How MacEwan’s Theatre Department made my viewing of Heathers! The Musical “Beautiful.”

MacEwan’s Theatre Department’s production of Heathers: The Musical showed their loving audience a great time. On the night of Thursday, November 28, I was one of the many excited people in the crowd. As the lights dimmed and “high schoolers” funnelled on stage, I knew I was in for a radical treat.

The 19-person cast made the most of the innovative set design as the catchy musical numbers filled the Triffo Theatre. While the audience only saw the cast’s faces, the hard work of the 32-person team of technical staff, crew, and artistic team, including director Leigh Rivenbark and musical director Shawn Henry, was on full display. MacEwan’s first-year Theatre Production class also helped bring Westerburg High School to their university. 

The musical opened with the big “Beautiful” number and kept the surprising comedy coming the whole night. The choreography almost seemed unreal.

The stage gave off the aesthetic of a teenager growing up in the 80s thanks to the varied outfits of the high school cliques and the thoughtful sets of homes, the school, and a 7-11, illuminated with changing lights. Though some technical difficulties did occur, like mics cutting or lighting feeling delayed, the overall performance of the technical crew outshined these little mishaps. When it came to the feeling of the 80s, the technical crew did not hold back and showed their talent in the musical elements, especially during important story moments. For instance, in the song, “Shine a Light”, the theatre plunged into darkness for a dance with flashlights.

Each character, whether main or supporting, felt fresh. The depth of their rehearsals was on display as every person on stage had their own traits and style which influenced their interactions between characters.  For example, the main character Veronica’s classmates made the high school setting feel natural and did not take any attention away from the main performance. 

The placement of the choreography was spot on. Each character had the room for “Big Fun” at a house party, fight scenes, or cheering at a pep rally, without overshadowing any other character — unless they were supposed to.

Actors for both main characters, Veronica, played by Layne Labbe, and JD, played by Jayden Leung, gave their all. Between large ensemble performances, Labbe and Leung brought intense chemistry to their time alone on stage. Their fully fleshed-out characters, with palpable personal goals, stayed in the hearts of the audience from beginning to end. For instance, their duet, “Our Love is God” closed off Act 1 and truly captured JD’s feelings for Veronica and just how far these emotions would motivate his explosive tendencies. 

MacEwan’s theatre department’s production of Heathers: The Musical was an outstanding performance overall. The audience left the theatre reeling from the tragic, hilarious, and beautiful story. The musical shows the life of the 80’s, truly captures the range of teenage feelings, and doesn’t stray from how hard it was to survive during the years of high school.

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@briannejang of @bb_collective,  Set Design: Ross Nichol,

Light Design: Heather Cornick, Costume Design: Alison Yanota, Sound Design: Curtis Jacobs.