Happy Heathers Day! Don't Miss the Smash Hit Musical in Oxford

News Story

September 1st, 1989. Dear Diary...

It's Heathers Day! Paying glorious homage to the fans of the much-loved musical (and its opening number Beautiful), what better day to announce that Oxford Playhouse will host the 2024 class of Westerberg High on the Main Stage from Tuesday 22 to Saturday 26 October.

Winner of the WhatsOnStage award for Best New Musical, the smash hit adaptation of the eponymous 1988 film has enjoyed celebrated West End seasons and record-breaking runs at London’s The Other Palace. The high octane, rock musical now comes to Oxford as part of its third national tour, direct from @sohoplace.

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Three women stood together looking up and to the right with their arms on their hips. The stage is dark but with green, red and yellow lights on the individuals. — Sedona Sky, Esme Bowdler and Daisy Twells in Heathers the Musical 2024
Credit : Pamela Raith Photography

Two women stood together holding dark blue trays, one wearing pink rolled down socks and sparkly trainers with black leggings and a sweatshirt. Other woman is wearing a yellow/beige/cream patterned dress with a denim blue jacket and stripy scarf around her neck. Royal blue rolled down socks with black small heeled, laced up shoes. — Amy Miles and Jenna Innes in Heathers The Musical 2024
Credit : Pamela Raith Photography

Ivan Fernandez Gonzalez, Jason Battersby and Esme Bowler in Heathers the Musical 2024
Credit : Pamela Raith Photography

Four women stood together. The left person is wearing a red ribbon in her long blonde hair. A red jacket cut short to the waist with pointed edges at the front, a red check mini skirt, check knee highs and red and maroon laced up heeled shoes. The second person is wearing a dress with a denim blue jacket and stripey scarf around her neck. Royal blue rolled down socks with black small heeled, laced up shoes. The third person is wearing a green ribbon in her long dark brown hair. A white shirt with a green small tie at the collar and a green checked jacket with silver buttons on. A green mini skirt and green knee highs with brown laced up shoes.The fourth person has her blonde hair tied up with a yellow ribbon. A white shirt with a yellow small tie at the collar and a plain yellow short jacket. A yellow and white pleated mini skirt, bright yellow knee highs with brown and yellow laced up shoes. — Esme Bowdler, Jenna Innes, Sedona Sky and Daisy Twells in Heathers the Musical 2024
Credit : Pamela Raith Photography

Full cast on stage with one woman stood up holding up her fisted right arm. She is in the middle of the rest of the cast who are kneeling on one leg who are all holding up high a blue tray. Westerberg High is lit up high in the background with three woman stood underneath it. — The Cast of Heathers The Musical
Credit : Pamela Raith Photography

The award-winning writing team, Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy have uniquely realised a musical adaptation of one of the greatest cult teen films of all time that featured Winona Ryder and Christian Slater in starring roles. Whether you’re a longtime fan, or new to the explosive world of Heathers, Oxford audiences are sure to be thrilled as the cast take the Main Stage with a bang!

Greetings and salutations! Welcome to Westerberg High, where popularity is a matter of life and death, and Veronica Sawyer is just another of the nobodies dreaming of a better day.

But when she’s unexpectedly taken under the wings of the three beautiful and impossibly cruel Heathers, her dreams of popularity finally start to come true. That is until JD, the mysterious teen rebel, turns up and teaches her that it might kill to be a nobody, but it’s murder being a somebody.

Three rows of people stood in a rehearsal room smiling at the camera. 'Heathers the Musical' is written above them — The 2024 class of Westerberg

The 2024 class of Westerberg includes Jenna Innes (Les Misérables), who returns to the cast in beautiful blue as Veronica Sawyer, having wowed audiences nationally last year. She will be joined by Keelan McAuley (Clueless; Grease) taking on the mysterious, Jason “J.D” Dean.

As the trio of titular ‘Heathers’, ITV’s I Have a Dream finalist Esme Bowdler joins the cast as the formidable Heather Chandler, Sedona Sky makes her professional debut as Heather Duke and Daisy Twells returns to the company as Heather McNamara.

The ensemble cast is made up of Amy Miles as Martha Dunnstock, Lucy Sinclair as Ms Fleming/Veronica’s Mom, Iván Fernández González as Kurt Kelly, Jason Battersby as Ram Sweeney, Alexander Service as Kurt’s Dad/Big-Bud/Principal, Conor McFarlane as Ram’s Dad/Veronica’s Dad/Coach, Ben Fenwick as Beleaguered Geek, Madeleine Hargrave as Midwestern Surfer Punk, May Tether as Drama Club Drama Queen, Jasmine Cole as Young Republicanette, Kelly Sweeney as Stoner Chick, Lewis Asquith as Hipster Dork and Bradly Doko as Preppy Stud.

The Westerberg register is completed by Eliza Bowden as New Wave Party Girl. Bowden, who made her West End debut in the @sohoplace production earlier this year, was born and raised in Oxford, attending school in the county up until Sixth Form. The Playhouse is thrilled to welcome Bowden to the Oxford stage.

The musical, produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd and Paul Taylor-Mills, is directed by acclaimed American screen and stage director Andy Fickman, with choreography by Gary Lloyd, design by David Shields, lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound by Dan Samson.

Tickets for Heathers the Musical at Oxford Playhouse start from £14, with some performances selling fast!