Off the Lake Productions is undergoing rehearsals for their upcoming production of “Heathers: The Musical” March 24 through April 3. Credit: Courtesy of Eva Scherrer
Off the Lake Productions will perform Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy’s “Heathers: The Musical” — based on the 1989 cult classic movie — March 24 through April 3.
According to the “Heathers: The Musical” website, the show follows Veronica Sawyer, an average high school girl who finds herself in a complicated situation when she mixes with the most popular girls in school: the Heathers. Katie Harvey, a fourth-year in theater and arts management and director of Off the Lake’s production, said the musical deals with relationships in high school and focuses on a tragic and toxic love story.
“When you’re a teenager and you’re in high school, you’re invincible and you can do whatever you want, and then them, like, dealing with the realities of that after the fact and realizing that they are not invincible,” Harvey said.
Harvey said in past productions, “Heathers: The Musical” has portrayed moments of “stimulated sex” and scenes of suicide on stage between characters, but she is choosing to stray away from graphic depictions.
“I’m not going overboard on the explicit parts of the show just for the shock factor because I’m not interested in using shock factor kind of techniques to, like, get that reaction from the audience,” Harvey said. “I am perfectly capable of telling the story without making anyone uncomfortable.”
Harvey said this is the first full production she will direct, and doing so for a show that is as popular among college-age people as “Heathers: The Musical” comes with its own set of challenges. She said she wants to stay true to well-known elements of the show while still implementing her own vision.
“There are a lot of iconic moments, and iconic stage pictures happen,” Harvey said. “And finding a way to put my own spin on that and make it authentic to my cast and my vision while still keeping the authentic — you know, iconic, what everybody knows the show to be — has been very interesting.”
Eva Scherrer, a third-year in history and political science, will play Sawyer in the production and said she is honored to do so.
Scherrer said she has taken inspiration from periods of loneliness she experienced in middle school and high school to portray Sawyer’s character more realistically.
“It can be difficult to kind of navigate going between the dark aspects and the comedic aspects, but I think it’s accurate to some extent to, kind of, what people actually go through in high school and what people go through trying to be a teenager and trying to grow up,” Scherrer said.
In addition to the challenges presented by balancing the heavy themes in the show with the comedic moments, Harvey said rehearsing with masks has been difficult for the cast because the songs are vocally demanding.
“The music in the show is so ridiculously hard, and these actors are belting their faces off,” Harvey said.
Those who may be interested in seeing the show should ensure they are aware of the heavy and sensitive topics covered, Harvey said. However, despite these themes, she said the audience should not expect to leave feeling low.
“They can expect a dark comedy in every sense of the phrase,” Harvey said. “The content is heavy. However, it is consistently funny the whole time.”
Harvey said she hopes Off the Lake’s performance of this particular show will encourage more people to get involved in the arts.
“An edgier, more popular show is going to bring in an audience that might not otherwise come to a theater production,” Harvey said.
Scherrer said she hopes to engage the audience by putting on a show that feels real.
“As long as you can pull from a real place to make those moments genuine, it will be satisfying to the audience, despite any of the comedy that might make it seem a little bit edgier,” Scherrer said.
The cast and crew are fully vaccinated, get tested for COVID-19 weekly and will be wearing clear masks during the performance, Harvey said. Audience members will be required to wear masks in accordance with university guidelines.
Admission to “Heathers: The Musical” will cost $1 or a canned good at the door, and donations will benefit the Kaleidoscope Youth Center. The musical will take place in the Lawrence Tower Ballroom within Lawrence Tower March 24-26 at 7 p.m., March 27 at 2 p.m., April 1-2 at 7 p.m. and April 3 at 2 p.m.
