History Theatre / HeathersTheMusical

--->'''Candy Store:''' You can join the team, // Or you can bitch and moan. // You can live the dream, // Or you can die alone!''\\
'''Shine A Light (reprise):''' Your ass is off the team. / Go on and bitch and moan. / You don't deserve the dream. / You're gonna die alone!''

** In "Shine a Light (Reprise)", Heather Duke twists some of the lyrics of "Candy Store" against Heather [=McNamara=] while trying to convince her to kill herself.
--->''You can join the team, / or you can bitch and moan. / You can live the dream, / or you can die alone!''\\
''Your ass is off the team. / Go on and bitch and moan. / You don't deserve the dream. / You're gonna die alone!''
** In "Dead Girl Walking," Veronica breaks into J.D.'s room by climbing in through his window. In "Yo Girl," J.D. breaks into Veronica's room by climbing in through ''her'' window--only this time, the circumstances are ''very'' different.
* JerkassHasAPoint: He wasn't nice about it, but Ram does admittedly have a point when he tells Martha "people wouldn't hate you so much if you acted normal". Plus, he says this when she acts like he personally invited her to the party--Ram has no idea Veronica forged a note from him, so from his perspective someone he doesn't really know or like is coming on really strong out of the blue, which would weird anyone out.

--> '''Veronica''': ''I'm going steady, mostly he's awesome,\\
if a bit too "rock-and-roll".\\

* TheImmodestOrgasm: The ending of "Dead Girl Walking." "Love this dead girl -- yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" "''Ow''!" "YYYYYEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

'''J.D.''': Not anymore! ''When Mom was alive,\\
we lived halfway normal...''\\

* GrowingUpSucks: Veronica laments this in "Beautiful," remembering how happy and nice everyone was when they were kids. Then again it's given she is also greatly looking forward to college, so it's more "being in ''high school'' sucks."

they died because God said they must.\\
The new world needed room\\
for me and you.''

-->'''J.D:''' Blame your childhood // Blame your dad // Blame the life you never had // But hurting people? //That's ''your'' choice, my friend...

"J.D.: ''I'd trade my life for yours." [[spoiler: Which he does, when he takes the bomb from her.]]

-->'''J.D.:''' Blame your childhood // Blame your dad // Blame the life you never had // But hurting people? //That's ''your'' choice, my friend...

-->'''J.D.''': ''I'd trade my life for yours.'' [[spoiler: Which he does, when he takes the bomb from her.]]
** ''You can join the team/ or you can bitch and moan/ you can live the dream/ or you can die alone'', when [[spoiler: Heather M. is trying to kill herself.]]

-->''Blame your childhood\\
Blame your dad.\\
Blame the life you never had\\
But hurting people?\\
That's '''your''' choice, my friend...''

The musical premiered in 2010, and was revived in 2014, both Off-Broadway. There is an official cast recording, with Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica and Ryan [=McCartan=] as J.D. The creators are trying to get the show a Broadway run and a national run, and there are talks of a film adaptation as well. It had a run on the West End in London in 2018, with a few song updates, and later got its own cast album. [[https://youtu.be/tb4RTR9O8TE A live recorded version of the West End production]] is set to stream on the Roku Channel on September 16, 2022.

** While Veronica's role in the events remain largely unchanged, one significant change is that in the movie, [[spoiler:Veronica does end up killing Kurt after JD chases him through the woods]]. In the play, [[spoiler:JD ends up killing both of them]]. Also, in the movie, Veronica briefly contemplates whether JD's methods are a good solution to Heather Duke's behavior; in the play she never thinks about it even once.

** Heather Duke tries to fill this gap after [[spoiler:Heather Chandler dies. She has a harder time holding onto it, as JD blackmails her with her past with Martha.]]

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: JD interrupts "I Say No" with one of these. Veronica, unimpressed that he doesn't appear to have understood all the reasons she just listed why that isn't good enough weighed against his other behavior, rebuffs him with "''dude''", and finishes the song, and with it the breakup. (Depending on production, JD can be [[RecklessGunUsage waving a gun around]] during the song, culminating in him ''pointing it at her'' during the declaration, a neat little demonstration of what Veronica's talking about.)

* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: J.D was a highly intelligent and jaded person with access to a gun, bullets, and enough explosives and expertise to pose a threat to the entire town. Once Veronica gave him something to actually care about, he used them.

* BadGirlSong: "Candy Store", where Heather brags about all her misbehavior at school.

** Hurting Martha is an even bigger one - Veronica was willing to defy all three Heathers and risk her newfound popularity for her. It's Martha's [[spoiler:suicide attempt]] that leads Veronica to realise someone has to stop J.D, even if she has to go down with him.

* BilingualBonus: German-speakers will realize that "ich lüge" - the name J.D. gives his [[spoiler:supposedly non-fatal]] bullets - means [[spoiler:"I'm lying"]], as they were in the original.

* BlackComedy: Considering the movie it was based on... the entire show. Though to a lesser extent than the original, with many scenes which were played for dark laughs in the movie being played dead serious in the musical – namely the death scenes.

* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim: [[spoiler:Martha starts connecting the dots on the fact that Kurt and Ram were murdered due to the fact that [[RightForTheWrongReasons she knows Ram couldn't have been gay or seeing Kurt - he wrote her a love note!]] To shut her down from investigating J.D. and potentially getting herself killed in the process, Veronica proceeds to ''harshly'' tell her that she forged that note. It works... but how alone Martha feels after finding out that what she thought was a token of affection from her childhood sweetheart was a lie and that her best friend had a hand in playing such a cruel trick on her [[NiceJobBreakingItHero triggers her suicide attempt]].]]
* BreakTheCutie: Heather [=McNamara.=]
-->'''Heather''': I've thought about killing myself. The last guy I slept with killed himself because he was gay for his linebacker. Then my best friend seemed to have it all together, but now she's gone too. And now my stomach hurts worse and worse and every morning on the bus I feel my heart beating louder and faster. And I'm like - Jesus, I'm on the freaking bus again because all my rides to school are '''dead'''.
** Martha after [[spoiler:Veronica tells her Ram's note was fake. It's one of the things that drives her to suicide.]]

** Martha is a tragic example - the only character who is kind to her is Veronica.

* CloudCuckoolander: J.D. is a very dark version. He clearly operates on different standards and logic than most people, and even if it weren't for the whole SerialKiller thing, he'd still be a little strange. It's humorous (and a little sad) in "Freeze Your Brain," but terrifying in "Meant to Be Yours."

* CrapsackWorld: J.D is convinced that they live in one. [[AWorldHalfFull Veronica has much more hope.]]

** Intense bullying, anti-intellectualism, blatant sexism and misogyny (including the FemaleMisogynist variant as seen with [[AlphaBitch the Heathers]]), casual homophobia - All things that are greatly looked down upon today, are generally treated as a non-issue by the staff and (most of) study body of Westerberg High School.

* DissonantSerenity: Played for horror during "Our Love is God," as JD continues to lovingly sing his worship to Veronica after just [[spoiler: killing two people in cold blood]]. Veronica is clearly terrified.

** J.D., as bad as he is, really does love Veronica and wants her to be alongside him. He, unfortunately, won't or can't change, but when he learns he'll never win her over, he settles for [[spoiler: sabotaging his own plan and killing himself, to save her. With a forlorn "Hope you'll miss me. Wish you'd kiss me."]]
* EveryoneHasStandards: Heather Chandler was mean, Heather Duke more so once Chandler died, but Heather [=McNamara=] was the TokenGoodTeammate who was under ToxicFriendInfluence from Chandler when she was alive. Once Chandler, Ram, and Kurt die, [=McNamara=] shows her suicidal anxieties from losing three people she knew: her "best friend," her boyfriend, and the "friend he was gay for." Heather Duke magnified those anxieties in public to make Heather [=McNamara=] [[DrivenToSuicide want to kill herself,]] but only [[spoiler: Veronica's intervention]] kept that from happening [[spoiler: and lets her bond to Veronica; leading MamaBear Veronica to be seen as a rival by Duke]]. When J.D. asks "What's one more Dead Heather?" Veronica defends [=McNamara=] "Because She's My Friend!"
** Even if he never outright condemns it, Ram notably never instigates the bullying Martha faces, offers her some mean (if valid) advice at the party during "Big Fun" and when Veronica gives Martha a BreakingSpeech about [[spoiler: forging Ram's love letter to her]], Ram chastises Veronica when Martha runs off in tears and calls it "way harsh" - Kurt even ''agrees'' with him!

** J.D. blames Veronica breaking up with him on the student body, not the fact that he was a murderous animal, [[spoiler: and resolves to blow up the student body]].

You heard the man - [[WildTeenParty it's time to]] ''[[WildTeenParty RAGE!]]''

* ForcedToWatch: When Veronica asks for the details on how J.D's mother died, J.D tells her that she walked into a building she knew his father was about to blow up, and waved at him from the window before it exploded. All while J.D watched helplessly.

** ''You can join the team/ or you can bitch and moan/ you can live the dream/ or you can die alone'', when [[spoiler: Heather M is trying to kill herself.]]

** Kurt and Ram's behaviour makes a lot more sense when you see how their fathers treat them - they're simply copying what they know. They even lament their behaviour in their internal-monologue lines in "Beautiful", with "Why did I hit him?" (Kurt) and "Why do I act like such a creep?" (Ram). Veronica even notes they could have grown out of it eventually.
** J.D's father is basically a walking one, insulting and demeaning his son with every other sentence. However, J.D.'s most significant Freudian Excuse is severe damage from [[spoiler: watching his mother commit suicide, possibly her own attempt to finally escape his awful dad]].

* GayngstInducedSuicide: Invoked. JD kills Kurt and Ram, two heterosexual football players, but frames their deaths to look like a suicide pact. He also forges a suicide note claiming that the two were gay lovers and death was the only way for them to be together. (Everyone buys this, and JD is never caught.)

%%* HeelRealization: "I Am Damaged." [[spoiler: J.D. admits that he's the broken one and sacrifices himself for Veronica in the hopes that she can make the world better instead of tearing it down.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: Veronica is fully prepared to take the bomb away from the school, knowing she'll blow up, too, in order to save everyone else. [[spoiler: She doesn't have to because J.D. insists on sacrificing himself for Veronica, saying she's a better person than he and can make things better. It's surprisingly touching.]]

* HopeSpot: During "Seventeen," Veronica convinces J.D. to stop the killings. [[spoiler: It doesn't last.]]

** [[spoiler: But she changes her mind when the whole school reacts in a way where they realize there is some of Heather Chandler inside them, too, then Heather not only thinks "Holy Crap! This is AWESOME!" but realizes [[BiggerThanJesus "I'm bigger than John Lennon!"]]]]

** In "Dead Girl Walking," Veronica breaks into J.D.'s room by climbing in through his window. In "Yo Girl," J.D. breaks into Veronica's room by climbing in through ''her'' window -- only this time, the circumstances are ''very'' different.

* KarmaHoudini: J.D's father isn't seen again after Veronica dumps J.D, and while [[spoiler: J.D redeems himself in the end with his HeroicSacrifice]], his father is seemingly never punished for his abuse of his son and implied involvement of his wife's death.

* KidWithTheLeash: In an unusual example of this trope, it's noted explicitly by Veronica once Heather Chandler dies that she was the only person at school capable of controlling Kurt and Ram - without her around they promptly run wild.

** ''Narrowly'' averted with [[spoiler: Martha, who just breaks a few bones, though she's injured enough to be in a motorised scooter during the finale.]]

*** The most obvious of these is J.D.'s apparent leitmotif, or the one that occurs when he's about to wreak havoc. This tune first appears when he chases down Kurt prior to shooting him. It then reappears in "Yo Girl" in the lines ''Veronica's running on- running on fumes now / Veronica's totally fried / Veronica's gotta be tripping on shrooms now / thinking that she can hide / Veronica's done for- there's not doubt now / Notify next of kin / Veronica's trying to keep him out now / Too late! He got in!.'' It then reappears in Meant to Be Yours when J.D. Is about to bust down the door to the closet in which Veronica is hiding in the lines '''''VERONICA!!!''''' / '' Open the- open the door, please / Veronica, open the door / Veronica, can we not fight anymore, please? / Can we not fight anymore? / Veronica, sure, you're scared- I've been there / I can set you free / Veronica, don't make me come in there /'' '''''I'M GONNA COUNT TO THREE!'''''

* LighterAndSofter: Than the original film, in a sense. It's campier, Veronica and J.D. get the AdaptationalNiceGuy treatment, and things like Veronica's {{self harm}}ing are cut. Though this is partially justified given the different ethos animating the story - The movie was a cynical deconstructive satire of 80s teen comedies, while the musical is a more humanistic rebuke of the source material's misanthropy; emphasizing that people are ''made'' bad through social factors, rather than just being born bad. Ironically, the more psychological perspective the musical takes can also be seen as making it DarkerAndEdgier than the film after a fashion.

* MeaningfulEcho: A fairly subtle but dark example shows up in ''Shine a Light (Reprise)'', echoing ''Candy Store''.

** Ironically, Heather Duke is the ''only'' major character who doesn't get her own song - Heather Chandler has "Candy Store" and [=McNamara=] has "Lifeboat", but Duke only ever sings reprises, notably "Lifeboat (Reprise)" and "Blue (Reprise"), probably to reflect that she has "no discernible personality" and merely piggybacks off what her popular peers are doing.

** There's also a few songs for supporting characters, but they don't fit the trope as much as the top two (they are ''Blue'' for Kurt and Ram, ''Lifeboat'' for Heather [=McNamara=], and ''Kindergarten Boyfriend'' for Martha).
* MissingMom: J.D.'s mother killed herself when he was younger. She's only brought up two or three times in the show, but it's clear he misses her terribly.
** Kurt and Ram's mothers are never seen and their fathers even [[spoiler: come out of the closet]] during "My Dead Gay Son" without even mentioning their wives.
* MistakenForGay: At the beginning of Act 2, Kurt and Ram [[spoiler: thanks to Veronica's forged note and J.D.'s killing the two to keep them from denying it, die with their whole community thinking they were gay lovers]].

-->'''Heather Duke''': ''Honey, watchu waiting for--''\\

--->'''Students''': ''No one thinks a pretty girl can touch you!-''\\

* MoodSwinger: J.D. to a frightening degree during "Meant to Be Yours." He goes back and forth from singing how [[spoiler:he plans to kill everyone in the school and that Veronica deserves to be dead]] in 4/4 time, then softly sings that she needs to stay with him with a completely different - almost waltz-like - melody.

** Heather Duke wanted to show she could outdo Heather Chandler once she becomes Lead Heather, but [[spoiler: trying to get Heather [=McNamara=] to kill herself got Veronica to foil that plan, and drive the TokenGoodTeammate of the original Heathers to bond to Veronica, not to mention it briefly puts her on J.D's "list". She later gets the red scrunchie taken from her by Veronica, who declares "Brand new sheriff's come to town."]]
** J.D. [[spoiler: asking "What's one more dead Heather?" drives a wedge between him and Veronica, and causes her to break from him.]]

* NoBisexuals: Martha concludes [[spoiler: Ram's suicide was faked]] because he couldn't have been in love with Kurt (as the [[spoiler: faked suicide note]] claims) if they kissed as kindergartners -- completely ignoring the possibility that he was bisexual. She was right, but still... Of course, [[DeliberateValuesDissonance the show takes place in 1989,]] [[JustifiedTrope so it's entirely likely the possibility wouldn't have occurred to her.]]
* NoPlaceForMeThere: [[spoiler: At the show's end, J.D., who claims to want to "make the world a decent place for people who are decent," kills himself, because he's "far too damaged, but [Veronica's] not beyond repair.", implying that he knows how messed up he is and that no one but maybe Veronica will ever truly understand him.]]

* OhCrap: When Martha [[spoiler: admits she thinks Ram and Kurt were murdered and suspects J.D., Veronica panics for a short moment since outing J.D. as the murderer would reveal her involvement as well. Doesn't help that Heather Chandler's ghost is there to pour salt in the wound.]]
-->'''Martha''': [[spoiler: I want to look in J.D.'s locker.]]\\
'''Heather C''': [[spoiler: I bet there's all kinds of interesting things in that locker! Maybe some "Ich Lüge" bullets?]]\\

* ParentalLoveSong: "Dead Gay Son", albeit very loosely. [[spoiler: Kurt and Ram's fathers declare the title at their sons' funerals. It would be a heartwarming moment, if the whole thing about Kurt and Ram being gay lovers, who would rather die together than live without each other, wasn't a complete lie. It adds a rather bittersweet note to the whole thing, especially since the fathers admit to being gay themselves and having an affair in the song, much like they think their sons had.]]

* PrecisionFStrike: Veronica delivers one after [[spoiler: J.D. kills Kurt and Ram.]]

* PrisonRape: [[spoiler: Ram and Kurt's ghosts are excited about the idea of Veronica getting sent to "Lady Prison."]]
* ProperlyParanoid: When J.D. begins circulating his "petition," Veronica urges Heather Duke to just throw it away, saying she's sure J.D.'s up to no good, even if she doesn't know what. She's right, of course. [[spoiler: The so-called petition was just a way to get everyone in the school to sign something - specifically, a suicide note, allowing J.D. to plant a bomb and make it look like a mass suicide.]]

* PunchClockVillain: Heather [=McNamara=] only does what the other Heathers tell her to do. She's much nicer when she's not around them. It's implied the only reason she participates in their bullying is that she's afraid she might be bullied herself if she left the group. [[spoiler: Her fears are unfortunately well-founded. However, Veronica gives her someone to bond to when Heather Duke turns on Heather [=McNamara=] when the former strikes back for all the abuse about bulimia that the latter and Heather Chandler piled on her, knowing the dead Heather Chandler can't save the latter now.]]
* QuestionableConsent: When JD and Veronica first sleep together, on both ends. On Veronica’s side, she’s very drunk (implicitly the first time she’s had alcohol before) whilst JD is sober. On JD’s side, Veronica is very demanding when she propositions him, and he can be heard saying “wait, wait,” at some point and is ignored. Neither of them seems troubled by this the morning after, though.

-->'''J.D.:''' You chucked me out like I was trash
-->For that you should be dead
-->''But'', but, but--
-->Then it hit me like a flash:
-->What if high school went away instead?
* RecklessGunUsage: J.D. carrying a loaded gun around (and at one point accidentally having it pointed at Veronica) is part of the reason [[spoiler: Veronica breaks up with him.]]

* RemonstratingWithAGun: After J.D shoots a TV in frustration after a particularly nasty fight with his father, Veronica tells him she wants to break up with him, [[{{Yandere}} which leads to J.D yelling, "BUT I LOVE YOU!" ...while pointing a gun at her.]] Veronica ''immediately'' lampshades the situation.

** "Meant to Be Yours" for J.D. [[spoiler: It starts out with him telling Veronica how mad he was about her breaking up with him, then to how he was thinking about ''killing her'', then to him realizing that high school is the problem and that blowing it up would make them the perfect couple again. During the whole song he flip-flops between pure, unbridled rage and disconnected, romantic whimsy and it really says something that the latter is a lot more disturbing than the former.]]

* SerialKiller: J.D., [[spoiler: who is responsible for three deaths and more or less strong-armed Veronica into forging each victim's suicide note to cover it up. He redeems himself by the end by sacrificing himself to save Veronica from his own bomb.]]

** In the opening number "Beautiful", Veronica and Martha reference Jiffy Pop and Film/ThePrincessBride, respectively. Veronica also compares Westerberg to [[Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome "the Thunderdome"]].

* SexForSolace: After embarrassing herself at a party by throwing up on Heather Chandler, a possibly still-drunk Veronica sneaks her way to JD's bedroom and asks him to "make this whole town disappear". He does.

* SpiritualAntithesis: Serves as one towards [[Film/{{Heathers}} its own source material]]. While both are [[BlackComedy Black Comedies]] focused around analyzing teenage angst during high school and [[spoiler: taking a look at what creates school shooters]], the film is more focused on being a cynical deconstruction of classic teen comedies from the 1980s and is more overt with its dark humor. Meanwhile, the musical is (comparatively) more nuanced in how it examines what exactly ''drives'' someone into [[spoiler: becoming a spree killer]] and also emphasizes the importance of human empathy & [[KnightInSourArmor keeping to one's idealism in a hellish world]]. It's also likely not a coincidence that both the film and musical are on the exact opposite respective sides of the NatureVsNurture argument.

* TogetherInDeath: Invoked when JD kills Kurt and Ram but arranges it to look like a suicide pact. He leaves behind a forged suicide note claiming that the two killed themselves to hide their "gay forbidden love from an unforgiving world".

** Veronica due to the influence of Heather Chandler and J.D. It's most noticeable when [[spoiler:she tells Martha that Ram's love letter was a prank. Martha had wanted to break into J.D.'s locker for proof he'd murdered Ram and Kurt, though, and Veronica saying that was to keep Martha from getting close to finding out Veronica also had a hand in their deaths -- ''and'' to keep J.D. from murdering Martha next]]. She undergoes a JerkassRealization after [[spoiler:Martha's suicide attempt]] and spends the ending trying to make things right.

* TookALevelInKindness: Heather [=McNamara=] after the events of "Lifeboat" and "Shine A Life (Reprise)", choosing to align herself with Veronica and making a sincere but clumsy effort to be nicer about the unpopular kids.

** Heather Chandler to Heather [=McNamara=] in bullying Heather Duke over her bulimia. [[spoiler: Once she knows Heather [=McNamara=] doesn't have Chandler to back her, Heather Duke strikes back. However, Veronica saves [=McNamara=] from herself, and bonds with the near-suicidal girl.]]

** J.D sings a whole song about how much he loves Slushies [[spoiler: and how they help him cope with the death of his mother.]]

* TruckDriversGearChange: Nearly every song in the show features this trope - it's easier to name the songs that ''don't'' (such as "Lifeboat" and "Seventeen").

* UnwittingPawn: Veronica thought she accidentally killed Heather Chandler, and she's used to lure Ram and Kurt for payback. [[spoiler: Neither time did she think J.D. would kill them.]]

** Ram is a JerkJock in the highest order nowadays, but Martha remembers when he was a sweet little boy who didn't care about how she looked. She seems to believe that boy is still in there somewhere, and [[spoiler: Veronica notes that he and Kurt ''might'' have been able to grow out of their horrible behavior if they'd lived longer]].

* VillainRespect: Heather Chandler is legitimately impressed when Martha correctly deduces that [[spoiler: Ram and Kurt were murdered and J.D was involved. The only thing she doesn't factor in is that Veronica was also involved, but that might be because Martha would never suspect her best friend of murder.]]

** J.D.: "Meant to be Yours," and a bit in "Our Love is God." both highlight J.D.'s insanity. [[spoiler:"I Am Damaged" is a subversion, because he's finally giving up, and sacrificing himself for Veronica.]]

* WeHaveReserves: Chillingly implied when J.D refuses to go with his dad on a demolition job, who tells J.D, "Lots of pretty ladies out there. I can always make me another son."

* WildTeenParty: Ram's party, played up through the lyrics of "Big Fun". Veronica gets drunk, lots of the extras are making out, and the Heathers try to embarrass Martha. [[spoiler: Veronica even throws up on Heather Chandler's shoes.]]

-->'''Guy #1''': I'd like to be their boyfriend!\\
'''Students''': ''That would be beautiful.''\\
'''Girl''': If I sat at their table, guys would notice me!\\
'''Students''': ''So beautiful...''\\
'''Martha''': I'd like them to be nicer...\\
'''Students''': ''That would be beautiful.''\\
'''Guy #2''': I'd like to kidnap a Heather and photograph her naked in an abandoned warehouse and leave her tied up for the rats!\\
'''Everyone''': ...

** AmbiguouslyGay: While the whole joke is that Kurt and Ram actually ''aren't'' gay, that hasn't stop many actors from playing into it.

''Heathers: the Musical'' is a rock musical adaptation of the 80s cult classic ''Film/{{Heathers}}''.

* AccidentalPublicConfession: In a moment of anger, Veronica lets slip that she [[spoiler:killed Heather C, Kurt, and Ram and made them look like suicides.]]

* AdaptationalHeroism;

* ArmouredClosetGay: During [[spoiler:Kurt and Ram's funeral]], Kurt's dad [[spoiler:laments on learning they were gay]] and Ram's dad sings how "I used to see a homo and go reaching for my gun".

* TheDeterminator: Veronica in the reprise of "Dead Girl Walking" will do all she can to stop J.D. from blowing up Westerberg High and killing everyone at the pep rally with his bomb. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEf55sG64gw This animated cinematic]] shows the emotion of the D-to-F transition she uses to let her intentions be known:

* FullCircleRevolution: Heather Duke got pretty badly picked on as Heather Chandler's BetaBitch. Once Duke takes over Chandler's role, she immediately starts tearing into Heather [=McNamara=] as cruelly as possible. [[spoiler: Seemingly averted at the end where Veronica declares herself new sheriff in town but intends to make changes]].

* ThrowTheBookAtThem: The scene where J.D. fires blanks at Kurt and Ram is replaced in the musical by him whacking them over the head with a large book.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Veronica due to the influence of Heather Chandler and J.D. It's most noticeable when [[spoiler: she tells Martha that Ram's love letter was a prank. Martha had wanted to break into J.D.'s locker for proof he'd murdered Ram and Kurt, though, and Veronica saying that was to keep Martha from getting close to finding out Veronica also had a hand in their deaths--AND to keep J.D. from murdering Martha next.]] She undergoes a JerkassRealization after [[spoiler: Martha's suicide attempt]] and spends the ending trying to make things right.
-->'''Heather Chandler, Kurt, and Ram''': ''Now you're truly a Heather / Smell how gangsta you are.''

Veronica Sawyer is a wry, clever outsider at her school Westerberg High, which is ruled by the GirlPosse the Heathers. Veronica, in an attempt to win favor with the Heathers, forges a hall pass for them, and, almost entirely by accident, becomes InWithTheInCrowd. However, being part of the Heathers turns out to be the exact opposite of what Veronica wanted. The Heathers belittle and shun any outsider, including Veronica's best friend Martha "Dumptruck" Dunnstock, and the new guy in town, Jason "J.D." Dean, whom Veronica falls for almost instantly. Veronica attempts to resign from the Heathers, but the AlphaBitch, Heather Chandler, refuses to make things that easy, and promises to ruin what little is left of Veronica's social life. Veronica tries to apologize, and goes over to H. Chandler's house with J.D., where H. Chandler insists Veronica makes her a hangover cure. J.D. ''"jokingly"'' suggests putting drain cleaner in it, and pours it into a cup. Veronica accidentally grabs the toxic cup, and as soon as Heather Chandler ingests the "hangover cure," she dies. Veronica is shocked, and J.D. suggests they forge a suicide note to cover their tracks. However, as the bodies start piling up, Veronica realizes Heather Chandler's death may not have been as much of an "accident" as he claimed.

* SerialKiller: J.D., [[spoiler: who is responsible for three deaths and more or less strong-armed Veronica into forging each victim's suicide note to cover it up. He redeems himself by the end by sacrificing himself to save Veronics from his own bomb.]]

---> '''Veronica''': ''They were just seventeen,\\

%%* VillainSong:
%%** J.D.: "Meant to be Yours," and a bit in "Our Love is God." [[spoiler:"I Am Damaged" is a subversion, because he's finally giving up, and sacrificing himself for Veronica.]]
%%** The Heathers: Their part of "Beautiful" for all three of them, "Candy Store" for all three of them (though especially for Heather Chandler), "Shine a Light (Reprise)" for Heather Duke, "Very" for Heather Chandler, "Blue (Reprise)" for Heather Duke (shared with Kurt and Ram)

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: The musical really enhances this quality for J.D. It's hard not to shed a little tear for him in "I Am Damaged."

* ArcWords: "Dream" and "happy ending." Veronica's dream is to be free from the bullying atmosphere of the high school, one way or another. Along comes J.D., who promises to make that dream come true...one way or another.

The musical premiered in 2010, and was revived in 2014, both Off-Broadway. There is an official cast recording, with Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica and Ryan [=McCartan=] as J.D. The creators are trying to get the show a Broadway run and a national run, and there are talks of a film adaptation as well. It had a run on the West End in London in 2018, with a few song updates, and later got its own cast album. [[https://youtu.be/tb4RTR9O8TE A live recorded version of the musical]] is set to stream on the Roku Channel on September 16, 2022.

The musical premiered in 2010, and was revived in 2014, both Off-Broadway. There is an official cast recording, with Barrett Wilbert Weed as Veronica and Ryan [=McCartan=] as J.D. The creators are trying to get the show a Broadway run and a national run, and there are talks of a film adaptation as well. It had a run on the West End in London in 2018, with a few song updates, and later got its own cast album.

* DeadPersonConversation: Veronica has multiple oness with [[spoiler:Heather Chandler, Kurt, and Ram after they're killed.]] If anyone else is on stage, it's usually one-sided.

** "Dead Gay Son" combines this with an in-universe case of FairForItsDay, as despite Kurt and Ram's dads vowing to stand up for gay rights in their (not actually gay) sons' honors, they do so whilst posthumously flanderizing the two of them into CampGay stereotypes.

* ImGoingToHellForThis: The opening of "Prom or Hell?" in Act 2 has Veronica sing this after Ram and Kurt's deaths:

* TakeThat: "Me Inside of Me" has one: