Ooh Heaven is a Place at ’Berg
Jukebox musical Head Over Heels hits the Muhlenberg College stage, April 18-21By: Sarah Wedeking ’24 Friday, March 15, 2024 02:43 PM
“We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” and other hits by The Go-Go’s will take center stage at Muhlenberg College in the jukebox musical Head Over Heels — a mashup of romantic comedy, 16th-century prose and ’80s rock ’n’ roll. The production promises a “rollercoaster ride of discovery and queer joy,” says director Alessandra Fanelli.
“We want audiences to be swept away by the infectious melodies, witty dialogue, and spirited performances,” Fanelli says. “The show defies expectations in the best way possible.”
Head Over Heels follows the escapades of a royal family on a quest to preserve the mysterious “Beat” and save their beloved kingdom of Arcadia from extinction. Loosely based on Sir Phillip Sidney’s 16th-century play “The Arcadia,” the musical was conceived by Jeff Whitty and adapted by James MacGruder. Vincent Trovato is musical director, with choreographer Samuel Antonio Reyes. The show runs April 18-21 in Muhlenberg’s Baker Theatre.
“Head Over Heels is ultimately a celebration of love in all its forms — of embracing who you are without apology, and of daring to dream big.”
— Alessandra Fanelli, director
“It’s a story about belonging, gender and queer identity all set to the music of The Go-Go’s,” says assistant director Aidan White ’25. “It’s a very campy blend of so many amazing things that shouldn’t work but do.”
The original Broadway production made history by featuring the first openly transgender actor to originate a Broadway role, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Peppermint. Queer characters are at the forefront of the show, representing gender-fluid, non-binary, lesbian, and other LGBTQIA+ identities.
“Head Over Heels is ultimately a celebration of love in all its forms,” Fanelli says, “of embracing who you are without apology, and of daring to dream big.”
The musical score is composed entirely of hit songs by The Go-Go’s, one of the most successful all-female rock bands of all time, and the first successful all-female band to write their own songs and play their own instruments, says dramaturg Rowan Joyce ’24. “The band was at the forefront of female rock and punk identity. We kind of think of them as ‘girl pop,’ but they really emerged from the ’80s L.A. punk scene.” Joyce says this punk-rock attitude radiates through Head Over Heels.
“It’s a mix of modern punk and queer rebellion,” says White. “Elizabethan culture meets rock concert.”
While the play is set in Elizabethan times, the story is timeless, says assistant director C.J. McDonald ’24. “It’s just a fun show with deeper, beautiful meanings,” she says. “It tells you, ‘I can be so much more than what society has told me.’”
The production design features vivid sets and costumes inspired by The Go-Go’s and by queer iconography. Fanelli says every queer reference in the production is “100% intentional to pay homage to stories that haven’t always had the privilege of being told.”
Audiences will appreciates the show’s deeper themes, Joyce says, but they're going to love its lively humor and energetic performances. “The show is hilarious,” she says. “I think audiences are gonna walk away saying, ‘I love musical theatre.’”
“It’s a party!” White adds. “Come have a good time with us!”
Head Over Heels runs April 18-21 in the Baker Theatre, Muhlenberg College. Showtimes are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Public tickets are $20. Youth tickets and tickets for LVAIC students, faculty and staff are $8. Tickets and information are available at muhlenberg.edu/seeashow or 484-664-3333.
About the Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance Department
Muhlenberg offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in theatre and dance. The Princeton Review ranked Muhlenberg’s theatre program in the top twelve in the nation for eight years in a row, and Fiske Guide to Colleges lists both the theatre and dance programs among the top small college programs in the United States. Muhlenberg is one of only eight colleges to be listed in Fiske for both theatre and dance.
About Muhlenberg College
Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. With an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences; selected preprofessional programs, including accounting, business, education and public health; and progressive workforce-focused post-baccalaureate certificates and master’s degrees. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City, Muhlenberg is a member of the Centennial Conference, competing in 23 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
