Two 'Beetlejuice' Stars Reunite in 'Heathers the Musical'

Why Tony nominee Kerry Butler and Elizabeth Teeter love performing in the cult musical comedy

Originally published on TDF Stages
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Published July 22, 2025

The plot of Heathers—the popular musical adaptation of the so very dark 1989 cult film—includes murder, homophobia and bulimia, as well as attempted suicide, sexual assault and a thwarted school bombing. Yet it's also so funny, audiences (and sometimes even the actors) often burst out laughing.

That's a familiar dichotomy for Kerry Butler and Elizabeth Teeter, both alums of Broadway's Beetlejuice, another musical adaptation of a dark 1980s comedy. Heathers takes place in a hellish high school rather than a haunted house, but the two musicals share more than just the two stars. Both find humor in some truly scary subject matter.

Like the movie it's based on, Heathers skewers the hierarchy of high school as three queen bees named Heather (McKenzie Kurtz, Olivia Hardy and Teeter) are brought down by reluctant acolyte Veronica (Lorna Courtney) and her rebel boyfriend J.D. (Casey Likes) in some deadly ways. With a book and score by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, Heathers the Musical is lighter than the film and has undergone some rewrites since its 2014 Off-Broadway debut, becoming a Gen Z smash thanks to multiple cast recordings, a London pro-shot and TikTok bootlegs. Fans, who call themselves Corn Nuts after one character's final words, cosplay as the characters and scream in anticipation of each song.

Butler, who started out playing rebellious teens in musicals such as Hairspray and Bat Boy: The Musical (cowritten by O'Keefe) has graduated to portraying hilariously clueless adults like Ms. Fleming in Heathers, a counselor who embraces a kumbaya vibe in the face of adolescent brutality. Her Act II number "Shine a Light" is a satirical showstopper, a portrait of a self-involved adult who has no idea how to support the kids she's charged with helping.

"I never ever want to be in anything that glorifies violence," says Butler, who discussed her concerns about Heathers' content and tone with director Andy Fickman. "He told me that it's not glorifying violence, and in fact, it's helping kids deal with all the violence that's out there."

Butler's experience with Beetlejuice, which centered on a teen (Teeter) grieving for her dead mother and communing with ghosts, bolstered that take. "The kids need an outlet," Butler explains. "They need to talk about things, and when they find the other theatre kids, it builds community. And they're like, 'Oh, I see you. I know I'm not alone.' I think that's the same thing that Heathers does."

According to Teeter, the underlying gravity of the musical is a subject of conversation among the company, which makes their work feel even more important. "While it can be triggering for some, because we have a lot of dark themes in our show, I think it is something that should be commented about," says Teeter, who at 23 is not that far removed from adolescence herself. "I think for high schoolers—unfortunately, now more than ever—this is the life that they're living. I'm sure in some ways, they can see themselves."

One scene that has everyone, actors and audiences alike, cracking up at the darkness is Butler's "Shine a Light." During a televised assembly for students to share their feelings, Ms. Fleming states without irony that, "Whether to kill yourself or not is one of the most important decisions a teenager can make," and goes on to have riotously cringey improvised chats with theatregoers.

"There have been nights when you can literally see all our shoulders shaking just because it's so unexpected, the reactions to her improv," Teeter says. "Kerry never misses a beat."

Butler, who also plays Veronica's mother, creates detailed backstories for all her characters. The history she crafted for Ms. Fleming offers context for her questionable choices. "I think she has a big heart, and she really does care about these students, but she's in such a bad place herself," says Butler. "When she starts getting attention for finding her purpose, that kind of takes over. I think that happens to a lot of people."

Teeter also feels sympathy for her character Heather McNamara, a sunny cheerleader who initially helps ringleader Heather Chandler bully their peers but really just wants to fit in. "I don't think she's ever seen what real friendship looks like," Teeter says. "Yes, she's part of the Heathers, but deep down, I don't think she believes anything she's doing is cruel. You meet those kids in high school that just cling to a group because they want to be a part of it without realizing their impact. I think her cheerfulness is masking these deeper feelings that she has."

That inner turmoil surfaces during Ms. Fleming's school assembly, when Teeter's Heather shares her feelings of isolation and loneliness in the song "Lifeboat." "It's a dark moment, but I do think it is a bit of a therapeutic release," says Teeter. "This character that's been so bubbly and energetic the whole show gets to take that mask down and give her heart to the audience."

It's a powerful display of vulnerability followed by humor, which is the show's modus operandi. That combination is what makes Heathers so cathartic.

"I hope there is some sort of release in seeing these characters work through problems that teens face every day," Teeter says about the balancing act. "We are dealing with such atrocities in the world… At least I get to go do what I love and hopefully make someone's day a little bit better."