New in 2018 A new musical about a royal family that must prevent an oracle's prophecy of doom, featuring the songs of the all-female rock band the Go-Go's.
From the producers: An inspired mash-up of posh and punk, "Head Over Heels" is an unpredictable Elizabethan romp about a royal family that must prevent an oracle’s prophecy of doom. In order to save their beloved kingdom, the family embarks on an extravagant journey where they are faced with mistaken identities, love triangles, sexual awakening and self-discovery.
"Head Over Heels" uses the music of the Go-Go's to tell an updated take on Philip Sidney’s "Arcadia." Audiences can expect such Go-Go’s hits as “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” and the title tune, as well as original Go-Go’s member Belinda Carlisle’s singles “Mad About You” and “Heaven is a Place on Earth.” The musical had it's world premiere in 2018 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.
The current cast includes Jeremy Kushnier ("Paramour"), Rachel York ("Disaster!"), Alexandra Socha ("Spring Awakening"), Peppermint ("RuPaul’s Drag Race"), Andrew Durand ("Spring Awakening"), Taylor Iman Jones ("Groundhog Day"), Bonnie Milligan (the national tour of "Kinky Boots"), and Tom Alan Robbins ("The Lion King"). Tony winner Michael Mayer ("American Idiot," "Spring Awakening") directs.
"Head Over Heels" is a cockamamie mish mash of disparate elements that at best is a high-energy goofball of a show and at worst, well...see for yourself. It gets awfully complicated and audiences may tune out before it's all resolved. But if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, under Mayer's spirited direction, there's so much good-natured talent on the stage you may just give in to the frivolity. Liff's dazzling choreography is an intricate kaleidoscope of synchronized arms and legs featuring some of the best dancers on Broadway.
Entertainment Weekly
The plot is so slight that it's surprising when actual consequences come calling in Act 2, and that's a compliment to Act 1: Frothy romantic entanglements are all the substance this comedy needs. The joyful production dials the camp to 11; this is a show with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. Everyone in the charismatic cast gets (and milks) their moment in the spotlight. The result is a production that feels as freewheeling and handcrafted as a local outdoor Shakespeare festival.
