****/***** (four stars out of five)
When the dark comedy Heathers appeared in movie theaters in 1989, no one could have foreseen it eventually becoming a chirpy musical. The film, which launched both Winona Ryder and Christian Slater into stardom, was embraced for its dark take on feel-good John Hughes movies like The Breakfast Club, and injecting the genre with gothic horror. High school kids didn’t want to make friends with their bullies, the film posits—they want to kill them. But by avoiding the full slasher film treatment, and slyly winking at the audience, Heathers stayed mainstream . . . and wildly popular. So making the film into a slightly more innocent musical was the logical next step.
What allows Heathers: The Musical—now playing at New World Stages—to succeed is the same conceit that made the 1989 film a cult favorite: despite some rather intense violence and its noir sensibilities, it never takes itself too seriously. Yes, students are being murdered and suicide is a looming theme, but somehow the storyline never feels excessively heavy or grim. It’s the Addams Family without the obvious freaks (though just about every character in Heathers is a freak within their milieu, loathed by at least some subset of their peers). What we end up with is an examination of the social terrors of suburban upper middle class high school that continually pokes fun at itself. Here we have the arch villains, three girls named Heather who dominate the social order of Westerberg High School, the two football tossing jocks who bully anyone and everyone, and the various other cliques found in every high school cafeteria. The Heathers recruit brainy Veronica (Lorna Courtney, who led the Broadway megahit &Juliet) into their group because she’s shown an aptitude for forgery, which they use for both selfish and evil reasons (like writing a phony loveletter to the homely and lonesome Martha “Dumptruck” Dunstock). Despite her elevation in the social order thanks to her affiliation with the Heathers, Veronica still despises them, especially when Heather Chandler (a terrifically saucy McKenzie Kurt) humiliates her in front of everyone at a “kegger” party. Conveniently, she has also just fallen for newly transplanted bad boy, J.D. (Casey Likes, Back to the Future), and the two contrive to take revenge. But J.D. is more sociopath than spiteful teen and he murders Heather by tricking her into drinking a glass of drain cleaner. From this moment things truly unravel, as Veronica forges Heather’s handwriting on a fake suicide note to cover the killing.
Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe—the team responsible for the book, music and lyrics—neatly guide the musical from the outrageous (more murders dressed up as suicides) through the expected outcomes, with a Dear Evan Hansen-style examination of teens coping with (and exploiting) unexpected grief and chaos. Their songs are often delightfully amusing, from “My Dead Gay Son,” which amps up one line from the movie into a homoerotic subtext about suburban white jocks; to the poignant and catchy “Seventeen”. Director Andy Fickman (who directed the 2014 iteration), glides the production smoothly through its flourishes, allowing its terrific cast to have a blast performing what is ultimately a delightful and amusing show. David Shields’ costumes are on point, with the Heathers dressed as sexy, but not-too-sexy, schoolgirls; and Ben Cracknell’s lighting augments Shields’ relatively sparse, yet versatile set, while adding even more color to the girls’ outfits.
The real driving force behind the show, however, is a handful of terrific performances, from Lorna Courtney’s Veronica to Broadway veteran Kerry Butler as Ms. Fleming, the hippie guidance counselor (and Veronica’s clueless mom); and McKenzie Kurtz, who’s particularly effective as Heather C’s sardonic ghost. But newcomer Erin Morton, as the excessively abused Martha Dunnstock, absolutely steals the show, not just with a tender vulnerability, but remarkable pipes, which she shows off in “Kindergarten Boyfriend.” The crowd goes absolutely wild for this powerhouse of a singer, heretofore known primarily for her stunning rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep” on YouTube.
Even prior to its official opening last night, Heathers: The Musical was already proving extremely popular with young fans, who fill the theater with raucous cheers; it has already been extended to January 2026 and I wouldn’t be surprised if it made a move to a Broadway theater for the spring (making it eligible for Tony Awards). But, don’t wait: catch it now and see a Broadway-caliber show at a significantly lower Off-Broadway price.
Heathers: The Musical. Through January 26, 2026 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). www.heathersthemusical.com
