A show selected by students opens the 2019-20 season of Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater in Palos Hills.

“Heathers: The Musical” runs Nov. 1-10 at the Fine and Performing Arts Center’s Dorothy Menker Theater.

“Our students for the last couple of years have really been requesting it,” said Craig Rosen, the show’s director.

“Finally we put a little poll up online with options of shows we were thinking about doing. They were all very different from each other. This won by a landslide. There wasn’t a close second,” he said.

“I think they like the dark humor. It’s edgy in its language and humor so there’s youthfulness and fun about it and a cynicism that our students like.”

“Heathers: The Musical” is not appropriate for children as the show contains strong language, intense adult themes and loud gun shots.

“It’s based on the movie from 1989 with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. It’s a satire or dark comedy about a suburban high school that is ruled by the popular kids. There are three girls all named Heather,” Rosen said.

“They give another girl a makeover. Her name is Veronica. We see the cruelty of the high school kids and the havoc they can wreak. Veronica and her dark and serious boyfriend first accidentally and then purposely kill some of the popular kids to make the school a happier place.”

Based on the film “Heathers” by Daniel Waters, “Heathers: The Musical” is by Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy.

O’Keefe wrote music and lyrics for “Bat Boy: The Musical” and co-wrote music and lyrics for “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” Murphy wrote book and lyrics for “Reefer Madness” and co-wrote the musical’s film adaptation and was a co-executive producer for the TV series “Desperate Housewives.”

“The basic story line is the same. There’s some iconic images and lines from the movie,” said Rosen, who is working with musical director Michael Potsic and choreographer Christina Pacini on “Heathers: The Musical.”

“The musical adds a little bit of backstory that you don’t have in the movie and condenses some of the characters into one.”

The cast of mostly Moraine Valley Community College students includes residents of Alsip, Calumet Park, Chicago’s Beverly community, Chicago Ridge, Evergreen Park, Justice, Lansing, Matteson, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Summit, Tinley Park and Worth.

“They seem to be really excited about being cast in this specific show because they love it so much. They really pined to do it so that’s added excitement and enthusiasm to it,” Rosen said.

The Nov. 3 performance of “Heathers: The Musical” includes a talkback session afterwards.

“After Columbine and so many school shootings, ‘Heathers’ takes on a little bit of a different meaning,” Rosen said.

Moraine Valley Community College’s Academic Theater season also includes “Metamorphosis” by Steven Berkoff and based on the novel by Franz Kafka from Feb. 28-March 8, and “Eurydice” by Sarah Ruhl from April 24-May 3 both in the John and Angeline Oremus Theater.

The 2019-20 season concludes with the free “Twelfth Night, or What You Will” by William Shakespeare July 16-19 outdoors at the Gateway.

Jessi Virtusio is a freelancer for the Daily Southtown.