The musical revamp of the cult classic teen comedy Heathers is wowing sold-out audiences at the Palace Theatre.
We’ve all seen the classic 1988 high school flick where Winona Ryder leads a world where cliques rule and jocks dominate, with all the ‘popular’ girls being called Heather.
And of course, the musical adaptation that rose to fame in 2018 does not disappoint.
A delightful combination of crunchy, bright, catchy songs alongside a morbid, melancholy plot line – the musical is nothing short of mesmerising.
Following two smash hit West End seasons and a record-breaking run at The Other Palace, Heathers the Musical is in the midst of a national tour and luckily for us, they’ll be in Manchester until Saturday 12 August.
Image: Supplied
Following the journey of protagonist and teenage misfit Veronica Sawyer, the musical perfectly depicts high school life and all its challenges.
The talented ensemble include all the stereotypes, the ‘stoner’, the ‘nerd’, the ‘theatre geek’ and of course the macho jocks clad in baseball jackets and six packs.
From the offset you are catapulted into high school life, with lockers lining the stage walls and students dancing joyously with cafeteria trays above their heads.
We are introduced to ‘The Heathers’, three leaders of the pack all dressed in primary colours and knee high socks with the school wrapped around their manicured fingers.
Heather Chandler, played by Verity Thompson, was an absolute power house, with vocals that shone to the upper tier of the auditorium leaving audience members stunned and applauding merrily.
Image: Supplied
We follow Veronica as she becomes a Heather herself, sporting an electric blue blazer and fake smile to try fit in with the ‘cool kids’.
She meets JD, a morbid troubled teen who leads her down a garden path to revenge, rebellion and inevitably murder.
Both Veronica and JD, played by Jenna Innes and Jacob Fowler, produced stand-out performances which had audience members chatting of their brilliance in the foyer throughout the interval.
We intently followed their love story, and accepted it with all its quirks, as they eliminated class mates who have wronged them one by one.
Image: Supplied
But although the plot line had moments of morbidity, the overall feeling was one of charm, pride and elation.
Heathers the Musical shrieks with joy throughout, and is an absolute explosion of a theatrical experience which will leave you wanting more and more.
Heathers the Musical is playing at The Palace Theatre until Saturday 12 August and you can get your tickets here, which we absolutely urge you to do so.
US rising star Reneé Rapp announces huge Manchester arena gig as part of European tour
Emily Sergeant
Reneé Rapp has just announced a European leg to her upcoming tour, and she’ll be stopping off in Manchester for a huge arena gig.
In just a few short years, Reneé Rapp has become a star… and her star is only rising higher.
At just 25-years-old, the critically-acclaimed musical theatre and TV actress has pivoted to become an undeniable pop sensation and film star – and an iconic figure in interviews too… which isn’t a job, but it should be – after landing her breakout role as Regina George in the Mean Girls musical on Broadway back in 2019.
Even though she chose to reprise her role as Regina George in the 2024 movie adaptation of the Mean Girls musical, since 2022, Rapp has largely turned her attention to her solo music career.
Reneé Rapp will be performing at Manchester’s AO Arena next March / Credit: Supplied
2022 saw Rapp release her debut EP, Everything to Everyone, before she then went on the channel her raw talent and authentic voice even further, and release her first full-length studio album Snow Angel in 2023.
Both 2024 and 2025 have been big musical years for Rapp too – so much so that she has now amassed more than 1.4 billion streams and counting across her entire discography.
An already-successful 2025 is about to become even more successful, as Rapp’s second album, Bite Me, is expected to be released on 1 August, and she’s also heading out on a highly anticipated US tour from late September through to late October.
Following on from her US tour, Rapp has today announced that she’ll be heading across the pond to Europe in the new year, and will be making her way over to Manchester to take to the iconic AO Arena stage in March 2026.
Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris are just some of the other cities Rapp will be visiting before Manchester, ahead of closing out the tour at London’s Wembley Arena.
Reneé Rapp will be playing a huge gig at the AO Arena in Manchester on Wednesday 18 March 2026 as part of the ‘Bite Me Tour’, and tickets officially go on sale next week – with both pre-sales and general sale available.
The Three+ presale will begin on Wednesday 30 July at 10am, and the AO Arena presale will start on Thursday 31 July, again at 10am, before general sale launches on Friday 1 August at 10am.
Road to Victory returns for massive Euro 2025 final screening at AO Arena
Danny Jones
England are in another final, and you know what that means: Road to Victory is returning to Manchester for another massive screening at the AO Arena as England’s women’s team prepare to defend their Euros trophy.
Sarina Weigman’s side made it to their second consecutive European final on Tuesday night following more late drama for the Lionesses against Italy.
The squad, which has seen a number of personnel changes since Euro 2022, managed to make it through to the final in the eleventh hour thanks to another stoppage-time equaliser from Michelle Agyemang and even more tense follow-up from a scuffed spot-kick by Chloe Kelly.
Will they ever stop giving us heart palpitations at major tournaments? Probably not, but the big watchalong party inside the AO Arena, which will see thousands turn up to watch the Euro 2025 final, is sure to deliver plenty of excitement either way.
For anyone unfamiliar with the massive fan zone – one of THE biggest in all Europe, in fact – Road to Victory is the unparalleled supporter party by AIX (Amplified Immersive Xperiences) Live, who specialise in the top-end of audio-visual matchday viewing vibes.
Having hosted huge screenings for the previous men’s Euros and the Qatar World Cup, and even inspiring a massive watchalong of last season’s Europa League final at the venue, Road to Victory (RtV) is just about as big and bold as it gets.
Think BOXPARK in London only bigger, more interactive and, dare we say it… better?
Yes, we do dare say it; having attended RtV on multiple occasions since it landed here back in 2022, we can confirm you won’t find an atmosphere quite like it anywhere else. At least not in Greater Manchester, anyway.
Case and point:
With doors to the women’s Euros screening opening at 4pm, there’ll be plenty of time for pre-match build-up before the game gets underway, and there’ll be plenty of entertainment, light displays, food, drinks and more – it’s just up to Manchester fans to be in full voice.
The Women’s European Championships certainly have a more all-ages, family-friendly feel to them, but Road to Victory and the AO Arena are still ensuring they deliver a palpable match-day energy.
Tickets are already live following England’s place in the last two of the Women’s Euros now confirmed, it’s merely a matter of securing yours and finding out who, out of Germany and Spain, will meet them in the final this weekend.
Once again, the 2025 Women’s Euros final kicks off at 5pm on Sunday, 27 July, and you can grab your tickets for the Road to Victory screening at the AO Arena in Manchester right HERE.
Clementine Hall -
9th August 2023 
