Broadway’s Musicals – HEAD OVER HEELS

By Mabel Pais

“A Surging Pulse, Raw Edge & Rebel Vibe” – San Francisco Chronicle

“A Marriage of Power Pop and Pure Farce!” – Variety

Head Over Heelsis a celebration of love in all its forms, joyful, fun and full of heart”….”making people jump from their seats and dance”- The Go-Go’s

Rachel York as Queen Gynecia and Jeremy Kushnier as King Basilius (center) and the company
Photo / Joan Marcus, 2018

Head Over Heels is the new musical comedy, on Broadway’s theater district, featuring the iconic songs of The Go-Go’s– Charlotte Caffey, Belinda Carlisle, Gina Schock, Kathy Valentine, Jane Wiedlin – the most successful female rock band of all time.

In the kingdom of Arcadia, the “beat” is divine. But when an oracle’s prophecy of doom threatens its beloved beat, it propels the king and his royal family through a journey of mistaken identities, jealous lovers, secret rendezvouses and sexual awakening – where everything (and everyone) is not what it seems.

Making their Broadway debut as songwriters, The Go-Go’ssaid, “Head Over Heelsis a celebration of love in all its forms, joyful, fun and full of heart, driven by the songs that for decades have been making people jump from their seats and dance.”

The Company

The principal cast of Head Over Heelsfeatures Andrew Durand (Spring Awakening), Taylor Iman Jones (Groundhog Day), Jeremy Kushnier (Cirque du Soleil Paramour), Bonnie Milligan (Kinky Boots tour; Broadway debut), Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”; Broadway debut; the first trans-woman actress to create a principal role on Broadway), Tom Alan Robbins (The Lion King, original cast), Alexandra Socha (Spring Awakening) and Rachel York (Disaster!).

The Head Over Heels ensemble is Amber Ardolino (Hamilton), Sharon Catherine Brown (Dreamgirls), Yurel Echezarreta (Aladdin), Lisa Finegold (Rock of Ages), Brian Flores (Pippin tour; Broadway debut), Ari Groover (Holler If Ya Hear Me), Tanya Haglund (Chicago tour; Broadway debut), Arica Jackson (Waitress tour; Broadway debut), Gregory Liles (Broadway debut), Gavin Lodge (Annie), Samantha Pollino (Hot Feet), Justin Prescott (Cirque Du Soleil Paramour), Christine Shepard (Broadway debut), Tanner Ray Wilson (Cats, 2017 revival) and Ricardo A. Zayas (Hamilton).

The Go-Go’s

The Go-Go’shave presided over an amazing three-decade reign as high pop priestesses. From their very first show, The Go-Go’swrote and played their own songs, offering five feisty role models for a generation of ready-to-rock girls and guys. The internationally-loved pop hit makers helped cement the foundation of the early ‘80s pop-rock sound.

Head Over Heels features 18 of The Go-Go’siconic hit songs including “We Got the Beat,” “Get Up and Go,” “Cool Jerk,” “Vacation,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Lust to Love,” “Head Over Heels” and Belinda Carlisle’s solo hits “Mad About You” and “Heaven is a Place on Earth.”

Creative Team

From the visionaries that rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Next To Normal, American Idiot, Spring Awakening and Avenue Q, the Head Over Heelscreative team is led by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer with musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Pulitzer

Prize and Tony winner Tom Kitt and choreography by Emmy and Drama Desk nominee Spencer Liff.

Head Over Heelswas conceived and has an original book by Tony winner Jeff Whitty and is adapted by James Magruder. Head Over Heelsis based on the bookThe Arcadiaby Sir Philip Sidney.

The creative team also includes scenic design by Tony Award nominee Julian Crouch, costume design by Academy Award and Tony Award nominee Arianne Phillips, lighting design by four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams, sound design by Tony Award winner Kai Harada and projection design by Andrew Lazarow. Casting by Jim Carnahan Casting. Kimberly Grigsby serves as Musical Director. Lisa Iacucci is Production Stage Manager.

Ticket Information

For full performance schedule and ticket information, visit www.hudsonbroadway.com, or by calling (855) 801-5876, or in-person at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre (141 West 44th Street).

The performance is currently running with no scheduled closing date.

TodayTix Mobile Rush Program

Each day beginning at 10:00am, a limited amount of mobile Rush tickets for Head Over Heelswill be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For access and more information, download the TodayTix app.

Online & Social Handles

Online: www.HeadOverHeelsTheMusical.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HOHmusical

YouTube: Head Over Heels channel

Twitter: @HOHMusical | Instagram: @HOHMusical | #HeadOverHeels

 GETTIN’ THE BAND BACK TOGETHER

Manu Narayan, Jay Klaitz, Mitchell Jarvis, Tad Wilson, Paul Whitty, and Sawyer Nunes
Photo / Joan Marcus, 2018

Gettin’ The Band Back Togetheris Broadway’s new musical comedy. The production is directed by Tony Award winner John Rando and choreographed by Chris Bailey.

Mitch Papadopoulos always wanted to be the next Bruce Springsteen, but he left those daydreams behind for a day job. Mitch was the lead singer of his high school garage band called Juggernaut. He, along with the members of Juggernaut, had high school dreams of rock superstardom that eventually dissolved into day jobs and careers.

When Mitch (Mitchell Jarvis), the big-shot banker is handed a pink slip on his 40th birthday, he’s forced to move back in with his mom in Sayreville, New Jersey. He then discovers that her home has been threatened with foreclosure by Tygen Billows (Brandon Williams), the frontman of Juggernaut’s old nemesis, Mouthfeel. To rescue the house and his self-esteem, Mitch agrees to a rematch of the battle of the bands that Mouthfeel lost 25 years earlier.

So Mitch dusts off his guitar, reassembles his players, and sets out to win back his house, his pride—and maybe even the high school sweetheart he left behind—proving it’s never too late to give your dreams one last shot.

The players include Bart Vickers (Jay Klaitz), a shlubby math teacher with a secret crush; Sully Sullivan (Paul Whitty), a police officer with Broadway dreams; and Rummesh Patel (Manu Narayan), a nerd who wanted to be a pediatrician but was instead pressured into entering his father’s dermatology practice — and, imminently, an arranged marriage. A fifth member of Juggernaut must be recruited to replace one who has conveniently died in the interim. The new kid, Ricky Bling (Sawyer Nunes), saves the day at the reconstituted band’s first gig. At an Orthodox Jewish wedding he delivers a “comical” rap (including the immortal line “make a ruckus with your tuchis”). Mitch’s mother Sharon Papadopoulos, a piano teacher in yoga pants, is played winningly by Marilu Henner, who calls a “hedge fund” a “shrub fund.”

The cast of Gettin’ The Band Back Together also includes Dani (Kelli Barrett), Tawny (Becca Kötte), Ritchie (Garth Kravits), Roxanne Velasco (Tamika Lawrence), Billie (Noa Solorio), and Tygen Billows (Brandon Williams); Lindsey Brett Carothers, Ryan Duncan, Scott Richard Foster, Jenny Hill, Nehal Joshi, J. Elaine Marcos, Rob Marnell, Jasmin Richardson, Ian Ward, and Tad Wilson.

 Gettin’ The Band Back Togetherhas original music and lyrics by Mark Allen and a book by Ken Davenport and The Grundleshotz with additional material by Sarah Saltzberg.

Gettin’ The Band Back Togetheris produced by Ken Davenport, several individual and corporate producers, and two associate producers.

 Belasco Theater:      111 W. 44th St., Midtown West, 212-239-6200

Category:                  Broadway,Musical

Runtime:                   2 hrs. and 25 min.

Scheduled Closing:   September 16

For more information on the musical or for Free original cast recording, visitwww.GettinTheBandBackTogether.com

 Tickets forGettin’ The Band Back Togetherare on sale through www.Telecharge.com / (212) 239-6200. Group tickets are available atwww.YourBroadwayGenius.comor by calling 855-329-2932.

 Follow Gettin’ The Band Back Togetheron Twitter, Instagram, andFacebook: @GettinTheBand

 (Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health and Wellness, and Spirituality)

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