"Heathers Pro-Shot (West End Version)" Everything I Wanted

 

    It has been about 3, almost 4 years since I first was graced with the legendary Riverdale episode known as "Big Fun". Little did I know at that time, I would be absolutely entranced with the Heathers musical, secretly pining for it for years, hoping that one day it would show up in Toronto, or I'd be lucky enough to be graced with a pro-shot version. While it's not the Off-Broadway version I'm so familiar with on Spotify, this West-End rendition of highly acclaimed musical is still damn good.

    Throughout this review, I'm going to be drawing many comparisons between Off-Broadway and West-End versions of the musical, and for good reason because the singing in the Off-Broadway version is simply immaculate. I'm not saying the singing is wildly inferior, and absolutely appalling in the Off-Broadway version, but its very clear they're trying to suppress their British accents, and when it randomly comes out it is absolutely jarring. Moreover, another odd addition is the laughing track, as personally, while I understand why it exists, it feels so out of place and uncomfortable in the pro-shot. I'd be listening to a song and a witty one-liner would be said, only for it to be accentuated by what felt like an oddly robotic laugh track that easily could have been omitted.

    Not all new additions were unwelcome though, as I actually enjoyed some of the changes that were included. Take for example, the orchestral instruments/horns that were added to basically every song, which I thought just made certain scenes that much better. Take for example, Beautiful, the opening track of the musical, because Veronica's triumphant decree at the end of the song is just immaculate now that there feels like a whole orchestra is backing her. Moreover, I didn't hate the new songs added, and thought that it was cool that all three heathers now got a song, even if it felt a tiny big out of place, and I Say No was a solid addition to Veronica's character as well. However, not all additions made sense, because I was trying to figure out why Blue was removed? I understand trying to give the date-rape situation more sinister undertones, but they cracked almost as many jokes as the original song, so it only kind of changes it from "drunk gross boys" to "drunk rapey boys".

    I'm going to be honest, it feels almost unfair to compare it to the Off-Broadway version, because that version of the musical holds a special place in my heart, and the singing in that one is basically perfect, so comparing a studio recording to a pro-shot is a bit unfair. However, I do have to recognize that both Veronica and JD felt a bit off? Veronica felt like she was singing with a retainer oftentimes, and I'm unsure if that was done on purpose, while JD's singing simply didn't feel as strong or smooth. In addition, the close ups at times could be a bit distracting, and took away from the rest of the set, especially in the last fight scene between Veronica and JD. All in all though, the choreography was solid, if a bit odd at times, and I thought the set was versatile, especially considering how small and square it felt compared to typical stages.

Final Score: 80/100

    Ultimately, this may be the only version of Heathers someone see's and that's ok. Even if I prefer the Off-Broadway version, the changes added to this version make it a worthy contender, and one could realistically argue I'm just biased to what I'm familiar with. This musical is corny, a bit dated, but most importantly, is a fun time with a strong soundtrack, which is all a musical needs. Overall, I would most definitely recommend anyone watch this musical, if they're looking to have a good time.

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