Kendan Bendt
Copy Editor
The Lakewood Playhouse is showing Heathers: The Musical from Jan. 17 to Feb. 9, and I have no regrets since seeing it.
Avery Horton plays Jason “J.D.” Dean, the primary antagonist and spurned lover of protagonist Veronica Sawyer, portrayed by Molly Quinn. Horton was frighteningly
convincing in his role.
Quinn had a gorgeous voice and was stunning in her portrayal of Veronica. However, Christine Choate threatened to steal the show with her rendition of Kindergarten Boyfriend as Martha Dunnstock, the sad and neglected loner.
Austin Payne and Henry Temple performed their roles as Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly convincingly as well, with their acting performances carrying their scenes.
The set design was amazing. The stage direction and technical crew helped ensure the audience, as few as three feet away from the stage, could lose themselves in the story.
The show opened with the song Beautiful, and was immersive from the very beginning. The decision to freeze the entire cast in place and use lighting to illuminate them while Veronica introduces each character to the audience one after another was brilliant. The singing was spectacular as well, with all the asides bringing personality to the background characters.
Later on in the show, when J.D. was introduced in Fight For Me, the same brilliant level staging was used. Horton and Temple acted in slow motion during their fight, with Quinn singing softly in the background. The staging, singing and acting all combined beautifully in this song.
The decision to use the West End version of the soundtrack replacing Blue with You’re Welcome was very tasteful and for good reason. You’re Welcome solidifies the villain status
of both Kurt and Ram without giving too much voice to their toxic behavior.
Quinn and Horton’s performance of Our Love is God was captivating. Their chemistry set up the far more tense Act 2 perfectly. The rest of the show was equally as tense as that performance was, and as such it was a perfect way to finish Act 1.
The actors and production staff at the Lakewood Playhouse have clearly put a lot of effort into their run of Heathers, and it pays off upon viewing.
