t broken”. The scenery movement was swift and subtle, efficiently utilising the space given in The Soho Place Theatre. The lighting was very powerful in highlighting each character in red, green, yellow and blue beams. However, it would be intriguing to see how they could further experiment with the set and lighting for any future productions.

Don’t say no to this astounding production and grab your tickets to Heathers the Musical, now playing a limited run at Soho Place until the 6 July.

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