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Music and the Fictive Dream - Candy Store - Heathers: The Musical



For this assignment, I chose the song Candy Store from Heathers: The Musical. Heathers is a 2014 off-Broadway hit that is based on the 1988 film where three girls named Heather run their high school in Ohio. It started in 2010 with its origin being Joe's Pub. From all their power in high school, they spark disturbing actions and reactions from their classmates. It is said to have some resemblance to the movie Mean Girls. 

The musical follows the story of a girl named Veronica. She is a so-called "misfit" who wants to be popular and part of the popular crowd at any price. The three girls who rule the school are the Heathers. They are three girls named Heather, there is Heather Chandler, Heather McNamara, and Heather Duke. Heather Chandler is the leader of the group. The musical opens awareness to different topics in teen culture such as sexual assault, school violence, bullying, and teen suicide. 

Candy Store is the second song in Act One. During this song, Heather Chandler is singing to Veronica about what it takes to be popular. Heather Chandler offers Veronica the choice of being cruel and powerful like the Heathers group or being a nobody and going back to her "loser" friends like Martha. The song starts with Veronica having the realization that she was tricked into playing a prank on another character named Martha. Veronica forges a cruel love letter posing as Martha's lifelong crush on a character named Ram. 


Candy Store - 2010 - Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy - USA


Candy Store - 2010 - Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy - USA
Performed Off-Broadway in 2014
During the performance, Martha shows Veronica the love letter she thinks was written to her by Ram.

 
This work serves the story as a whole by showing what is offered to Veronica by the Heathers. "Candy Store" is a metaphor that is all the luxuries and things that the Heathers have. For example, candy includes boys and expensive cars. How a candy store attracts a child, Veronica is drawn to their metaphorical candy store. It as well gives insight into how Veronica felt bad about the letter that she wrote but was drawn in by everything the Heathers had to offer. 

The social/moral message this song offers the audience is the indictment of bullying and teenage cliques. It provides insight into why some of these issues occur in high school. For instance, some people might bully others because it makes them feel powerful. According to The Gazette, "It's the story of Veronica, a misfit who wants to be one of the cool kids, at any price," (Nollen 'heathers' musical uses dark humor to shine light on troubling teen issues).  The musical shows Veronica making the choice of being popular because of all the advantages that are offered to her. 

I think that Heathers shows a lot of dark issues involved in teen culture and high school. I think that sometimes these issues are ignored or are not spoken about. Regarding the music, I really like the difference in timbres between the Heathers' voices. I think Heather Chandler, who is the lead, has a stronger voice and richer timbre than the other ones. As well as the dynamics throughout the song change where they are louder when they are yelling towards Veronica, but when they talk about how good their life is they are softer. I think the different dynamics bring out the different elements and things going on throughout the song.  

References

“Heathers the Musical Ensemble (Ft. Alice Lee, Barrett Wilbert Weed, Elle Mclemore & Jessica Keenan Wynn) – Candy Store.” Genius, https://genius.com/Heathers-the-musical-ensemble-candy-store-lyrics. 

Nollen, Diana. “'Heathers' Musical Uses Dark Humor to Shine Light on Troubling Teen Issues.” Log In, 28 Aug. 2018, https://www.thegazette.com/arts-entertainment/heathers-musical-uses-dark-humor-to-shine-light-on-troubling-teen-issues/. 



Comments

  1. Tel JensenNovember 26, 2022 at 1:26 PM

    I agree that the candy store is a metaphor for the luxuries the Heathers have. Throughout the song, they seem trying to entice Veronica into submitting to their will. I like the social commentary message you provided. It is a good example of how cliques in high school can be very toxic and destructive. 

    The movie Grease is another excellent example of a film about high school life. One of the songs in it that portrays relationships in high school is "Summer Nights."

    Here is the link to the song from Grease.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW0DfsCzfq4

    ReplyDelete
  2. dseay07November 28, 2022 at 7:33 PM

     I enjoyed the Candy Store musical, and you are right. It is similar to the movie "Mean Girls." I noticed today in this society that girls like the Heathers are still bringing that style to schools. And being the cool kid at school doesn't mean you are better than everyone. It's about being a team player and a humble example to your peers. I also enjoyed the different timbres between the Heathers. All came together so well. 

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