Review of "Heathers: The Musical"
On March 9, 2018, I had an opportunity to go to John Anthony Theatre and watch “Heathers: The Musical” authored and composed by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe and directed by Robin Armstrong. The decor was simple: three blocks and a poster announcing the most anticipated event of the year. Since the locations of the story were all in the same place, the lighting alone made it possible to distinguish sometimes abrupt changes of atmosphere. The green, red, and yellow lighting at the beginning of the room highlighted the "showy" and exclusive character of the three Heathers, while the dark lighting emphasized the dark and unpredictable side of the evil-doer, Jason Dean.
The Use of Empathy in the Play
Empathy as one of the concepts utilized in the play refers to the capacity to feel or understand what another individual is experiencing from within their frame of reference. In the play, Armstrong uses empathy where they illuminated the protagonist of the play at each of his tirades, allowing the audience to penetrate his innermost thoughts and to be part, so to speak, of the story. The minimalist staging has really given the characters a place because, indeed, it is their lives and feelings that matter most in this story.
The Role of Dramatic Conversion
Armstrong also utilizes dramatic conversion in the play which refers to drama techniques that assist in developing inquiry skills necessary for encouraging creativity, understanding, and negotiation. The actors all gave color and life to their characters. The Heathers play not only privileged the point of view of one or two main characters, but also that of the secondary characters. The actors have successively distinguished themselves in their respective roles of an ordinary teenager, daughter venerated by all but deeply unhappy, sports brut, reprobate and incorrigible romantic.
The Concept of Suspension of Belief
In the play, Armstrong expects the audience to have the concept of suspension of belief is which basically means suspending one’s critical abilities and for the sake of enjoyment believe in something surreal. As a result, the play presented the experience of high school from the point of view of various characters, as well as their respective reactions to the murder of many of their comrades, portrayed as acts of suicide. These are scary and controversial themes, but still very present today.
The Actor's Paradox
Developed by Denis Diderot, actor’s paradox is a situation where actors must possess penetration and judgment without experiencing the emotions they are portraying. Actor’s paradox was evident throughout the play where for instance, Bwalya Chisanga who played the role of Heather Duke, the ruthless bulimic who ended up taking the place of the main Heather when she died, poisoned by JD and Veronica. The confident approach of her character and her tendency to denigrate others, the game of Chisanga has cleverly unveiled the raw reality: it does not differ much from that of the students it tries to belittle because, like them, the fear of to be rejected by others is eating away at his conscience.
The Use of Repetitions, Strands, Binaries, and Anomalies
Critically looking at the play, repetitions, strands, binaries, and anomalies are evident. Repetitions are evident where there are a number of repeated words such as ‘big fun’, ‘holy shit’, and ‘candy store’ where the most important include ‘big fun’. Strands, on the other hand, refer to a group of words with similar words or details. Example of strands in the play includes ‘the party’s hot, hot, hot’, ‘we are having big fun! Big fun!’ and ‘it is time for big fun! Big fun!’. Binaries are also evident in the play where they help in the sites of uncertainty. Examples of the most important binaries in the play include spoken/sung and visible/audible. Lastly, anomalies refer to something different or strange and not quite normal. Example of the most important anomalies in the play includes a ranging black ocean. The identified most important repetitions, strands, binaries, and anomalies are vital since they strengthen the power of ideas and themes, and on the other hand, supported the satirical and comic character of the play.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the play “Heathers: The Musical” is a dark, satirical and comical musical that features contemporary issues rooted in the reality of high school, harmful love and platonic relationships, sexuality and suicide. The John Anthony Theatre have delivered their goods. They mounted a room that made both laughs and cries, oscillating between the disturbing and the hilarious; a piece that presents life as it is and not as it should be.
