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What's Your Damage? A Track-by-Track Breakdown of theHeathers: The Musical Cast Album

The world-premiere cast recording of Off-Broadway's Heathers: The Musical wasreleased last month, and Playbill.com staff writer Michael Gioia breaks down the scoretrack by track.

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Laurence O'Keefe, a Tony Award nominee (alongside his wife and collaborator NellBenjamin) for the pop-kissed score of Legally Blonde, is also a Drama Desk nominee forthe 2001 cult musical Bat Boy. He's back with Heathers, another dark and twisted, yetpop-driven musical filled with catchy tunes, belt-heavy melodies and raunchy lyrics.

For Heathers, O'Keefe teams up with Emmy-winning Reefer Madness author KevinMurphy on book, music and lyrics for the musical that is based on the 1988 film cultcomedy. Andy Fickman ("Reefer Madness," "She's the Man") directs the production thatopened March 31 and will close Aug. 4.

The musical was nominated for two Drama Desks, including Outstanding Music andOutstanding Actress in a Musical. Barrett Wilbert Weed, who received the Drama Desknod, led the cast as Veronica Sawyer, and her performance (which included numerousshow-stopping numbers) is preserved on the cast album, which we break down here trackby track.

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"Beautiful"

We begin on Sept. 1, 1989, when Barrett Wilbert Weed's character, Veronica Sawyer,begins her first day of senior year at Westerberg High School. "Beautiful" is a typical introto an angst-ridden musical about teens who are bullied and bully others (but we totallylove it!). The first track transports us to the worst parts of high school hallways (theensemble is backing Weed with shouts of, "Freak! Slut! Cripple! Homo! Homo! Homo!" —ah, high school!), and Veronica gives us the scoop on all the kids at Westerberg. She'sbrainy, Ram Sweeney (Jon Eidson) is the typical jock, Martha Dunnstock (Katie Ladner) isthe heavyset outcast, and the Heathers (Jessica Keenan Wynn as Heather Chandler,Alice Lee as Heather Duke and Elle McLemore as Heather McNamara) rule the school.Overall, the track is filled with snappy, sassy lyrics ("She's a mythic bitch," says Veronicaabout Heather Chandler), and melodies are reminiscent of opening numbers such as

"Million Miles From Heaven" from Bare (Weed and Lee also starred in that Off-Broadwayshow) and "In" from Carrie. Also, listen to Keenan Wynn at 6:24 (the melody to "Heather Ineed your brush" reminds us of "This is Harvard, not a stripper bar" and other tidbits fromO'Keefe's Legally Blonde).

"Candy Store"

It's the Heathers big number and the show's anthem! Very much like "The WorldAccording to Chris" from Carrie, "Candy Store" teaches the high school losers how to riseabove and gain ultimate social status — without, of course, overruling the high school'sQueen "Biotch," Heather Chandler (listen to 2:20 when Alice Lee, who plays HeatherDuke, begins to take the spotlight, and Jessica Keenan Wynn stops her dead in her tracks.Also check out our recent interview with Lee, who is now on ABC's "Rising Star," and voteher through to the next round). Our favorite sassy lyric from this tune is "You just gottaprove you're not a pussy anymore… then step into my Candy Store!" The raunchy lyric anduse of alliteration totally nails it!

"Fight for Me"

The love-story subplot comes to fruition in "Fight for Me," where Weed's characterVeronica croons over "Mr. No-Name Kid," the super cute nickname she uses to refer toJason Dean, aka J.D., who is the mysterious new kid on the block at Westerberg. We seeVeronica's immediate attraction to J.D. The melody here is sweet, and the lyrics areendearing, and it's also Weed's first big solo. The song is totally relatable — haven't we allbeen there, asking our secret crush to fight for us with a chorus of teenagers singing"Holy shit" in the background?

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