Heathers is a rock-powered dark comedy that transforms high school cliques and cruelty into something both chilling and exhilarating. Written by the creator of Legally Blonde, it balances biting wit with teenage chaos. When I saw it off-Broadway, the energy in the room was electric — the audience, mostly high school and college students, buzzed with excitement.

The show follows Veronica as she navigates the toxic hierarchy of Westerburg High, ruled by the infamous trio of Heathers. Heather Chandler, the queen bee, sets the tone with her ruthless dominance. After her death, power shifts dangerously: one Heather eagerly steps into the vacuum, while Heather M floats through the chaos with an exaggeratedly ditzy persona — funny and unsettling at once. Heather D’s transformation is marked by a striking red outfit, signaling the arrival of a new order. Beneath the humor, bodies pile up almost casually, clashing with the show’s bright, almost playful tone.

JD, Veronica’s mysterious love interest, is clearly unhinged — and the actor portrayed him with just the right amount of danger. His charisma made his volatility believable, and his descent into darkness felt inevitable. Even the adult actors, doubling as teachers and parents, added strong comedic and dramatic beats, heightening the twisted realism of this world.

The music drives the show with pulsing rock energy, perfectly aligned with its themes of rebellion and identity. Every song bursts with teenage intensity, from anthemic choruses to sardonic one-liners. Many in the audience wore their own nods to the characters, reacting to every twist with giddy enthusiasm.

Despite its casual treatment of violence, Heathers doesn't glorify it. Instead, it amplifies how high school pressure can make everything feel like life or death — until it actually is. Beneath the satire lies a sharp truth about peer pressure, social games, and the cost of trying to fit in.

For me, the experience was both disturbing and wildly entertaining. With its mix of humor, rock, and darkness, Heathers delivers a high school story unlike any other. It's bright, biting, and unafraid to go where other musicals wouldn’t dare.

JD’s rage toward his father was understandable — but what felt even crueler was his mother’s final act. She drove him to a building rigged with explosives, left him behind in the car, and walked inside to die. She made him witness her death, leaving a psychological scar far deeper than any injury. His father, for all his faults, kept raising JD in his own warped way, moving him from school to school as the expulsions piled up.


Veronica was played by Lorna Courtney, whose vocal clarity and acting left a strong impression. Later, when I visited the Museum of Broadway, a staff member asked me who I liked most. I answered without hesitation: "Veronica from Heathers — she’s going to be big." The staff member smiled and told me, “She already is. She played Juliet in & Juliet.” Indeed.

The three Heathers were also excellent. Heather Chandler (McKenzie Kurtz) was menacing and true to character, Heather Duke (Olivia Hardy) captured ambition wrapped in obedience, and Heather McNamara (Elizabeth Teeter) was a skilled dancer and deceptively comic. The two football players were perfectly cast and fully committed. Kerry Butler as Ms. Fleming received enthusiastic applause for her powerful belting, and Erin Morton as Martha Dunnstock impressed with her beautiful vocal tone and phrasing.

This is an off-Broadway production running open-ended — and for good reason. The story is violent, and the ending, where Veronica receives no punishment, is morally ambiguous. Yet in this show, every undead reconciles. The dead return to the audience’s eyes — dancing, singing, and even smiling — as if to remind us it was all theater. Those who remain alive no longer bully, and in this fantasy of emotional closure, the chaos is transformed into a kind of peace. All these elements combine into the perfect recipe for cult status.