Critical Analysis: Film Analysis Of Heathers The Musical

In Heathers The Musical, adapted from the movie Heaters by playwrights, composers, and lyricists Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, recently put on at Texas Tech, the main character, Veronica Sawyer finally gets what she wants in high school in that she gets noticed by the girls looked up at as gods to the school. However, she soon realizes that isn’t exactly what she had wanted, and when her new love interest steps in to help, all seems to go towards the worst, involving multiple murders, and a gruesome suicide. I think the true intent of creating this story was to show the horrible effects of bullying, and especially the effects it causes with teenagers. While adapting it to be a musical brings many new additions, such as comedy, the true …show more content…
Though there were some major mishaps that unfolded during this performance did bring a break to the illusion, such as the fog machine setting off the fire alarm, multiple gunshots being played at the wrong time, and the end of act one sound cues being played prematurely, the overall tech aspect was very pleasing. I thought the space that was available was put to good use, and the placement of the set was well put. The actors had plenty of room to move and make their choices, and even the sides of the stage I thought would be left out were used quite a bit and very well. The lighting of the space was also very well executed. The choice to make an almost minimal light plot fit incredibly well with the overall dark theme of the play. The time where it was necessary to have the whole stage lit, it obviously was, however the choice of color they chose to be on the background and sides were fantastic at depicting the mood and symbolism of the characters. I enjoyed the costumes as well, however the choice of Veronica wearing a wig in the …show more content…
I felt the voice talent was lacking for Veronica and J.D. It was almost like they were both struggling to reach the notes required for the part. Some scenes were a little too lop sided with the feeling and intent of the scene. In some situations, it seemed the tactics of Veronica and J.D. weren’t matching up with each other and the scene was not flowing. Although, in scenes such as “Our Love Is God,” they seemed to be working very well together and the scene was one of the moments I was completely transported into their world. Now those were the characters I had some issues with, but the characters I loved every time they stepped on to the stage were Ram and Kurt. The connection that they had both comedic and vocally was very enjoyable to watch. One number in particular, Blue, was perhaps the deciding factor. The way they connected was beyond what I had expected going into the show. No matter what scene they were involved in, my eyes were on them and they did not disappoint. More characters I enjoyed were Martha, who had a wonderful voice and developed her character as well as any other person in the show, Heather Chandler, who I decided to like after her death, her character seemed to change from a stuck up bitch, to a sarcastic bitch with a monotonic tone that helped carry some scenes, and finally, the ensemble, which though not a single character, developed as one