There's nothing quite like the feeling of purchasing tickets for a local performance and quickly finding out that you were lucky to even get your few due to the demand.
When I was attending the University of Central Arkansas in the late twenty-tens, it always felt like the surrounding community was who filled the seats of student performances.
Often, you'd find the familiar faces of those early-birders from Stoby's, families who had a child or grandchild to support, or the rare passer-by who simply had nothing else to do.
Last night's performance of Heathers: The Musical was anything but that.
I'm not using hyperbole when I tell you, gentle readers, that there was no empty seat in Windgate Center for Performing Arts' black box. Most of these, surprisingly to this alumni, were overtaken by the student body, there to support their friends and support they did.
But you aren't here to read about how old I felt walking back on campus. No, you're here to see what I thought of this delightful, horrifying view into the late 90's classic turned on-stage musical.
Let's get into it...
[A warning, if you've never seen Heathers I recommend you stop now, go watch the film, and come back to me]
Performance
Our two mains of the show, Veronica Sawyer [Kaitlyn Kelly] and Jason 'JD' Dean [Cayden Sabella] complimented each other vocally on such a fantastic level for only being in their sophomore years at UCA. Kelly, a powerhouse from Alma, Arkansas, delivered a clear, compelling story of a girl dragged into the hellish narrative around her while Sabella offered the silky, tonally challenging alternative route of...well...murdering her classmates. Personally, I look forward to seeing how these two very talented students continue to grow and improve upon the already apparent skills they've brought to their college careers.
And then, there's the Heathers, of course. Heather Chandler [Kiley Andrews], Heather McNamara [Ashleigh Mathews], and Heather Duke [Evanee Dra'a Dokes] balanced each other both vocally and with their portrayals of the original 'mean girls'. Dokes, I'd had the pleasure of seeing in The Studio Theatre's run of "Once On This Island" as Young Papa Ge, already impressing me with her ability to captivate an audience. As the youths say, she left no crumbs in her first performance at UCA. Mathews and Andrews were delightfully impressive in their rights, bringing the same energy of Mean Girls with an 80's spin, the consistent "dumb blonde" and "bitchy brunette". Andrews's performance of Heather Chandler, in particular, both post and pre-death, was a fantastic take on the queen bee's personality.
Kurt Kelley [Bret Kagebein] and Ram Sweeney [Keiren Minter] were hilariously engaging as the titular jocks of the show. I'll not ruin the pure humor of the mid-show finale and second act, but I'll simply say these two have much more strength than I do in being able to hold a straight composure when left in....questionable attire.
But, before I move into the Technical aspects of the show I enjoyed, I have to comment on what truly made this show magical for me.
The Ensemble.
It was delightfully cast, hiding within it absolutely magnificent voices like Ms. Fleming [Sarah Habura] and Martha Dunnstock [Micah Hall]. You could see the camaraderie and companionship simply radiating off the entire cast during the larger numbers like "Big Fun" and "Dead Gay Son". Takashi Ito, a member of the ensemble who portrayed a classic "preppy kid", stole the scene many times with his energy and pure joy for simply being there that he gave the entire audience.
Technical
How do you enthrall me with scenic and lighting design? Build a rotating door and absolutely shatter my engagement with the surprising shots fired from JD's prop gun! During the performance, I leaned over to my mother and whispered how impressed I was with how smoothly the cast handled transitions from scene to scene.
Like a moth to the flame, the lighting design for the show consistently drew my attention exactly to where it was meant to be. It was engaging, and exciting, and only further proved how talented the cast and production crew for this performance were.
While choreography has never been my personal strong suit (goodbye dreams of being a triple threat), Christa Rosen did a wonderful job of keeping the larger numbers engaging and era-accurate. The costuming was impressive, particularly the hip styling of the New Wave Girl [Delaney Brown] and of course, Veronica and the Heathers.
Overall
While the show is completely sold out, I can attest that a number of showgoers did not arrive and door seats were quickly doled out to those waiting for their chance to get in. For my Little Rockers, I can understand how making your way to Conway may not seem appealing, but after getting the chance to see this cast bring Heathers to life, I can say it was totally worth it.
Hats off to the cast, crew, direction, choreography, and everything and everyone that brought this show to life. You've given me a list of new faces to keep an eye on and continue applauding so long as they're cast and performing.
I look forward to seeing what UCA has in the chamber for the next few years because the students they have at their disposal currently are a delight to witness.
Photo Credit: UCA Theatre Department
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