by Erin Free
Worth: $16.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Ailsa Davidson, Simon Gordon, Maddison Firth, Mhairi Angus
Intro:
...a great example of a filmed stage musical.
For the uninitiated, 1988’s Heathers was one of the best comedies of its decade, a cinder-black detonation of the teen comedy tropes established by John Hughes in his series of epochal youth classics. Boasting a lacerating script from first-timer Daniel Waters, on-point direction from fellow debutante Michael Lehmann, and brilliant breakout performances from Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, this tale of teen suicide, high school cliques, and the dangers of conformity was far from being a box office hit, but the film has amassed a considerable cult following in the years since its release, and its acid-tinged influence can be felt in a wide-ranging bundle of contemporary teen flicks and TV shows.
The verbal viciousness and thematic daring of 1988’s Heathers might not seem like strong foundations for a stage musical, but we are, it must be noted, in an era when shows like The Book Of Mormon, Hamilton, & Juliet and others have certainly shifted the dial when it comes to what you can and can’t do on Broadway and The West End. Heathers: The Musical creators Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy did a great job of retaining the inherent darkness of their source material, while also playing up its 1980s colourful pop elements and rolling it all up in a selection of incredibly punchy, catchy songs driven by spicy and often thoughtful lyrics.
You’d never know it, but this filmed version of the very American Heathers: The Musical is actually from a performance at London’s That Other Palace, which comes with nary a Brit-slip in sight. Slickly, tightly filmed by director Andy Fickman, who makes the most of his cadre of cameras, and performed with admirable gusto by a very likeable crew of British stage performers (Mhairi Angus is an adorable standout as the put-upon Martha “Dumptruck” Dunnstock), Heathers: The Musical is a great example of a filmed stage musical. With its great collection of enjoyably risqué songs (“Dead Girl Walking” and “Kindergarten Boyfriend” are highlights), even the unavoidable moments of stage musical cheese are effectively obliterated. Sure, there’s no way a film as truly dark as Heathers can’t feel at least a little bowdlerised in stage musical form, but Heathers: The Musical keeps the cult classic’s seemingly mean-spirited but ultimately optimistic spirit well and truly alive.
