Before Mean Girls, there was Heathers

The most toxic character on Tauranga Musical Theatre's Heathers nailed her audition via Skype, all the way from Dunedin.

Georgia Baker, who plays horrid Heather Chandler, moved from Dunedin to Mount Maunganui to be with partner and BOP Steamers player Hugh Blake in April.

Georgia was keen to join the local amateur theatre community before her move here and jumped at the chance to audition for the role. Hers was the first and only Skype-audition done by TMT.

Georgia's biggest role before this has been playing Mama Mia's Sophie for Musical Theatre Dunedin. She trained at one of Britain's leading training academies for performers Associated Studios in London.

Georgia plays the meanest girl in Heathers.

"I play Heather Chandler, the queen of high school. With the other two Heathers, we are the ones that the other students look up to or are even slightly scared of. It's my first time playing a role like that, it's really fun and you can be quite playful with it."

Heathers tells the story of nice girl Veronica who has finally become part of the popular crew, the three "Heathers". Her dark new boyfriend JD detests the head Heather, and Heather is poisoned. The couple make a fake suicide note, unintentionally making the mean girl look good, and more deaths ensue.

Heathers was originally a 1988 film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.

TMT's Heathers is directed by Ginevra Wohlstadt.

Originally from Australia (Ginevra was previously a blast hole driller in Western Australia) the 30-year-old has been a TMT committee member since she moved to New Zealand four years ago.

The production has attracted performers from outside Tauranga such as Georgia, and others have come from Whakatane and Matamata.

Ginevra says Heathers is no 1980s ballad-type musical.

"There's no soft ballads of the 1980s, it's not a jukebox musical. New-age movies and musicals are so popular and are all coming out — Mean Girls by Tina Fey is now a musical — it really resonates with this age group and the music is quite modern, more early 1990s, and it is so funny."

Heathers is likened to Mean Girls with its bitchy popular girl theme. It is definitely a dark comedy, Ginevra says.

"The show contains reference to suicide, consent, homosexuality but all in the best format which is comedy. It's not moody or depressing, you don't walk out after thinking 'that was pretty dark' ... it's a bit of a romp."

Heathers contains the original score such as Dead Girl Walking, Blue, Shine a Light and My Dead Gay Son. Ginevra says lead role Veronica — played by Bailea Twomey — has an incredible voice type which will impress.

"The way Elise Rohde (musical director and theatre president) has put the harmonies together ... she creates those extra layers within the score."

Heathers is choreographed by Zoe Hunter.

What: Heathers

Where: Tauranga Musical Theatre, 17th Ave

When: August 18-September 1.