What’s your damage? After a Monday evening performance of the Off-Broadway musical “Heathers,” now at New World Stages under Andy Fickman’s clever direction, I was afraid my damage was shattered eardrums from the excessive shouting by an audience who seemed to think they were watching a Taylor Swift concert. Somehow, this offbeat show – based on a quirky 1989 movie about a high school run by a trio of bullying girls and previously seen Off-Broadway in 2014 (and then revised for numerous runs in London) – has become a cult-like phenomenon.
Which leads to the question: Is there something to shout about? Fortunately, the answer is yes. The script by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe (based on Daniel Watts’ original screenplay) is consistently smart – and sadly familiar to anyone who struggled as an “outsider” in high school. It is also a bit tonally challenged, unsure at times how darkly it wants to embrace its subject matter. To be fair, it’s not easy – especially in 2025 – to deal with such subjects as intraschool violence, homosexual panic and bulimia, but these talented writers mostly pull it off.
Furthermore, the pair’s score is truly tuneful, filled with stirring ballads such is as “Our Love is God,” and “Kindergarten Boyfriend,” along with catchy odes to adolescence like “Seventeen,” which I ended up humming at home an hour later. (Also, you may never walk into a 7-11 again without singing “Freeze Your Brain.”)
Above all — and perhaps most importantly — the show boasts more talent per square foot than almost any other show in New York City. At the top of the class is former “& Juliet” star Lorna Courtney, unleashing her unbelievable pipes and delivering a first-rate performance as Veronica Sawyer, an Ohio high school senior who is ignored by the “cool” crowd until she is suddenly adopted by the Heathers (a magnificently funny yet slightly scary McKenzie Kurtz, the excellent Elizabeth Teeter and the fine Kiara Lee, stepping in for Olivia Hardy), the trio of color-coordinated seniors whom almost everyone in school both loathes and admires.
It’s a bit of a Faustian bargain to be sure; for example, Veronica must reject her longtime bestie, the sweet-natured, overweight Martha “Dumptruck” Dunstock (an astonishing Erin Morton in her NYC debut). But life becomes even more complicated when Veronica ends up falling for another “devil,” black-clad newbie J.D (a somewhat too-puppyish Casey Likes, possessed with a golden voice), a troubled teen who takes on the role of her avenging angel with unexpectedly dire consequences. In the end, Veronica must create and accept her own definitions of good and evil to survive (not just high school – but literally survive!)
The depth of the show’s cast is quite remarkable. In what could be stock roles, Xavier McKinnon and Cade Ostermeyer bring added dimension to dumb jocks Ram and Kurt, supposedly afraid of being gay but whose bromance is tinged with more than a soupcon of homoeroticism. (It also doesn’t hurt that these actors aren’t afraid to spend much of the show displaying their well-toned bodies while wearing only skimpy blue briefs and long white socks.)
Moreover, the multiple adult roles – more sketched than fully drawn – benefit from true luxury casting. The ever-adorable Kerry Butler makes a very happy meal out of hippy-dippy teacher Mrs. Fleming, owning the stage in her big up-tempo solo “Shine a Light.” Meanwhile, Ben Davis, a former Tony Award nominee for “La Boheme,” unleashes his operatic baritone on the surprisingly comic “My Dead Gay Son,” joined by former “Bad Cinderella” star Cameron Loyal, who adds decided flair to his own multitude of parts.
Like a Taylor Swift concert, but far less damaging to your wallet, “Heathers” is a true celebration of “girl power,” while being a satisfying experience for all genders. You might want to bring earplugs, though.
