HEATHERS THE MUSICAL ANNOUNCES CASTING UPDATES

“AN OUTRAGEOUS, IRREPRESSIBLE MUSICAL PACKED WITH A MERCILESSLY CATCHY MIX OF BANGERS AND BALLADS!"
The New York Times

“DELICIOUSLY DARK!”
Observer

“A JOLTING, DERANGED JOY. A MUST SEE!”
Mashable

“IT’S A TOTAL KNOCKOUT!”
AMNY

“A hot guy smiled at me
without a trace of mockery…”

HEATHERS THE MUSICAL
ANNOUNCES CASTING UPDATES

ANIYA THOMPSON AND DANIEL DIPINTO JOIN THE CAST

ERIN MORTON PLAYS HER FINAL PERFORMANCE ON
MONDAY, JULY 6

At Westerberg High, popularity has always been a blood sport. Now, as Heathers The Musical continues its Off-Broadway run at New World Stages, the darkly comic cult favorite is welcoming new faces into its candy-colored danger zone.

The production, now in its third extension, is playing at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, through September 6, 2026.

Aniya Thompson will join the cast on Wednesday, July 8, making her Off-Broadway debut as Martha Dunnstock. She succeeds original cast member Erin Morton, who will play her final performance on Monday, July 6. Morton’s performance earned her 2026 Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Award nominations.

Daniel DiPinto joins the company on Wednesday, June 24, as Preppy Stud. His credits include the international tour of West Side Story and regional productions of Evita, Bull Durham, Titanic, Waitress, Little Shop of Horrors, and Footloose.

The casting updates arrive as Heathers continues to prove that high school, when scored correctly, can still be fatal, funny, and commercially unstoppable. The production began performances on June 22, 2025, and officially opened on July 10, 2025. It launched with the largest advance in New World Stages’ 21-year history and has since broken the house record four times.

As previously announced, Ava DeMary and Tony Award nominee Jeannette Bayardelle will also join the cast on Wednesday, June 24. DeMary will play Heather McNamara, while Bayardelle will take on the dual role of Ms. Fleming and Veronica’s Mom. Elizabeth Teeter plays her final performance as Heather McNamara on Sunday, June 21, and Lisa Ann Walter plays her final performance as Ms. Fleming/Veronica’s Mom on Monday, June 22.

Thompson, who hails from Normal, Illinois, recently made New York City her new home. A 2025 graduate of Western Michigan University’s BFA musical theatre program, her favorite credits include Effie White in Dreamgirls, Pearl in SpongeBob SquarePants, and Nehebka in Aida. Her arrival marks both her New York and Off-Broadway debut.

Based on the 1989 cult film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers The Musical follows Veronica Sawyer, a smart, invisible teenage girl who is pulled into the orbit of the Heathers — three beautiful, brutal classmates who rule Westerberg High with coordinated outfits and casual cruelty. Then comes J.D., the mysterious rebel who teaches Veronica that being a nobody may hurt, but being a somebody can be murder.

The musical features book, music, and lyrics by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, based on the film by Daniel Waters. Andy Fickman directs.

The current cast stars Isabella Esler as Veronica Sawyer; John Cardoza as Jason “J.D.” Dean; Zan Berube as Heather Chandler; Jackera Davis as Heather Duke; Chris Marsh Clark as Ram Sweeney; Cade Ostermeyer as Kurt Kelly; Adam Bashian as Ram’s Dad/Big Bud Dean/Coach Ripper; and Jimmy Ray Bennett as Kurt’s Dad/Veronica’s Dad/Principal Gowan.

The ensemble includes Sara Al-Bazali, Thalia Atallah, Emma Benson, Devin Cortez, Daniel DiPinto, James Caleb Grice, Louis Griffin, Devin Lewis, Kiara Michelle Lee, Syd Sider, and Cecilia Trippiedi.

Since its earliest life in Los Angeles in 2013, followed by its 2014 Off-Broadway run, Heathers has grown from cult obsession to international phenomenon. The musical has enjoyed multiple West End productions and tours, won the 2019 WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Musical, and was filmed for streaming on The Roku Channel in 2022. Its fan base, known as the “Corn Nuts,” has helped fuel more than 1,400 productions worldwide.

The creative team includes choreographer and U.K. associate director Gary Lloyd, with additional choreography by Stephanie Klemons. David Shields serves as set and costume designer, with lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound by Dan Samson, hair design by Caitlin Molloy, and co-costume design by Siena Zoë Allen. Will Joy is music supervisor, Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh is music director, and arrangements and orchestrations are by Laurence O’Keefe and Ben Green.

Heathers The Musical is presented by Bill Kenwright Ltd., Paul Taylor-Mills, and Jerry Goehring.

Tickets are available at heathersthemusical.com.