Heathers: The Musical

Heathers
The Musical
Off-Broadway promotional poster
Music
Lyrics
  • Laurence O'Keefe
  • Kevin Murphy
Book
  • Laurence O'Keefe
  • Kevin Murphy
BasisHeathers
by Daniel Waters
Productions2009 Workshop
2010 New York Concert
2013 Los Angeles
2014 Off-Broadway
2014 St. Louis
2018 Off-West End
2018 West End
2018 Germany
2019 São Paulo, Brazil
2021 West End
2021 UK & Ireland tour
2021 Off-West End
2021 São Paulo, Brazil
2023 UK & Ireland tour
2023 Buenos Aires
2024 UK & Ireland tour
2024 West End Revival
2024 UK Tour
2024 Warsaw, Poland
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Heathers the Musical is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, based on the 1989 film of the same name written by Daniel Waters.[1] After a sold-out Los Angeles try-out, the show moved Off-Broadway in 2014, with US producers including J. Todd Harris, Amy Powers, RJ Hendricks, and Andy Cohen.

In the United Kingdom, a workshop of the musical at The Other Palace, London, held 5 sold-out presentations in the Studio from 30 May to 3 June 2017. The workshop featured Charlotte Wakefield as Veronica Sawyer and Jamie Muscato as J.D..[2]

The show had its official London premiere in the Theatre at The Other Palace from June 9 to August 4, 2018, starring Carrie Hope Fletcher as Veronica Sawyer and Jamie Muscato as J.D.[3] Produced by Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills, directed again by Andy Fickman and with choreographer/associate director Gary Lloyd[4], the London production transferred to the West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, running from September 3, 2018, to November 24, 2018.[5][4] A new song for Veronica, "I Say No", as well as a few script changes to Act 2 were added for the transfer.[citation needed] A West End cast recording was released on Ghostlight Records on March 1. The album debuted at No. 24 on the Official Albums Chart.[citation needed], and the production won the 2019 WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Musical. Carrie Hope Fletcher also won for Best Actress in a Musical.[6]

The musical returned to the West End with performances beginning on June 21, 2021, and ran at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until September 11, 2021. Heathers the Musical re-opened for a record-breaking season at The Other Palace in November 2021 after Bill Kenwright Ltd acquired the venue[7], where it ran until September 2023. The production has toured across the UK and Ireland in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and returned to the West End in 2024 for a strictly limited season at @sohoplace. BK Studios (the film and television company of Bill Kenwright Ltd) and Roku released the pro-shoot stage capture of the show, shot at The Other Palace in 2022, on their streaming service[8] in the US in 2022, and it was released under Village Roadshow Pictures[9] and Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment in the UK in 2023[10].

On September 1 2024, producers Bill Kenwright Ltd and Paul Taylor-Mills announced the production would return to New York City in 2025, with further details to be announced [11].

The show is a high-energy black comedy and involves dark subject matter, including bullying, teen suicide, sexual assault, and school violence.[12]

  1. ^ Barnes, Frank (September 7, 2015). "Heathers: The Musical". Education. 96 (6). New South Wales Teachers Federation: 31 – via Trove.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bww was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ other (October 25, 2021). "Bill Kenwright Ltd. buys The Other Palace Theatre from LW Theatres Ltd". The Other Palace Theatre. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  8. ^ "First look at "Heathers the Musical" filmed performance". August 2, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  9. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (March 28, 2023). "'Heathers: The Musical': Village Roadshow, Kaleidoscope Team for U.K. Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Heathers: The Musical - Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment". Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  11. ^ "Heathers the Musical to run in New York in 2025". September 1, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  12. ^ O'Keefe, Laurence; Murphy, Kevin. "Heathers Writers Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy Break Down the Musical's Full Album Track by Track". Playbill. Retrieved May 27, 2019.