By: Nina Campli, Assistant Editor of Student Life and Arts
Need something to do this weekend? Go see Heathers the Musical! The show plays Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. You definitely don’t want to miss this production. Everything about it is professional and well done. Alize Martinez (‘18) said, “I thought the production was really great! The music was amazing and there was so much energy throughout the entire cast. Everyone did such a great job.” The show, as the title of this article suggests, is a lot of fun. However, it does contain mature content and you might find yourself laughing at things you would normally find uncomfortable.
The cast and crew worked extremely hard and it most definitely payed off. Vocally, the cast was a powerhouse of sound. Emma Barakat (Caspersen ‘18) who plays Veronica, was especially notable for her vocal performance as she crafted some wicked sound. One of the most memorable songs she performed was “Dead Girl Walking.” Another memorable song was “Shine a Light” sung by Tiffany Thompson (‘20). Although her character, school guidance counselor Mrs. Fleming, is more there for comedic relief she belted some serious bars.
The song “Big Fun” was also quite memorable, especially because of the choreography. There is no way to describe how clean and on point it was; you will just have to go see it. All the choreography was absolutely stunning. The Choreographer, Assistant Professor of Dance Kimani Fowlin and Assistant Choreographer Izabella Louk (’20) did an amazing job putting all of it together and the cast really pulled it off. During large unison numbers the cast danced as one unit. Louk, when asked how she thought the choreography turned out, said “I’m not going to lie, I was a little daunted at the start of semester when I found out we had a cast of twenty seven, many of whom hadn’t danced before, and a little under two months to pull it together. But everyone worked unbelievably hard and I couldn’t be prouder of not only the final outcome, but of the process, as well.”
It would be remiss to dismiss the pit orchestra, especially in this difficult show that they navigated with grace and skill. The pit for Heathers was absolutely amazing. It features four talented Drew students: Jeff Moorhead (‘18) on Guitar, Marc Randall (‘18) on Bass, Ricardo Duran (‘19) on Drums and Peter Bacas (‘19) on Reeds. All of them have been working non-stop to learn the music for the show. Bacas even learned a new instrument for the show. Although they were playing live, it sounded like a recording. Not one note seemed out of place. Seriously, cheer extra loud for the musicians when you go!
The icing on the cake for this show was the lighting. The lighting was used to leave an air of mystery in particular scenes and was perfectly timed. It perfectly set the mood for every scene, such as when the audience is first introduced to the Heathers. The spotlights are going in figure eights as if waiting to fall on each of them. The lighting was simplistic but professional and really did complete the aesthetic of the show.
The only thing I can say is: go see it. Just go see it. You won’t regret it.
