Heathers the Musical blasted off this week from the stage of Tauranga Musical Theatre with a sold-out opening night. The boisterous and daring rock musical, a smash Off-Broadway show, will satisfy everyone who loves dark comic overtones and revenge fantasies.

It's nothing like High School Musical unless you add in poisonings, funerals, shootouts, Hamlet, Macbeth, a pre-'Hunger Games” era, date rape and suicide to a school drama.

Written by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe, 'Heathers” is based on Daniel Waters's screenplay for the 1988 Michael Lehmann movie, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. The film became the model for later, more successful films like 'Mean Girls”.

There is ultimately a happy ending, but at the half time break, unless you already know the story, there is no way, in my view, that you can pick what the final scene is going to be. And that is one of the many aspects of the show that makes it wonderfully satisfying, despite the confronting dark themes that it addresses. Horribly satisfying.

Losers become heroes, and heroes become villains, in a twist that surprises yet doesn't surprise, as we delve into a childhood darkened by violence and devoid of love. Losers also become lovers, victims and murderers.

Our anti-hero J.D, played by Carlos Del la Varis, is dressed menacingly like a dark Baudelaire-quoting angel in a black trenchcoat, rocking his teenage heart-throb self into Veronica Sawyer's world of school bullying.

Veronica (Bailea Twomey) has ached to be a ‘Heather', a group of sneering popular girls who all have the first name Heather. Heather Duke (Paras Spiropoulus), Heather Chandler (Georgia Baker) and Heather MacNamara (Baylee Smith) have their tyrannical doom sealed on recruiting Veronica into their clique. Veronica explains to her previous friend Martha Dunnstock (Sam Vautier) that ‘these are people I work for, and our job is being popular', as she makes her way into the group through her skill at forgery. The Heathers pressure Veronica into taking part in a cruel prank against Martha who they nicknamed 'Martha Dumptruck” because she's noticeably overweight. Martha jumps off a bridge, but survives her suicide attempt.

Some of the cast of Heathers the Musical on stage

Veronica, who has searched for genuine friendship and connection through popularity, becomes absorbed into the Heathers, but finds herself in the middle of murder and suicide.

Veronica and J.D, both bullied, inflict revenge on their tormentors, although Veronica becomes horrified early on with J.D's solutions. She wants to hurt; he translates that into killing. The lecherous dim-witted duo Kurt (Jonty Climo) and Ram (Callum Thorburn), bully J.D and spread smutty rumours about Veronica. They quickly join Heather Chandler in the afterlife.

The terrifying relationship between Veronica and J.D collapses, tilting J.D towards an even more appalling action. Deeply unhappy and damaged, the darkly troubled J.D states 'Our love is God” after killing two people. Veronica catches a despairing glimpse of how his bleak view on life was early-on marred by the personal shockwave of losing his mother and coping with a destructive father. J.D laments 'If you were happy every day of your life you couldn't be human, you'd be a game show host”.

The musical is a salute to late-80's pop culture while disturbingly conjuring up a reminder of the real high school deaths that came later.

The giant scrunchie, representing power, is a nostalgic symbol of social status; and J.D's ode to Slurpees giving brain-freeze; are both welcome moments, as we ricochet between the humour, horror and Heathers.

Other themes are universal and transcend time - the challenge to assert yourself despite putdowns from the rest of the pack, the angst of youth, the elation of youth, becoming adult. The original story was way ahead of its time with its theme of pupils with guns, and there are definitely very sobering scenes. These are countered with hilarious quips, some unprintable. Heather McNamara's plaintive 'I'm on the friggin' bus again because all my rides to school are dead” was a laugh-out-loud-while-gasping moment.

The hardworking dedicated cast and crew should be so proud of what they have created. Full of high energy and gust, cast members bust out their elaborate dance moves across the stage in a delight of Zoe Hunter-designed choreography, weaving Michael Jackson, traditional cheerleading and sassy jazz. The slo-mo fight scene between J.D and the jocks is perfectly played. Heathers also provides a great opportunity for musical director Elise Rohde to showcase her talent, with over twenty songs to oversee.

Live theatre is fun to experience, and I often randomly pick out two or three members of the cast to follow through all the larger group scenes. Maggie Peters, Carrie Murphy and Kelsie Sant were the three I enjoyed following this time, and it made me aware of the creativity behind the costume design, and the expert stage management and overall production.

Significant scenes created opportunity for eloquent lighting, with Heather McNamara wanting to kill herself while bathed in green light, and Martha disappearing into light as she left to jump off the bridge. Veronica's wretched scene with the scarf was powerfully poignant, enhanced by perspicaciously placed lighting.

The second half keeps running at the same high level of energy as the first half, but with increasing complexity, underlying menace and a building tension. Veronica and J.D, swacked with their newfound power, hurtle wildly to their final outcome. We expect maybe a Romeo and Juliet scene of tenderness, instead we are met with more horror.

The show's ideas could be summed up in two of the lines 'Are there any happy endings?” and 'I'd be honoured if you let me be your friend.”

Veronica defuses the power of the Heathers when she takes over the red scrunchie, proclaiming 'Heather my love, there's a new sheriff in town”.

With exceptional and talented direction from first-time director Ginevra Wohlstadt, and a great cast and crew, not to mention the friendly welcoming front of house, Tauranga Musical Theatre has again shown itself to be excelling while bringing alive characters and an era that will resonate.

The show is wildly enjoyable and horrifically satisfying. Don't miss out on tickets, as it's selling out fast. ‘Heathers the Musical' runs to September 1 at Tauranga Musical Theatre in 17^th Ave, Tauranga.

The three Heathers