The Heathers Of Heathers Are A Clique You’ll Actually Want To Join

One night in early September, something seemingly strange happened at New World Stages in Midtown Manhattan: the entire audience at Heathers: The Musical, in a direct rebuke of standard theater decorum, was singing along with the actors onstage. In most cases, such flagrant rule-breaking would be a nightmare for the cast, but it turned out the event had been fully sanctioned and carefully planned. As an acknowledgment of the show’s massive and ever-growing fandom, Heathers hosted a one-night-only Big Fun Day, where the crowd was encouraged to sing along to specific sections of the score.

“We honestly didn’t know what to expect, because it’s a wild thing to just sort of carry on doing your show while you have 500 people working with you. But it was really beautiful,” says Elizabeth Teeter, who plays Heather McNamara, the quietest of the musical’s titular trio of mean girls. “It reminded me that we’re a part of something that’s so much bigger than just us in the show — that so many people love this, and so many people know it.”

It’s a sentiment that her fellow Heather, McKenzie Kurtz — who plays queen bee Heather Chandler — echoes. “I really love this fan base,” she tells Bustle. “They love the show so much, and it’s really evident in how they show up every night.”

It might not sound surprising that a show within the high school musical genre — which has spawned hits from Grease to Mean Girls to, well, High School Musical — would have found a loyal following, particularly among young people. But Heathers is based on a pitch-black comedy from 1988, well before the musical’s Gen Z acolytes were born. Not typical teen flick fare, the movie follows Veronica Sawyer and her bad-influence boyfriend, J.D., as they (maybe) accidentally kill Heather Chandler, then proceed to up the body count. While the show had an audience during its first off-Broadway run in 2014, it has exploded in popularity in the decade-plus since, thanks in large part to acclaimed West End runs, a new cast album, and an online community of Heathers evangelists, affectionately known as Corn Nuts.

That those same young fans are now showing up in costume at New World Stages makes sense to Olivia Hardy, who plays Heather Duke, the member of the group with the most to gain from Heather Chandler’s untimely demise. “Heather Duke wants to be seen as not somebody who’s only secondary. Martha and Veronica obviously want to be seen as human beings at the end of the day,” she says. “Everybody, especially young people and people in high school, are seeing that and relating to that, because everybody wants to be seen, and everybody wants to be on somewhat of an equal ground. If not an equal ground, at least not being, you know, punched into it.”

McKenzie Kurtz, 28

On her high school experience:

Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with a ton of bullying in high school. That was more of a middle school vibe, and I definitely dealt with some of that. I was actually homeschooled in seventh grade because I begged my mom to pull me out of school. But then I kind of found my way and found myself and went into high school and really enjoyed my four years there — there was no murder going on, thank God.

On getting into character:

I walk to work every day, which is really nice. And on that walk, I definitely like to listen to music and I have my pre-show playlist. If I’m not feeling like a bad b*tch that day, it’s always good to listen to some tunes to get into that mindset. So I listen to a lot of Beyoncé or Britney, Miley, a lot of these fierce pop divas who really put me in the mood to be Heather Chandler, which sounds so silly, but it’s true. She is a horrible human being, and that makes her really fun to play.

On her post-show routine:

It’s really not that deep. I’m not gonna claim to be this actor who’s like, “Oh yes, I have to go wind down and have my solitude time to really shake off this character.” I typically just go home and chill, hang out with my boyfriend, maybe get a cocktail if it’s the end of the week — just chill out with friends and hang out with the cast. This cast is really close, so we like to spend time together, even when we’re not at work.

Olivia Hardy, 27

On getting into character:

Backstage, honestly, I’m trying to be as kind and as much of a team player as everybody else as possible. Because I feel like if I were to take a lot of time to brood and read and brew on that character, then I would kind of isolate myself. And Heathers is a very silly show at the end of the day. … Also, I’ve known McKenzie and Lorna [Courtney, who plays Veronica] since college. We went to Michigan together, and I’ve known Elizabeth for a very long time, so it’s hard to be nasty and mean to get into character while being in a room full of the loveliest, wonderful-est people who I’ve known.

On sweet stage-door experiences:

We have a lot of younger fans, which I always find very special because I see myself in them — going to the stage door and geeking out over my favorite Broadway stars. It’s really special to kind of pay it forward. And these fans have been really, really supportive and very passionate. We see all the incredible costumes and cosplays that these people take the time and money to do, and it’s awesome to see how much they enjoy it. And it’s very special to know that we play such a big part in that enjoyment.

On her go-to teen movie:

I really love 13 Going on 30. I like that one because it’s like, you really want to rush into growing up, and then you grow up and you realize that everything is so much more complicated. I like the dream of getting a second chance, of being able to be young again with a little bit more foresight, and being like, “I’m going to enjoy being young.”

Elizabeth Teeter, 23

On her high school experience:

I definitely was not in the popular clique in high school. I called myself a floater, where I had my best friends, but I feel like I could kind of circulate around the friend groups. I was very studious, very nerdy, and so I don’t think there was one particular social clique that I necessarily fit in with in that way. And so to be able to be in a show where I get to take that observation and put it into play is really fun. And relatable, because I think, though it’s heightened and takes place in the ’80s, the thing that resonates with people about the show is what our director was always saying — high school never ends.

On her pre-show rituals:

The five of us [the Heathers, plus Lorna Courtney and Kerry Butler] do a group warmup together in our little dressing room. We are such a clique onstage that there’s something about singing and warming up together that helps us kind of lock in. And then usually I say a few of my first lines. I feel like my character’s energy is very light and kind of lives up here. So reminding myself what that is right before I go on stage is great.

On her dream roles:

I think the ultimate dream is — which feels kind of obvious — but to create something from the ground up is an incredible dream to have, and to be able to be a part of that process. But in terms of roles already written, Clara in The Light in the Piazza. I would love to do Sally Bowles one day. I would love to be a Disney princess one day, of course. Who doesn’t?