Head Over Heels Is Beginning Previews On Broadway On Saturday, Directed By Michael Mayer With A Book By Jeff Whitty And Go-Go's Music Arranged By Tom Kitt.
We Got the Beat and More Hits Grace the Broadway Stage
On Saturday, June 23, 2018, Head Over Heels will begin preview performances at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre, ahead of an opening night scheduled for July 26, 2018. This marks the newest show to enter the recently resuscitated Hudson Theatre, which, since being acquired by the British company Ambassador Theatre Group, has been restored to its original theatrical use.
Jukebox Musicals Proliferate On Broadway
Head Over Heels is also the newest jukebox musical to hit Broadway, in a season that is full of 'em. Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is up and running, and The Cher Show is in Chicago ahead of its fall Broadway plans. Head Over Heels, features the songbook of the American rock band The Go-Go’s, which were most active in the late 70s to mid-80s, and have also continued to release music up until this day.
The Go-Go’s had many incarnations over the years, with the classic line-up consisting of Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, and Charlotte Caffey. Belinda Carlisle is the vocalist and one of the founding members, and Jane Wiedlin was also a founding member on guitar and vocals. The musical features such hit songs as “We Got the Beat,” “Head Over Heels,” “Cool Jerk,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Lust to Love,” “Get Up and Go,” as well as Carlisle’s solo hits “Mad About You” and “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”
Michael Mayer Directs From a Book by Jeff Whitty
The musical was conceived by Jeff Whitty, known for writing the book to Avenue Q as well as Bring It On. Head Over Heels is based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney, adapted by James Magruder. The music is orchestrated and arranged by Tom Kitt, who did the same for the diverse musical score of SpongeBob SquarePants, and whose composing credits include If/Then, Orphans, Bring It On the Musical, Next to Normal, and High Fidelity.
The show is directed by Michael Mayer, whose credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Idiot, and Spring Awakening (2006). The choreographer is Spencer Liff and the diverse cast includes Andrew Durand as Musidorus, Taylor Iman Jones as Mopsa, Jeremy Kushnier as Basilius, Bonnie Milligan as Pamela, Peppermint (RuPaul’s Drag Race) as Pythio, Tom Alan Robbins as Dametas, Alexandra Socha as Philoclea, and Rachel York as Gynecia, along with an ensemble of eight performers.
Peppermint Makes History as Trans Woman on Broadway
Among the performers making their Broadway debuts in this production is Peppermint, who is well known for her participation in the television show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” As of Saturday, Peppermint is the first woman who openly identifies as trans to originate a principal role on Broadway.
She also made history by becoming the first drag queen to compete on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as an openly trans woman (others came out as trans while on the show or after). Prior to placing as runner-up in Season 9, she had become well-known in the New York nightlife scene, and the series gave her a national platform. Now Head Over Heels is making Broadway history, with Peppermint leading the way.
