On the weekend of September 7th and 8th, the Syrena Theatre will host its first premiere of the 2024/25 season with the musical „Heathers” by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy.
The world of this musical is over the top, a bit old school, but it sharply focuses on teenage problems. Every generation has the same needs: acceptance, internal agreement, and the courage to be yourself.
Agnieszka Płoszajska, the director of Syrena’s version of “Heathers”
“Heathers” is a black comedy that belongs to the popular subgenre of “high school musicals”, telling stories about teenagers and addressed to them. It is a story about an American high school which is ruled by three girls named Heather. When the main character, Veronica, and her boyfriend, J.D., stand up to these school stars, the story takes an unexpected and very bloody turn…
The musical was first adapted in 1988 into a film starring Winona Ryder and Christan Slater (in Poland the film is known under the title “Śmiertelne zauroczenie”). The film’s plot, rock music, and explicit song lyrics are used to tell a story about the horrors of adolescence. Both the topic and the great music accompanying it were responsible for the musical’s success among teenager viewers, with the musical becoming a record-breaking hit on London’s West End. It might be similar in Poland – tickets for premiere performances of “Heathers” in September are already sold out, as are half of the tickets for the next shows scheduled for December.
There was one element missing in our repertoire – a show for teenagers, telling a story about their world, written in their language. How to fill this absence? For us, the choice was simple: “Heathers”
Monika Walecka, the director of the Syrena Theatre
The cast of “Heathers” was selected through a nationwide casting call that attracted an impressive 440 young actors! For most of those chosen, these roles will mark their debut at the Syrena Theatre. However, the production will also feature stars from the younger generation of Polish musical theatre – actors and actresses who are already well-known to Syrena’s audience, including Natalia Kujawa (Stefania Grodzieńska in “Piplaja”, Katarzyna Parr in “SIX”), Aleksandra Gotowicka (Wednesday in “The Addams Family” and Anne Boleyn & Katherine Howard in “SIX”), Karolina Gwóźdź (Natalie in “Next to normal”), and Marta Burdynowicz (Emma Shelley in “The Black Shakespeare”, Jane Seymour in “SIX”).
We’re extremely happy that many new faces have joined our theatre thanks to “Heathers”. This is a challenging musical: it requires vocal and acting skills on the highest level from very young performers. We’re also excited that Agnieszka Płoszajska is directing for the first time in our theatre, accompanied by the choreographer Michał Cyran. This duet has recently been very successful in Poland, so it’s high time for their debut in Syrena!
Jacek Mikołajczyk, the artistic director of the Syrena Theatre
“Heathers” addresses the problem of school bullying and pupils left without assistance. For that reason, the official partner of the musical is the foundation Dajemy Dzieciom Siłę, which runs a 24h free and anonymous helpline for children and teenagers: 116 111 (116111.pl).
The musical is licensed by Concord Theatricals Ltd.