BECKLEY, WV (WOAY)- The demon queen of high school has decreed that tonight is the opening night of WV Collective’s production of “Heathers: The Musical.”
The entirely local cast crew and band will tell the story of Veronica Swayer, the high school outsider who is pulled into the infamous clique “the Heathers.” Set in the 1980s, WV Collective promises to provide a fresh local twist on the cult classic.
The show will run from tonight till November 16th at the Raleigh Playhouse and Theatre in Beckley. Shows will start at 8 pm every night with a matinee on Saturday the 10th at 2 pm. Director Jason Lockart explains what the story is about.
“Heathers is a musical based on a movie from the 1980s starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder. Without giving too much away about the plot line, it’s about some pretty heavy teenage emotions and some, you know, some pretty heavy life or death circumstances and situations, amongst other things,” explained Jason Lockart, Director of “Heathers: The Musical.” “It’s sort of a mature content level show, but it deals with a lot of themes and a lot of issues that people deal with throughout their lives, not only in high school, but into adulthood. And it’s quite an amazingly written show, and it touches everybody in a different way.”
It’s promised to be a night of laughter, love and a thrilling look into the highs and lows of high school life.
With that, the show contains mature themes, such as explicit language and sexual content, parental discretion is advised.
However, Lockart would like audiences to know that this show is different from other shows they or other theatre groups have done before in a good way. He says theatre isn’t just for theatregoers and it’s a way to challenge yourself by viewing other forms of art.
“We think that theater is for everyone, not just for theater people, or not just for people with this sort of interest. There is so much great art out there that people don’t know about because of there’s a lot of safe theater. So, we’re trying to try to bring something into the region that maybe doesn’t normally get seen around here,” said Lockart. “It’s really important to get out and see something that you’re unfamiliar with and challenge yourself with art and you might find something that you had no idea you were interested in. A lot of people have put a whole lot of hard work into this, and have done an amazing, amazing job. I sat and watched it last night and was just blown away by the talent that we have right here in southern West Virginia. So, I really encourage people to come out and check this out. It’s an unlike anything you’ve ever seen before in southern West Virginia.”
You certainly wouldn’t be a dead girl walking out after this show. For more information or to buy tickets, please visit the link below.
wvcollective.org
