Queen’s Musical Theatre has their hands on a cult classic.
This winter, Queen’s Musical Theatre (QMT) brings Heathers to the stage, putting their own twist on the familiar favourite. Showing at the Kingston Grand Theatre in the Baby Grand Theatre, it runs from April 10 to 17. With an ensemble cast of 19 students, Alexa Jacoby, ArtSci ’25, plays the lead role of Veronica.
The Journal spoke with director Sarena Abramson, ArtSci ’25, and choreographer Allie Sieben, Artsci ’25, to learn more about the musical.
After the release of the 1989 film Heathers, the musical was created in 2010, adapted for the stage by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy. The show follows Veronica, a new student at Westerburg High School, as the social hierarchy at her new school takes a sinister turn. With dark themes, the show flips the classic ’80s high-school drama and turns it on its head—this definitely isn’t The Breakfast Club (1985).
It’s a stark shift from their fall production, Sunday in the Park with George.
Recently performing a prod-run—a full run-through for the production crew—the cast and crew are excited to see their months of hard work take shape.
“We’re beyond excited,” Sieben said in an interview with The Journal. “Getting to see it all come together as one cohesive show is one of the most beautiful things to me,” Abramson added.
Despite the show’s high school setting, Abramson believes its themes apply to a university crowd as well.
“It’s a cult classic, it’s a theatre kid classic, and I think for a lot of people, despite some of the darker themes of the show, it feels like home in a way, and I think that’s really awesome to be able to bring that to the Queen’s community,” Abramson shared.
The show allows moments for all 19 cast to have their time in the spotlight, with every member having a solo line. Behind the scenes, over 100 students are working on the production in different capacities, including as the live band on stage.
It wasn’t easy to narrow down the many auditionees into the final cast.
“The audition slots filled up in seconds,” Sieben said. “Getting to see so many people who love theatre come out and be vulnerable and share their talent and their ion with us was so inspiring and amazing,” she added.
In the last few weeks before opening night, the team has been working hard to bring the show together.
“It’s a labour of everyone’s love, and a mosaic of all of these people’s time and energy,” Abramson said.
With the closure of the Rotunda Theatre for productions like QMT’s shows, they’ve pivoted to the Baby Grand. However, it’s a change the team has taken in stride.
“We’ve been so fortunate to be taken in by the Baby Grand,” Abramson said. “We unfortunately this year were not able to use the Rotunda Theatre in Theological Hall, which we have used consistently in the past, and came in this year expecting to use, and that didn’t happen.”
Sieben and Abramson expressed the importance of problem solving, and the creativity of their team, overcoming the challenge of space.
The group is putting their own spin on the famed musical, with Sieben taking dance inspiration from references like Flashdance (1983), Madonna, Paula Abdul, and Michael Jackson in her choreography.
While adding their own creative flourishes to the musical, both director and choreographer emphasized the importance of incorporating their actors’ . “That character is in their body, and it’s not in my body. If they feel something, then I want that , and want to be able to be flexible and make that change,” Abramson said.
The show’s run is one the team is eagerly anticipating and hope the audience will find meaningful.
“I think theatre is meant to both teach and entertain, and I think the show is capable of both of those things,” Abramson said.
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