Cult classic film turned West End hit Heathers The Musical comes to The Kings Theatre in Southsea

But with top-flight performances from its young leads, Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, and themes that generation after generation of teenagers could relate to it went on to become a cult hit. So much so that it was eventually given the ultimate accolade – in 2010 it was made into a musical which went on to be a West End hit.

And that musical is now on its second UK tour, which comes to The Kings next week.

The action takes place in Westerberg High, where popularity is so very a matter of life and death, and Veronica Sawyer is just another of the nobodies dreaming of a better day.

But when she’s unexpectedly taken under the wings of the three beautiful and impossibly cruel Heathers, her dreams of popularity finally start to come true.

That is until JD, the mysterious teen rebel, teaches her that it might kill to be a nobody, but it’s murder being a somebody.

Keelan McAuley takes on the JD role. As a Canadian, where they have the same high school system as in The States, he is all too familiar with that world.

He says: "The school I went to? It was basically just like the movies, run-of-the-mill, North American high school.

“My high school specifically had all of the stereotype groups pretty much to the max, with the theatre kids, the jocks, the nerds, the popular, mean people, it had it all.

“I've experienced it, that's why I feel like I can emulate high school material quite well because I've been there, I've lived it, and I've been a part of many of the groups.

“My high school had, it was a specialised arts program and then it also had a specialised sports programme, so it definitely made the jocks a very defined group, and it made the theatre kids a very defined group, and then there was the band kids, there was the science kids, honestly, it was very movie-esque.

“It's not as brutal (as Heathers),” he laughs, “but the social circles are definitely the same.”

While he is a fan of the film, it was actually the musical version which Keelan knew and – as a ‘theatre kid’ – fell in love with.

“I went through high school loving Heathers and listening to Heathers on my drive to school every day. And then I got to see an amateur production of it in my city when I was still in high school, and the production was very good, but just seeing the show and the material, I was like, oh my gosh, I love this.

"It's been one of my favorite musicals ever since I discovered it, and especially because when I discovered it going through high school, it was so relatable.

Aside from the obvious factors, there were lots of relatable things about JD that I loved, and I always knew I wanted to play that part if I ever could. In terms of the social outcast aspect, being someone transitioning from sports into theatre and stuff like that, I definitely had my fair share of bully experiences like they all do in the show. It's easy to tap back into that during the emotional scenes, thinking about how cruel teen society can be at that age.

"That's why I think the show, aside from it just being very entertaining and the music being amazing, I think it really hits home.

“Even for people that haven't experienced that, it's just a great message about humanity and society in general. I think anyone can watch it and get something out of it.”

The cast on the tour is the same cast that has recently completed a six week run in the West End. It also means McAuley has already got strong chemistry with Jemma Innes, who plays Veronica.“Jenna and I got along really well right away.

"She'd already done the role on the last tour, but I was new, so I was worried. I was like, ‘oh, you know, maybe it'll be tough for her to get used to it with me’, and I want to be as good as the last guy she did it with.

“But then we really found our own groove, and because we get along really well off stage, I think that it really helps our chemistry on stage.

"It was nice because she really took me under her wing in terms of helping me with the show and the scenes and everything and we built that trust really early on. You need that trust when you're doing the dramatic work on stage – it goes from two very different extremes, from passionate romance to literally trying to kill each other!”

Jenna was also able to just help Keelan in stepping up to a big show in general – before Heathers, she was Eponine in Les Miserables in the West End.

"This is only my second professional theatre job in the UK,” says Keelan, “and this is definitely a level up. The last show I did was just a regional development run of Clueless The Musical.

“Having Jenna as a support through all of it was honestly such a gift.”

It is at The Kings Theatre in Southsea from August 6-10. Tickets from £12.50. Go kingsportsmouth.co.uk.