It’s Totally Time for Heathers: the Musical at John Abbott College
By: Michael Martini
“F*** ME GENTLY WITH A CHAINSAW!”
The 1989 dark comedy Heathers has long been cemented as a cult classic carried forth by razor-sharp dialogue and Valleygirl slang on steroids. In the film, a sardonic Winona Ryder finds herself the sole Veronica in a clique of girls named Heather. The Heathers are picture-perfect prom queens who reign over their school’s pecking order with bangle-clad fists. But when a wicked prank goes disastrously wrong, Veronica finds herself at the centre of an elaborate cover-up that catapults into shocking absurdity. A twisted commentary on high school power dynamics, bullying, and teenage cruelty is unleashed as the screenplay zips by in a hilarious dialect of its own. The twists and turns of the plot launch us into campy extremes and bizarre batches of magic realism. While both a satire of feel-good teen films like The Breakfast Club and a pioneering precursor to the devilish likes of Mean Girls, Heathers stands alone in its audacity. Its dark humour knows no limits, and the shoulderpads don’t either.
Costume design and sketches by Milo G. Lopez
What could be missing besides some showstopping musical numbers? It was in 2014 that Heathers: the Musical had its freshman run off-Broadway, eventually hitting the West End in 2018. The show follows Legally Blonde: the Musical and precedes Mean Girls: the Musical in a trend of fruitful DVD-rack to stage adaptations. With music and lyrics by Lawrence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy (the name behind the hit musical Reefer Madness), Heathers has become a much-loved pass-around by musical theatre producers and schools alike.
The cast of John Abbott College’s Heathers.
It’s John Abbott’s turn to break out the scrunchies. Director Jason Howell, who has directed well over 20 productions at John Abbott College, has teamed up with choreographer Ash Midgley to bring Heathers to Montreal. Double-cast, Heathers involves about 40 actors and about 60 students total from the various departments of the college’s theatre program. Being approximately the same age as the high school seniors of Heathers, the project allows its cast to easily map out and incarnate the story’s themes. Juxtaposing its sugarsweet pop soundtrack, Heathers’ visceral- even macabre- take on adolescent trauma offers juicy, relatable acting fodder for the students.
It’s rare to get a taste of local musical theatre in Montreal, despite an abundance of talent and many lovers of the genre surely bustling about. Rev up the Delorean, support young artists, and see if Heathers is as razor-sharp as you remember it on-screen. I mean, come on, it’ll be “very.”
The Heathers, left to right: Katherine Alexander, Charli Birdgenaw and Laura Pitts Medina
Spotlight on Choreographer
Ash Midgley
Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be choreographer of Heathers at John Abbott!
AM: I’ve been a dancer since age two and have been choreographer/dance teacher since 2015. I only began choreographing and directing longer shows with multiple numbers in a musical theatre setting last year when I started a musical theatre program through Imperium Dance Studio in Dorval, where I currently train and teach. I graduated from John Abbott’s Professional Theatre program in 2021 and had worked with Jason Howell as my director back in 2019 when I was cast in his ALC Theatre show Pippin. He reached out to me asking if I was interested in choreographing his next show, and I gladly accepted!
As choreographer, which aspects of the show's journey are most challenging, most exciting?
Cast of Heathers at John Abbott College
AM: Having only 3 and a half weeks to put together such a big show with such a large cast was definitely something I was not used to. Choreographing a new number of between 2-7 minutes with a cast of 40 people every single day took a lot of time and really pushed me choreographically.
How do the design elements (set, costumes) and the performances develop in relation to each other?
AM: The technical elements to this show are absolutely breathtaking and have done a great job and tying my vision together for each number. The set itself has various levels for the cast to stand on so that all 40 of them are seen at all times. These levels also come apart and can be moved around the stage. This allowed me to create different visuals in terms of where the staging for each number took place, creating different settings based on each scene.
What is it like working on a show at John Abbott?
AM: I always come into a lovely cast of enthusiastic, passionate actors who are ready to learn and bring my vision to life. Overall, I could not have asked for a better cast to work with. The tech/design students working on our shows are always so helpful and ensure that the show runs as smoothly as possible. The respect and appreciation that both elements of this program have for each other is so lovely to see. Looking back on it, some days I would give anything to go back to my days at Abbott in this program.
Any favourite musical numbers to look out for?
AM: “Never Shut Up Again.” From day one, the energy in this number has been through the roof. It’s definitely one that’ll make you want to get up and dance in your seats!