musical – B at The Bows

Originally reviewed July 2015 for Theatre People.

In 1988, when Heathers was released in cinemas, I was 12. I was in my final year of primary school and had just moved to Brisbane from a small town in mining Queensland. So it is no great surprise that up until last Friday, I hadn’t seen the movie. I wasn’t the target demographic on it’s release and it was just one of those films that remained on my “one day I”ll watch list”.

Ahead of seeing the Australian debut of Heathers: The Musical, I thought it might be a smart idea to watch the movie. Even though it was my first viewing, I was surprised how much not only the plot points I knew, but also the lines that have worked their way into cult-pop-culture.

When you see a musical adaptation of movie, sometimes you do have to ask yourself “would have I understood / appreciated the musical as much if I hadn’t seen the movie”? With Heathers: The Musical, my verdict is I’m glad I saw the movie as it made those iconic movie moments they built into the show more identifiable and enjoyable.

Written by Laurence O’Keefe (Legally Blonde and Bat Boy: The Musical) and Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness and Desperate Housewives) Heathers: The Musical is not only a highly enjoyable flashback to the late 80s, it is thoroughly faithful to the movie.

The first Australian production is directed by all around musical theatre savant Trevor Ashley (Les Misérables, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Fat Swan, Little Orphan Trashley), with musical direction from the incomparable Bev Kennedy.

The music is unmistakably 80s influenced and the lyrics are an effective mix of plot points, movie quotes and storytelling. Songs rang from the power ballads of “Beautiful”, “Our Love is God” “Seventeen Again”, to bop along pop of “Candy Store” & “Big Fun” to the downright hysterical “My Dead Gay Son” (which brought the house down). It certainly isn’t a PG show…think along the lines of Avenue Q.

All credit to the creative team – choreographer Cameron Mitchell, set designer Emma Vine and costume designer Angela White. The iconic red, yellow, blue & green colours of the movie were loyally present in the costumes – as were the shoulder pads and other classic 80s clothing trends. The small stage footprint of the Hayes Theatre was extremely well utilised with moving set pieces and even incorporating the main theatre staircase as an entry and exit point. I especially enjoyed the versatility of the high school lockers.

The ensemble cast comprised of Rebecca Hetherington, Stephen McDowell, Michelle Barr and the supporting character actors Lauren McKenna, Jakob Ambrose, Vincent Hooper, Libby Asciak and Erin Clare are all very solid and capable performers, with several of the playing dual roles in the show. The stand out for me was Lauren McKenna, whose two solos as her two characters, were some of the funniest but also the softest parts of the show.

Stephen Madsen (Rent, Sound of Music) as J.D. delivers a strong performance – especially against his powerful co-star, but at times I felt he was pushing the Christian Slater impersonation. I had trouble connecting with and understanding his character motivation, including also felt the infatuation and relationship with Veronica.

Playing the Queen Heather herself, Heather Chandler, Lucy Maunder (Songs In The Key of Black, Grease, Doctor Zhivago) has quite simply the best bitch face and pose in the business. She brings exactly the right amount of snark, ruthlessness and sheer and utter cruel-ness to the role, even after she meets her demise.

Which brings me to the absolute knock out star of the show Jaz Flowers (Hairspray, Hot Shoe Shuffle). As the misguided Veronica Sawyer, Flowers is the lynch pin of the show and her stunning voice and head-to-toe acting are simply a joy to witness. With some absolutely amazingly quick costume changes, she deftly takes you on Veronica’s journey and like in the movie, you are left well and truly on her side – despite her involvement in certain dark deeds.

If you are a fan of the movie or any of its modern day equivalents or if you’ve never seen the movie before, Heathers: The Musical is a certain must see. Especially as I’m sure the show many of this cast will continue their growth in the industry and you can say “I saw them when…”.

Originally reviewed June 2015 for Theatre People.

“You are listening to 103.9FM, bringing you the hits of the 70s, 80s, 90s and today.”

Drawing inspiration from Richard Mercer’s seminal late night radio program, Love Songs and Dedications, writer and star (Australia’s) John James O’Hara (Rock of Ages, Wicked), writer Anthony Harkin (Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages), together with musical direction from Luke Hunter (The Rocky Horror Show, Jersey Boys) and choreography by Melanie Hawkins (Strictly Ballroom, King Kong) bring to the cabaret scene a new, funny & heartwarming show…Dedications.

Sparsely furnished, the Hayes Theatre stage was a blank canvas for O’Hara to paint several varied love stories as callers into “The Love God”, talking about lost loves, mistaken love, challenging love, teenage love and forever love.

This is a one man show, very ably accompanied by a pianist and cellist, but don’t think for a second it is a one dimensional show. O’Hara deftly portrays several different characters, ranging from bogan and Struggle Street contender Travis, long time listener and gentleman Frank, obsessed fan/stalker Josie, Liz “the fat lez”, a hashtag loving YOLO teenager and more.

Each persona has their own song to tell about their love and through their song dedication – sung in character – attempts to reach out to their partners over the airwaves.

Great love songs we all know have all been adapted to suit the story each character was telling. “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Michael Bolton becomes a call out from Travis to Shawntelle, complete with Aussie slurring. Belinda Carlisle’s 80s classic “Heaven on Earth” is a vehicle for ‘the writer’ to reach out to a lost childhood love that influenced his entire life. A married woman having a fling with a waiter brings us a rendition of Kiss’s “I Was Made For Loving You” that leaves nothing to the imagination.

“I Will Always Love You”, “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”, “True Colours” and “She’s Like The Wind” also play a role in bringing the characters story to life, and as the show builds, O’Hara deftly & seamlessly switches between his creations, never missing a beat!

In his cabaret debut, O’Hara is a master of characterisation and using his voice and body to bring their stories to life. A true show of his vocal range, and comedic ability, I do have to say that I most enjoyed the numbers closed to O’Hara’s true voice, which was the character of the writer. I’ve previously seen O’Hara in two character roles (Rock of Ages and Wicked) so it was a real treat to hear his ‘real’ voice. It was in these character moments that O’Hara and the song arrangements truly soared.

The last song of the night belonged to Frank, whose conclusion gives hope to all hopeless romantics out there. As O’Hara salsa dances off stage to “The Power of Love”, he (and I) leave you with these words of wisdom…’Life is for living.’

Hooroo!