Dark comedy offers audiences an opportunity to find humour in tragedy
Heathers, a dark comedy cult classic ripped straight from 1989, gets a modern musical twist in the Curtain Call Productions (CCP) presentation of Heathers the Musical, written and composed by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy.
Following high school senior Veronica Sawyer, Heathers tells the story of her meteoric rise from a nobody at Westerburg High, to one of the wealthy, beautiful, cruel queen bees (all coincidentally named Heather). At the same time, Veronica meets the charming and dangerous Jason “JD” Dean, a new student who woos Veronica by quoting Baudelaire and extolling the mind-numbing properties of Slurpees.
Once JD sees the venomous cruelty of his fellow classmates (mainly the Heathers and the two jocks Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly), he takes Veronica on a terrifying ride, staging murders as suicides, and ultimately planning to make martyrs of the entire student body.
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Director Matthew McQueen addresses the issue of suicide in his director’s note: “We are saddened by the losses that have occurred on our own campus this year, and we acknowledge these losses, and the loss that occurs on all campuses and in all communities.” Some members of CCP acknowledged that Heathers was a particularly difficult show to put on, given the tragic suicides that have befallen the University of Guelph’s campus this academic year.
“We did choose the musical in the summer before these things had happened, but there was definitely a time for reflection and looking at the show,” stage manager Alicia Doane explained.
The board of directors looked for different ways to showcase the more positive messages of the play and ways to help the audience feel safe while viewing. For every performance of the musical, which opened March 21 at War Memorial Hall, there will be trained counsellors seated in the theatre wearing glowsticks and audience members are invited to leave at any time to speak with one should they feel triggered.“Given the content of the show and what was going on on campus, it seemed like a responsible thing for us to do,” explained Doane. “We wanted the audience to feel comfortable and safe.”
Caroline von Waldburg, a masters student in animal behaviour and welfare, hopes the same. Von Waldburg plays Veronica Sawyer, the well-read, polemical central character of the musical. She acknowledged that the musical confronts some tough subjects, but hopes that the audience sees the lightness that the play projects.
“I think it brings the levity out of these tough situations,” von Waldburg explained. “The subject matter is heavy, I want people to acknowledge that there’s a lot going on. [Theatre] gives people an opportunity to find the lightness, to laugh about it, to sing and dance about it,” she paused, “which creates catharsis.”Von Waldburg’s portrayal of Veronica will definitely help the audience to laugh and appreciate the absurdity of it all. Whether it’s in the way she charmingly laughs at her own jokes like a huge dork, or sings pleadingly, “Can we be 17?” to her murderous boyfriend, Von Waldburg’s Veronica is the dorky, longing-to-be-cool, mostly well-intentioned teenager with whom we can all identify.
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Von Waldburg was able to explain why so many of the characters, who are profoundly dislikeable, are somehow intensely likeable: “I think [the characters] allow people to see a personification of parts of our personalities that we are told to repress,” said Von Waldburg of the bullies’ appeal.
Cara Humeniuk’s Heather Chandler, Itzy Kamil’s Ram Sweeney, and Vincent Emond’s mulleted Kurt Kelly make for a three-person nightmare tornado of high school bullies. Thanks to Humeniuk, Kamil, and Emond’s unbelievably comedic portrayal, these three characters are rendered the most sympathetic in the show.
Heathers argues that everyone has the capacity for cruelty, “Everyone wants to be exalted and on top of it all. But it’s a dangerous path to tread,” warned Von Waldburg.
McQueen, in his directorial debut, has done an excellent job of encouraging the edgy comedy to shine while remaining respectful and aware of the subjects at hand.
The purpose of art has never been to shy away from tough or uncomfortable topics and, boy, does Heathers confront some real doozies. McQueen and many of the cast and crew firmly believe that the opportunity to sing, dance, and laugh while examining life’s struggles through a creative lens are the ideal ways to confront the absurdity of tragedy.
McQueen hopes that the story of Westerburg High challenges the audience, saying, “Heathers directly confronts how we attempt to deal with grief, loss, and suffering in life.”
Founded in 1957, Curtain Call Productions is the University of Guelph’s community theatre club, recognized by the Central Student Association. With an emphasis on professional quality shows and an open and inclusive environment, CCP is open to any student who wishes to get involved on campus.
CCP is an entirely student-run organization, wherein productions are directed, managed, and performed by University of Guelph students. The overwhelming consensus is that joining Curtain Call Productions was one of the best decisions the students involved have made during their postsecondary careers.
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Humeniuk, a fourth-year adult development major, plays the “mythic bitch” Heather Chandler. Despite Humeniuk joking that the cast “is like high school musical but real life,” the CPP production of Heathers would emphatically not be found in a high school auditorium.
Humeniuk, for her part, steals the stage every time the powerhouse stomps onto it. She is wonderfully cruel to her very core—even in death. Humeniuk taps into the fear we are made to have of beautiful, charismatic teenagers. She’s just nasty—and it’s amazing.
“She is the queen bee at the school and she’s really mean, so getting into character can be really hard,” said Humeniuk of her character.
In contrast to Chandler’s incredible cruelty, Humeniuk has loved her time with CCP which began last year when she was cast as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical.
“I started my musical journey then and haven’t looked back since,” she explained with a laugh.
Doane couldn’t agree more. Doane is a fourth-year molecular biology and genetics student who has, somehow, found the time to run an impressively tight ship as the stage manager.
Doane hopes the audience, despite the play’s heavy content, is able to find the beauty of the show.
“It’s my favourite musical,” said Doane. “The music is beautiful, the cast is so wonderful, and the band is so talented.”
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While Doane’s plans to complete a theatre minor didn’t work out, when she heard about CCP, she signed up and applied to be assistant stage manager and was made co-production manager instead. She’s been involved ever since.
“I adore it,” said Doane. “It’s made my university experience incredible. I wouldn’t be who I am without this club.”
Ultimately, Curtain Call Productions’ presentation of Heathers is delightful. The music is played live by the band led by Matt Teeter, the set design promises to provide atmosphere, and the cast is truly talented.
As I watched the play, I couldn’t help but wonder if the cast members would have been friends in high school—if any of us would be friends back when we were seventeen and terrified of exposing too much of ourselves. As adolescents, we seem to be hyper obsessed with roles, with positions, with where we “belong.”
I think that’s the main takeaway of Heathers. That inside, we all want to be better, to be kinder and smarter, to call our moms more or apologize to the person we weren’t nice to back in the day. Heathers begs to tell us it isn’t too late to reach out across the cafeteria and make a friend.
Photos by Karen K. Tran.