The 2018 Broadway musical Head Over Heels, featuring a score by the all-female '80s rock band The Go-Go’s, make its European premiere at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, officially opening February 1 following previews that began January 26.
Directed and choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves, performances continue through March 4.
The company features Luke Bayer as Musidorus, Iz Hesketh as Pythio, Jenny O’Leary as Pamela, Daniel Page as Dametas, Maiya Quansah Breed as Philoclea, Khadija Sallet as Mopsa, Julie Stark as Gynecia, and Fed Zanni as Basilius.
The ensemble includes Alison Driver, Samuel Routley, Marina Tavolieri, and Timo Tatzber.
Head Over Heels offers an updated take on Philip Sidney’s Arcadia, rife with dramatic irony, comical courtship, and mistaken identity. James Magruder is the writer of the stage adaptation, based on an original book by Avenue Q Tony winner Jeff Whitty for the musical's 2015 premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Head Over Heels includes numerous hits by The Go Go’s (Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, Jane Wiedlin), including “We Got the Beat,” “Get Up and Go,” “Cool Jerk,” “Vacation,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Lust to Love,” “Head Over Heels,” as well as Carlisle’s solo hits “Mad About You” and “Heaven Is a Place on Earth.”
Director Greaves said in an earlier statement, “Head Over Heels has been on my radar since its inception. Its color, pride, and joy, combined with the music of The Go-Go’s, is a delicious recipe. There are very few new musicals that excite me as much—from its portrayal of queer experiences to its comment on the patriarchy, with its mounds of silliness—the piece is a breath of fresh air within the art form. It’s a rebellion against the confines of history. It’s a celebration of uniqueness. It’s the perfect antidote (and in some ways challenge) to the world's darkness in 2022, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with Manchester.”
The production also has music direction by Arelene McNaught, set and costume design by Sophia Pardon, lighting design by Jamie Platt, and casting by Lucy Casson.
Gartland Productions and Chris Maguire produce.
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