13 Musicals Like Heathers You’ll Defs Love
Have you been low-key obsessing over Heathers since you first heard the cast recording or saw the musical? Well join the club! It can be exciting to find that new musical that gets your blood pumping and turns bad days into good ones. But what do you do when you’ve listened to the songs one too many times? Find some new and wonderful musicals like Heathers to fill the void! And that’s exactly why we’ve put together this list of 13 musicals like Heathers.
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Music/Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe Book: Keythe Farley, Brian Flemming
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1997)
The music and lyrics of Bat Boy are actually by Laurence O’Keefe, who co-wrote the music and lyrics for Heathers! So you’re of course going to notice some big similarities in the style of the songs.
Music: Michael Gore Lyrics: Dean Pitchford Book: Lawrence D. Cohen
Musical Type: Pre-Contemporary (1988)
Carrie is definitely a musical to check out if you’re a Heathers fan. It’s dark, vengeful, and set in high school. You should find lots of similarities in the cast recording, with its punching grungy pop rock vibe. Also, it opened in 1988, so it has a bit of those 80s vibes as well.
Music: Elton John Lyrics: Bernie Taupin Book: Linda Woolverton
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Okay so this one is a kind of a tease, because it’s hard to find access to the cast recording online! That said, it has a style that’s similarly dark, and the story is about vampires!
Music: Jeff Richmond Lyrics: Nell Benjamin Book: Tina Fey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2017)
The similarities between Heathers and Mean Girls are hard to ignore. To name a few, they both highlight three popular girls, high school topics, and fun pop rock music. However, Mean Girls is missing those darker death themes. But if you’re looking for something a tad bit lighter than Heathers, this would be a great choice!
Music: Duncan Sheik Lyrics/Book: Steven Sater
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Spring Awakening and Heathers are similar in that they both deal with dark and complicated issues. They’re both based in high school. And they both feature characters that feel seriously lost in life. Plus, the cast album for Spring Awakening is just gorgeous.
Music/Lyrics: Joe Iconis Book: Joe Tracz
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
This musical feels almost identical to Heathers at times, in terms of style, plot, and music genre. The story follows a bunch of teenage cheerleaders as they try to literally survive a sleepover.
Music/Lyrics: David Bryan Book/Lyrics: Joe DiPietro
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
This musical just had to make the list, especially due to it being based on a 1984 film. And just like Heathers, there’s violence, profanity, and a few uncomfortable moments. But it’s okay because it’s hilarious and set to a fun, pop/rock beat.
Music/Lyrics: Duncan Sheik Book: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
And speaking of edgy musicals, American Psycho might just be a good one for Heathers fans to check out. It’s wildly dark and totally messed up. Also, it’s set to electronic pop music, which is super rare!
Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics: Brian Yorkey Book: Bridget Carpenter
Musical Type: Contemporary (2016)
Let’s lighten things up a bit, shall we? Freaky Friday made the list due to the high school themes and pop rock soundtrack. Although this is not a dark musical like Heathers, you should notice lots of similarities in the music.
Music: Justin Paul Lyrics: Benj Pasek Book: Steven Levenson
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
If you’re a Heathers fan, chances are high that Dear Evan Hansen is already on your heavy rotation. The show deals with some similarly dark high school themes while boasting a beautiful cast recording. So if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should do so.
Music: Tom Kitt Lyrics/Book: Brian Yorkey
Musical Type: Contemporary (2008)
Next to Normal isn’t similar to Heathers in terms of plot. However, it does feel like a musical that Heathers fans would probably like. The style of music has a lot of similarities, and the plot deals with some teenage themes, as well as some real and heavy issues.
Music/Lyrics: Bono, The Edge Book: Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Again, this musical doesn’t have a similar plot. But it does have a fun rock vibe! Also, it’s interesting in that it boasts elements of circus, rock, and musical theatre. It’s definitely a unique choice. It’s one that you might stylistically love if you like musicals like Heathers.
Music/Book: Damon Intrabartolo Lyrics/Book: Jon Hartmere
Musical Type: Contemporary (2000)
This is a beautiful musical, and it has a lot of similarities to Heathers in terms of vibes and musicality. It also deals with difficult high school moments and darker themes. This feels like a natural next musical to listen to after you’ve worn out the repeat button on your Heathers cast recording.
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Author: Stacy Karyn
Stacy Karyn is the founder of Theatre Trip, author of The Thespian’s Bucket List, and creator of The Cast Album List. She has a TESOL drama certificate, a BA in theatre, and has worked and interned with Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters.