McKenzie Kurtz Finds Her Wicked Edge in Heathers The Musical

In just the past few years, McKenzie Kurtz has floated down from the sky as Glinda in Wicked and built a snowman as Princess Anna in Frozen. Now this rising star of the theater scene is trading in her tiaras for a red scrunchie and much sharper language as Heather Chandler in Heathers The Musical at New World Stages. It’s a deliciously dark change of pace for Kurtz, who’s happy to flex her comedic chops in a whole new light.

Based on the 1989 black comedy film, the musical follows high school misfit Veronica Sawyer (played by Lorna Courtney) as she’s drawn into the dangerous orbit of the Heathers, the three most popular and feared girls at Westerburg High. “Playing the mean girl” checks off yet another bucket-list role for Kurtz, who has long been obsessed with the cast album. As she continues her reign as queen bee, the actress reflects on her personal connection with the show, her jar of fan-gifted scrunchies and why she’ll always have a soft spot for comedy.

How did you first get acquainted with Heathers?
I'm pretty sure I saw the movie while I was in high school, but my first real obsession with it began with the release of the original cast recording in the 2014 New World Stages era. I graduated from high school in 2015 and so I remember the summer after my freshman year of college, I constantly was listening to Heathers in the car, constantly singing it and was just absolutely obsessed with it.

Fans of the show call themselves “corn nuts” in response to a line from your character. Were you a corn nut yourself?
For sure. I would classify myself as a corn nut. Absolutely.

Why do people connect with this musical so strongly?
It’s for this younger generation of high schoolers who experience all of the things that we talk about in this show. For better or for worse, people can relate to it and I think they see themselves in it. For me, I had an experience with bullying growing up, and that's one of the bigger themes. Ultimately, at the end of the show, I feel like the message delivered is that life can be beautiful and we should all be kind to each other.

People have also simply fallen in love with these characters. It blows my mind—just being at the stage door every night seeing people come in full costume. Even if Heather Chandler is a terrible person, people will show up wearing her iconic red. They tell me, “This gives me power” and “This makes me feel confident.” I think there's something for everybody in all of these characters.

How many red scrunchies have you collected from fans?
Oh, I've received hundreds. I have a glass jar in my apartment where I keep all of my stage door treasures, and it means a lot that people take the time to bring scrunchies or make bracelets. It's really sweet.

You’ve taken on the roles of Glinda in Wicked and Anna in Frozen. How did you approach this much darker comedic role?
I will say it's really fun to be bad. Heather Chandler is so vicious—I love it. It’s been different tapping into that place and playing a mean girl as opposed to a bubbly, light sort of person. I try to take Heather seriously and play the truth of who she is, while also adding that dark comedy element to it.

Chandler is backed up by two other Heathers, Heather McNamara, played by Elizabeth Teeter, and Heather Duke, played by Olivia Hardy. What’s it been like creating these roles with them?
They're the best! Olivia and I actually went to school together, so we've known each other for a while. Elizabeth and I had many mutual friends before we started the rehearsal process. They're both so incredibly talented and so kind. On stage, it's so fun to play off each other. This whole cast is incredible. It’s a joy to work with these people who are just itching to kill it every night.

I know audiences have been cracking up night after night. Is there a particular moment that the cast struggles to get through and not break character?BR> There are probably more than just one, which is bad, but I would say night after night, it’s the top of act two, which is “My Dead Gay Son.” There's a lot of giggling that goes on for sure.

In addition to all the giggling, there's still a lot of tough subject matter here. How do you decompress after the show and take yourself out of Heather Chandler mode?
I am someone who likes to go home and have my alone time and listen to music, watch a movie and kind of distract my brain to calm down. We also just talk a lot as a cast. You know, we have an open dialogue about this subject matter, which is really nice. Everyone's there for everyone if someone needs to talk or has an issue with something. So, that's been really lovely as well.

From Glinda to Anna to Heather, you’re quickly becoming the go-to actress for comedic roles on Broadway. What other dream roles are left for you?
Anything in Young Frankenstein—I'm a big Mel Brooks fan. I mean, Lady of the Lake in Spamalot. Also the Baker’s Wife or the Witch in Into the Woods. And speaking of Sondheim, Mrs. Lovett. There’s Audrey in Little Shop. And Ado Annie [in Oklahoma!]. I have so many dream roles, I'm lucky that I've already played three big ones that were on my bucket list for a very long time. I’d also love to be in a play. I did a play every year when I was in high school, and I miss doing just like a straight play as well.

Would you ever consider leaving the comedy world behind?
I would never say no to getting to be in a more dramatic role, but I will say comedy is my first love.