Welcome to Westerberg High School where you’ll find a liquorice all sorts of jocks, nerds, angsty teens and mean girls. Most notably, the Heathers – a group of nasty girls who rule the school. They take oddball Veronica Sawyer under their wing and everything seems a-okay until things take a sharp turn when Veronica falls head-over-heels for the mysterious teen boy, Jason “J.D.” Dean. His influence over her causes a few casualties, to say the least.
Based on the 1989 film, Heathers, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers the Musical has it all. Killer musical numbers (in the literal and figurative sense), high-energy dance moves, larger-than-life staging, some pretty heavy-hitting themes (think teen suicide, school violence and dead gay sons), and the most talented cast you could ever lay your eyes (and ears) on.
The audience roared in delight as the Heathers stepped on stage, simply and abruptly, showing that this musical (and the original film) has had a cult following for some time. Attendees even dressed in the colour theme of red, green, and yellow, in tartan skirts, some wearing Heather Chandler’s signature red scrunchie, ready to cheer for the three vicious school bullies. As a little side note, it has been a long time since the merchandise stand has had a roped queue around it at a theatre.
And back to the enormously talented cast. The stunning Calista Nelmes nailed the bitch-zilla persona of Heather Chandler. She is equally loved and hated for it. The severe high ponytail, the legs for days, the facial expressions and those pipes. Heather number 2 (Heather Duke), played by Amélia Rojas, really exploded onto the stage in Act Two, showing what she is really made of. And lastly, the sweet Heather McNamara, played by Abigail Sharp, was the perfect ditsy piece of the triangular puzzle.
It is absolutely mind-blowing to discover that this is Emma Caporaso’s professional musical theatre debut. Playing the lead, Veronica Sawyer, Caporaso is captivating and devastatingly perfect. Her voice, her mannerisms, her embodiment of this character is beyond impressive. Her sidekick, J.D., played by Conor Beaumont, embodied the mysterious, brooding nature of a young man with a lot of demons. He was creepy yet curious – a perfect match for Veronica.
As the young kids say, please do not sleep on this one. It is an incredible production that can’t be missed and is only playing for such a limited time. Grab your nearest letterman jacket and get to the theatre, Heathers the Musical is raucous fun and a killer good time.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Reviewer attended the opening night on 1 September 2026.
Heathers the Musical is playing until 19 September 2026 at the Roslyn Packer Theatre.
Tickets available here: Sydney Theatre Company – HEATHERS THE MUSICAL
Photo credit: Cameron Grant, Parenthesy
