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 of our favorite musicals like Heathers.
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1. Bat Boy
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. Also, since the story takes place in 1992, it’s close to the same time period.
2. Carrie
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 as well. It has that punching grungy pop rock vibe that you’ll surely love. Also, it opened in 1988, so it has a bit of those 80s vibes.
3. Lestat
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! I’ll link to one of the songs below so you can get a little taste of it.
4. Mean Girls
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!
5. Spring Awakening
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 recording is just gorgeous.
6. Be More Chill
This musical is a bit more contemporary than Heathers. But with the incorporation of subtle video-game-style musical elements, there is somehow a bit of an 80s vibe to it! Plus, it’s set in high school and has a cast recording that you’ll find yourself rocking out to.
7. The Toxic Avenger
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 set to a fun, pop rock 80s beat.
8. American Psycho
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!
9. Freaky Friday
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, so enjoy it!
10. Dear Evan Hansen
If you’re a Heathers fan, chances are high that Dear Evan Hansen is already on your heavy rotation. But it does deal with some similarly dark high school themes while boasting an absolutely beautiful cast recording. So if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should do so for sure.
11. Next to Normal
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.
12. Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark
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.
13. Bare
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 a 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.
