Jodie Steele to join Off-Broadway production of HEATHERS

Heathers The Musical is announcing casting updates for the critically acclaimed production, which was recently extended through January 25, 2026 due to unprecedented demand. Heathers is playing at New World Stages, where it opened to the largest advance in the venue’s 21-year history, and has broken the house record four times.
 
McKenzie Kurtz (Heather Chandler) and Olivia Hardy (Heather Duke) are both taking a temporary leave of absence from the production.

McKenzie Kurtz will return to Heathers in mid-November. Heather Chandler will be played during this time by Jodie Steele, who originated the role in the West End production of Heathers. Steele will start with the evening performance on Saturday, October 25.

Jodie Steele’s other theatre credits include Elphaba in Wicked, Katherine Howard in Six, Blanche Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde, Shelly Parker in Bat Boy, Sheila in Hair, and Sherrie in Rock of Ages. Plays include Roberta Kilgore in Picture You Dead and Diana in Filumena. Television: Lily Vernon in “Malory Towers” (BBC), “Professor T” (ITV), “Emmerdale” (ITV), and “EastEnders” (BBC). Film: A Rare Breed, Angling For Love, Empress Clawscream, Two Wolves, A Merry Royal Christmas, and Anthology.

Olivia Hardy will return to the production in early December. Heather Duke will be played during this time by Kiara Michelle Lee, who is a current Heathers ensemble member in the role of Young Republicanette. The Heathers company welcomes Thalia Atallah (National Tours: Mean Girls, Anastasia) to the cast in the role of Young Republicanette starting Thursday, November 6.

Thalia Atallah makes her Off-Broadway debut in Heathers. She is a California native and proud UCLA graduate with a BA in Theatre. National Tour: Mean Girls (u/s Cady, Karen, Gretchen) and Anastasia (u/s Anya).
 
Lorna Courtney, who stars as Veronica Sawyer, will play her final performance on Monday, December 8, prior to starting rehearsals for The Greatest Showman in the UK. The Heathers company is pleased to announce Kuhoo Verma (Film: The Big Sick, Plan B; Off-Broadway: Octet) as the production’s new Veronica Sawyer. Verma will play her first performance on Thursday, December 11. Standby Sara Al-Bazali will perform Veronica on Wednesday, December 10.

Kuhoo Verma is best known as the breakout star of Hulu’s original film Plan B. She has also starred in Space Cadet (Amazon) and Murder Mystery 2 (Netflix). In the world of theatre, Kuhoo starred in Dave Malloy’s Octet at Signature Theatre, for which she received the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble. She later reprised her award-winning performance at Berkeley Rep. Additional theatre credits include Nobody Loves You (American Conservatory Theater) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Signature Theatre). A classically-trained vocalist and musician, she sang the title role in the opera Les Larmes d’Eugénie, which was presented by Cartier at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival and in 2023 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. She has also performed in music venues all over New York City including Lincoln Center, Town Hall, Symphony Space, Little Island, and Joe’s Pub. @therealkuhoo

As previously announced, Kate Rockwell (Broadway: Mean Girls; Regional: Regency Girls) is playing the role of Ms. Fleming/Veronica’s Mom through Monday, November 10. Original cast member Kerry Butler returns to Heathers on Wednesday, November 12, after a brief leave of absence to perform in Bat Boy The Musical at Encores! at New York City Center.
 

Got all that? Fan-frickin’-tastic. See you in class!

Heathers features book, music and lyrics by Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness The Musical) & Laurence O’Keefe (Legally Blonde The Musical, Bat Boy The Musical), based on the film by Daniel Waters. The production, directed by Andy Fickman, officially opened on July 10, 2025.
 
Welcome to Westerberg High, where popularity is a matter of life and death, and Veronica Sawyer is just another nobody dreaming of a better day. But when she's unexpectedly taken under the wings of The Heathers – three beautiful and impossibly cruel classmates all named Heather – her dreams of popularity finally start to come true. That is until J.D., the mysterious teen rebel, turns up and teaches her that it might kill to be a nobody, but it’s murder being a somebody.
 
Heathers stars Tony Award nominee Lorna Courtney (Broadway: & Juliet, Dear Evan Hansen) as Veronica Sawyer, Casey Likes (Broadway: Almost Famous, Back to the Future) as Jason “J.D.” Dean, McKenzie Kurtz (Broadway: Frozen, The Heart of Rock and Roll, Wicked) as Heather Chandler, Olivia Hardy (Broadway: Kimberly Akimbo; National Tour: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical) as Heather Duke, Elizabeth Teeter (Broadway: Beetlejuice, The Crucible) as Heather McNamara, Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler (Broadway: Hairspray, Xanadu, Beetlejuice) as Ms. Fleming/Veronica’s Mom, Erin Morton as Martha Dunnstock, Xavier McKinnon (National Tours: Wicked, Disney’s Aladdin) as Ram Sweeney, Cade Ostermeyer as Kurt Kelly, Ben Davis (Broadway: Once Upon a Mattress, La Boheme) as Ram’s Dad/Big Bud Dean/Coach Ripper, and Cameron Loyal (Broadway: Bad Cinderella; National Tour: My Fair Lady) as Kurt’s Dad/Veronica’s Dad/Principal Gowan.
 
The cast also features Sara Al-Bazali (Standby Veronica Sawyer, Heather Chandler), Emma Benson (Swing - Midwestern Surfer Punk, u/s Heather McNamara, Martha, Ms. Fleming), James Caleb Grice (Ensemble - Beleaguered Geek/Officer McCord, u/s J.D., Kurt, Ram), Louis Griffin (Swing - Fresh Prince of Ohio, u/s J.D., Ram, Kurt’s Dad), Devin Lewis (Ensemble - Hipster Dork, u/s J.D., Kurt, Ram), Kiara Michelle Lee (Ensemble - Young Republicanette, u/s Veronica, Heather Chandler, Heather Duke), Brian Martin (Ensemble - Preppy Stud/Officer Milner, u/s Kurt, Ram’s Dad, Kurt’s Dad), Lav Raman (Swing - Drama Club Drama Queen, u/s Heather McNamara, Heather Duke, Martha), Syd Sider (Ensemble - Stoner Chick, u/s Martha, Ms. Fleming), and Cecilia Trippiedi (Ensemble - New Wave Party Girl, u/s Veronica, Heather Chandler, Heather McNamara).
 
Based on the 1989 cult film that starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers originally opened in Los Angeles for a sold-out run in 2013 and transferred to Off-Broadway’s New World Stages in 2014. Heathers has had three smash hit West End productions and three tours, which have broken box office records throughout the UK and Ireland. Heathers won the 2019 WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Musical and in 2022 was filmed for streaming on The Roku Channel.
 
Since its premiere, Heathers has gained a large, devoted fan base known as the ‘Corn Nuts,’ named after the cryptic final words of Heather Chandler. These fans have significantly contributed to the show’s international success, resulting in over 1,400 productions worldwide.
 
The creative team includes Choreographer/UK Associate Director Gary Lloyd, with Additional Choreography by Stephanie Klemons. 
 
Set and Costume Designer is David Shields, Lighting Designer is Ben Cracknell, Sound Designer is Dan Samson, and Hair Designer is Caitlin Molloy.  Co-Costume Designer is Siena Zoë Allen. Assistant Costume Designer is Amanda Roberge. Associate Lighting Designer is Colleen Doherty. Associate Sound Designer is Germán Martinez. Associate Director is Taylor Haven Holt. Fight Director is Lisa Connell. Intimacy Coordinator is Rebecca Reaney.
 
Music Supervisor is Will Joy. Music Director is Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh. Arrangements and Orchestrations are by Laurence O’Keefe and Ben Green. Music Coordinator is Kristy Norter.

Production Management is by what iF we Productions. Production Stage Manager is Bess Marie Glorioso. Stage Manager is Katherine Shea. Assistant Stage Manager is Eszter Zador. Casting is by The Telsey Office, Rachel Hoffman CSA, and Jimmy Larkin CSA. Marketing Director is Scott A. Moore. Advertising is by Situation Interactive. General management is by Pemberley Productions (Annie Shea Graney, Terri Kohler).

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