Roku announced that it will exclusively bring a live capture of the stage adaptation of the hit West End musical Heathers: The Musical to The Roku Channel as a Roku Original special. The special is produced by Village Roadshow Pictures (VRP) and Bill Kenwright’s BKStudios. The Roku Original special will be available to stream on Friday, September 16, 2022, on The Roku Channel in the U.S.
The Heathers: The Musical live capture will be led by Ailsa Davidson as Veronica Sawyer and Simon Gordon as Jason “J.D” Dean, with Maddison Firth as Heather Chandler, Vivian Panka as Heather Duke, Teleri Hughes as Heather McNamara, Vicki Lee Taylor as Ms. Fleming/Veronica’s Mom, Mhairi Angus as Martha Dunnstock, Liam Doyle as Kurt Kelly, Rory Phelan as Ram Sweeney, Oliver Brooks as Kurt’s Dad/Big Bud Dean/Coach Ripper, Andy Brady as Ram’s Dad/Principal Gowan/Veronica’s Dad, Benjamin Karran as Beleaguered Geek, Chris Parkinson as Hipster Dork/Officer McCord, Jermaine Woods as Peppy Stud/Officer Milner, Eleanor Morrison Halliday as Young Republicanette, Mary-Jean Caldwell as Stoner Chick, Hannah Lowther as New Wave Party Girl, and May Tether as Drama Club Drama Queen.
Heathers: The Musical is based on one of the greatest cult teen films of all time, “Heathers” (1989). Andy Fickman directs the musical, with book, music and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe. Fickman, Murphy and O’Keefe will also produce. The musical will be filmed at The Other Palace, where it started its U.K. journey in 2018. Originally produced by Bill Kenwright & Paul Taylor Mills, it grew its initial cult following and became a box office record-breaker, ultimately transferring to the Theatre Royal Haymarket for a sold-out limited run later that year. The production then returned to the Haymarket for another successful West End season in 2021, and concurrently a U.K. tour, before returning to its original home, The Other Palace, in November 2021, where it is still breaking records.
The play is based on the characters created by Daniel Waters for the original film, which was directed by Michael Lehmann and produced by Denise Di Novi. The original film “Heathers” is now part of the vast library of IP titles controlled by VRP’s parent company Vine Alternative Investments. VRP will handle international sales of the filmed version of the musical as well.
David Eilenberg, Head of Originals, Roku: “We are committed to finding a variety of great ways to bring premium programming to our audience, and there’s nothing like the thrill of a live performance. That’s why we can’t wait for viewers to experience the sights and sounds of ‘Heathers: The Musical.’ We’re thrilled to work with Village Roadshow Pictures and BKStudios to capture the on-stage magic and bring it to millions of households to enjoy free on The Roku Channel.”