– the bad boy for whom Veronica falls, thus initiating her school’s reign of terror when they “accidentally” kill her best friend – is believably charismatic and grim. William Bishop, as the seriously screwed up J.D. Her two sidekick Heathers (Sabrina Lopez and Lauren Folland) each have fine moments in the spotlight. Hannah Huyck, as Heather Chandler, leader of the clique that rules the school, is a towering bundle of attitude (and razor-sharp comic timing). More than that, she has a grip on this character – her good-naturedness, insecurities, longings, iciness and ultimately her pivot to redemption – that often compares (and occasionally surpasses) Barrett Wilbert Weed’s performance in the original “Heathers” New York cast. Claira Broach, in the pivotal role of Veronica, offers outstanding vocals. The production is of high caliber, often far exceeding its community-theater roots. From the jaunty opening number, “Beautiful,” which sets the cutthroat social scene at Westerberg High School, to the poignant reprise of “Seventeen,” which closes the show with an optimistic acknowledgment that humans just might overcome their darker tendencies, Grijalva knows his stuff. The show is rated R.) As Veronica Sawyer, through whose eyes we see the whacked-out world of a high school ruled by a clique of powerful (and nasty) popular girls named Heather, succinctly puts it: “My teen angst bullshit now has a body count.”īut great black comedy is about pushing buttons like those – and doing so in a way that you laugh, feel uncomfortable and muse philosophically at the same time.ĭirector Dominic Grijalva, who showed such flair in last summer’s Selma production of “In the Heights,” once again has a knack for finding a musical’s emotional through-line and tone. Taken literally, it isn’t for the faint of heart. “Heathers” is a very, very black comedy that satirizes such hot-button issues as guns in schools, teen suicide, teen drinking, teen sex and bullying. Let me start with a warning that should be obvious if you’ve seen the movie.