Thursday, 3 October 2019

Imogen's A Theatre Nerd: Heather's


I have been immensely fortunate when it comes to exposure to musical theatre and live-stage performances. When I was younger, my aunt used to purchase tickets for myself, my younger sister and my mother to see shows on the West End, some of which, I still have the programs for now. I remember the first West End show I went to was Hairspray when I was around eleven or twelve years old. We got to stage door after the performance and the programs we bought were covered with signatures from cast members that were delighted that we had enjoyed the show. The last time I went on one of those trips was when I was sixteen. I had seen Wicked with my family and not everyone had enjoyed the performance as much as I had. But I was still much too young to go to the theatre alone. However, my love for musical theatre in particular didn’t cease.

It was only recently, in October of 2018, that I went to another West End performance, where I saw Heather’s on tour with two of my friends, just weeks after I’d managed to purchase Hamilton tickets for myself and my mother in the new year. It was then that I realised I had happened across an expensive habit. Since then, I have made four more trips to see shows in London; Hamilton (twice), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child and The Great Gatsby at Gatsby’s Drugstore.

I figured that, I would share some anecdotes about my experiences, because, honestly, I just love to share and remember the fun I had!

SO, Heathers! 

On 25th October 2018, I travelled to central London with a friend of mine to see Heathers: The Musical on stage. My friend, Matt, was already on the train, and I joined him when it pulled up at my station. We met our friend, GL, over in Leicester Square. Admittedly, we had left very little time to eat and get to the theatre, as he had had lectures at university and we had been running late due to issues with the tube, having missed one to get us to Leicester Square faster.


One thing I would definitely suggest, in hindsight, if possible, is to give yourselves as much time as possible to get to the theatre, and, if possible, avoid making commitments that clash. In our case it was unavoidable as education, rightly, comes before going to see a musical, but if you can choose to travel down earlier, I would do so. We ended up inhaling fast food before running to the theatre, which wasn’t the easiest place to find, which had, ultimately, made me anxious, despite my friends insisting that they knew where they were going. Another suggestion would be don’t down a large chocolate milkshake and then run off to the theatre, it doesn’t make for a comfortable start to the show!

Heathers, was, however, amazing. I had been a fan of the soundtrack for several months, and I had been lucky enough that a colleague of my mother’s was selling the tickets as she was no longer able to attend the show. I had bought all three tickets without hesitation, desperate to see the tour, as I was sure that I would have struggled to purchase my own tickets. I loved the songs that they added in such as “I Won’t Shut Up Anymore” by Heather Duke, as I felt that it epitomised her attitude about finally being able to step into the spotlight instead of constantly being belittled by Heather Chandler.
My friends and I had enjoyed the entire show, relating to the songs and their lyrics, despite, neither being the biggest fans of musical theatre themselves. Below is a photo of us, taken after the show, outside the theatre.

I have heard rumours and speculation online, that the tour may return to the UK someday, should that be the case, I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to see it again. Heathers is such a great show and if anyone ever gets a chance to see it, I would definitely suggest going for it! If high-school angst is your thing, definitely check it out!



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