LIVE REVIEW: Heathers the Musical is filled with local talent
I was given the opportunity to watch the Entertaind Productions community performance of Heathers the Musical, based on the 1989 film starring Winona Ryder. Having only listened to the Off-Broadway cast soundtrack and watching whatever video clips were available on Youtube I was naturally excited to see what this production had to offer.
Heathers the Musical is filled with local Perth talents and while this production had a small cast, all members worked incredibly hard to deliver an enjoyable performance of the dark comedy musical. Whole ensemble numbers which should be recognised include ‘Beautiful’, ‘Big Fun’ and ‘My Dead Gay Son’.
Veronica Sawyer was excellently portrayed by Jessica Huysing. Her vocals and acting delivered Veronica’s defiant and angsty character. I thoroughly enjoyed all of her performances, though ‘Dead Girl Walking’, ‘Seventeen’ and ‘I Say No’ were songs that were unforgettable. Her male lead, Riley Merigan as new boy Jason ‘JD’ Dean, provided excellent vocals especially in ‘Freeze Your Brain’ and ‘Meant To Be Yours’.
The Heathers played by Audrey Hall, Genevieve Wilson and Erin Craddock introduced us to the popular ‘It’ girls of Westerberg High. These women pushed through with their performance of ‘Candy Store’ despite the sound issues present during this song. Hall excelled in playing the Queen Bee, Heather Chandler, Wilson shined in her performance of ‘Never Shut Up Again’ revealing her powerhouse vocals and Craddock, who played Heather Macnamara, providing a lovely performance as the peppy cheerleader with feelings, in the song ‘Lifeboat’.
The accompanying characters such as the Jocks, played by Phil Bialas and George O'Doherty, made for excellent comedy relief as they played the immature Kurt and Ram. Adriana Herera played the role of Martha Dunnstock with such wholesomeness that it was hard to not sympathise with her during ‘Kindergarten Boyfriend’. Evan Bialas, Kate O’Sullivan and Oliver Temby should be commended for their efforts in playing not one, but two or more characters throughout the play! Their ability to adjust to various characters is a testament to their acting skills.
This production shows the beauty of community theatre and the rich talents Perth has to offer. I recommend giving this show a go if you’re a fan of musicals, cult classics and local performances! Heathers the Musical will be showing at the Subiaco Arts Centre until the 3rd of July so grab these tickets while they’re hot.
