Heathers: The Musical
Act One
### Act One

In [1989](/wiki/1989_in_the_United_States "1989 in the United States"), seventeen\-year\-old Veronica Sawyer despairs at Westerberg High School's hellish [social hierarchy](/wiki/Social_stratification "Social stratification"), where students like the heavyset Martha Dunnstock, Veronica's best friend, are tormented by jocks Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly, and the school is ruled by a [clique](/wiki/Clique "Clique") called the Heathers: weak\-willed Heather McNamara, [bulimic](/wiki/Bulimia_nervosa "Bulimia nervosa") and petty but repressed Heather Duke, and "mythic bitch" Heather Chandler. When Veronica's talent for [forgery](/wiki/Forgery "Forgery") gets the Heathers out of detention, they give her a makeover and elevate her to their inner circle ("Beautiful").

Heather C. orders Veronica to forge a [love letter](/wiki/Love_letter "Love letter") from Ram to Martha, tempting Veronica with the promise of popularity ("Candy Store"). The mysterious, [poetry](/wiki/Poetry "Poetry")\-quoting new kid, Jason "J.D." Dean, criticizes Veronica for betraying her friend. After J.D. wins a fight against Ram and Kurt, Veronica finds herself unexpectedly attracted to him ("Fight for Me"). Veronica's parents confess to their daughter that they are not sure they like her new friends and would prefer if she hung out with Martha again ("Candy Store (Playoff)").

Veronica flirts with J.D. at a [7\-Eleven](/wiki/7-Eleven "7-Eleven"), where he extols the [virtues](/wiki/Virtue "Virtue") of the [Slurpee](/wiki/Slurpee "Slurpee") for numbing his grief ("Freeze Your Brain"). At Ram's [homecoming](/wiki/Homecoming "Homecoming") party, Veronica gets increasingly [drunk](/wiki/Alcohol_intoxication "Alcohol intoxication") ("Big Fun"). When the Heathers cruelly prank Martha, Veronica angrily resigns from the group and [vomits](/wiki/Vomiting "Vomiting") on Heather C., who in turn vows to destroy her reputation. With nothing left to live for, Veronica breaks into J.D.'s bedroom and has sex with him ("Dead Girl Walking").

After suffering tormenting dreams ("Veronica's Chandler Nightmare"), Veronica, with J.D. in tow, apologizes to Heather C. and mixes [hangover](/wiki/Hangover "Hangover") cures for her. J.D. adds toxic [drain cleaner](/wiki/Drain_cleaner "Drain cleaner") to his mug and convinces Veronica into serving it to Heather C., who drops dead. Veronica panics, but J.D. convinces her to forge a [suicide](/wiki/Suicide "Suicide") note, which paints Heather C. as more complex and misunderstood. This fictionalized version of her wins everyone's [sympathy](/wiki/Sympathy "Sympathy") and becomes even more revered in death than she was in life ("The Me Inside of Me").

Veronica tries to get on with her normal life, but she is berated and mocked by Heather C.'s [ghost](/wiki/Ghost "Ghost"), who warns that she had kept the other two Heathers in check and with her gone, things would only get worse. She tries to rescue the remaining Heathers from a drunk Kurt and Ram, who unsuccessfully try to [rape](/wiki/Rape "Rape") her ("Blue" or "You're Welcome"). With Heather C. dead, Heather D. assumes her status and symbolic red [scrunchie](/wiki/Scrunchie "Scrunchie"), becoming even more of a [tyrant](/wiki/Tyrant "Tyrant") than Heather C. was, while Ram and Kurt tell everyone they had sex with Veronica ("Blue (Reprise)" or "Never Shut Up Again"). Veronica is branded as a [slut](/wiki/Slut "Slut") ("Blue" (Playoff)—not included in West End and future productions), and when J.D. attacks the jocks to defend her, they savagely beat him.

J.D. and Veronica comfort each other and plan a vengeful prank: she will lure the jocks to the [cemetery](/wiki/Cemetery "Cemetery") with the promise of making their fictional [threesome](/wiki/Threesome "Threesome") real, then together they will shoot them with tranquilizer "" bullets to knock them out before leaving another forged suicide note confessing they were [gay](/wiki/Gay "Gay") lovers. When they arrive, J.D. shoots Ram but Veronica misses Kurt. As she realizes that Ram is dead and the bullets are real, J.D. then shoots Kurt dead and proclaims his undying love to a horrified Veronica ("Our Love Is God").


What message do the authors convey through the portrayal of J.D. and Veronica's relationship?