Your school years are said to be the best years of your life, but are you living your best life if you're not befriending the popular people (The Heathers - Maddison Firth, Lizzy Parker, Merryl Ansah), getting caught up in boyfriend Drama (JD - Simon Gordon) and killing off your classmates… Sounds like a day in the life of Veronica Sawyer (Rebecca Wickes).
With the touring cast overcoming the challenges of recent cast illnesses and having to reshape a show with understudies in previous performances, It’s a reassuring sight to see everyone back to their best. That said some members of the cast began very tamely but eventually grew into their role, whereas other members of the cast instantly hit the ground running.
Wickes’ and Gordon’s relationship was enjoyable to watch, they both complimented each other, allowing the pair to create a relationship that helped to showcase their chemistry through their acting abilities. Though they both appeared to hold back through their first few songs (Gordon’s ‘Freeze Your Brain’ still a soft and easy on the ears joy to listen to and Wickes’ ‘Dead Girl Walking’ a gritty and vocally tremendous well performed and acted number). They both grew into the roles and by the end, each showed just how talented they both are.
A few honourable mentions to members who immediately rose to the occasion within their roles would have to be Firth, Parker, Rory Phelan and Liam Doyle (Ram and Kurt). Firth as Heather Chandler was a commanding presence whenever on stage, both a comical and entertaining joy to watch. Parker’s Heather McNamara journeyed most of Heathers through exhilarating highs, to agonising lows. Her performance allowed us to sympathise as we watch her struggles, once her performance of ‘Lifeboat’ came along it’s such a powerful song we’re all rooting for her in the end. Finally, the comedy pairing of Ram and Kurt, Phelan and Doyle bounce off each other in every scene they’re in, they allow the other to grow and continuously create room for the other to excel throughout, hilarious all the way through. 
Coming off the back of the recent news of producer Paul Taylor-Mills’ appointment as artistic director of ‘The Other Palace’ (where Heathers is due to be running from the 25th November) It’s about time Westerberg High finds a permanent residence here in London and let’s keep our fingers crossed that Andy Fickman’s fantastic direction of Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe’s book, music and lyrics will rightly stay for as long as possible. Review by George Butler
Rating: ★★★★
Seat: Dress Circle F20 | Price of Ticket: £45
