Revolutionary queer musical comedy 'Head Over Heels' is hitting the Queensland stage for the first time ever.
The bold and joyous musical – based on 'The Arcadia' by Sir Philip Sidney – will premiere at Ipswich Civic Centre for a limited season, produced by Ipswich Civic Centre and THAT Production Company, with Mira Ball Productions.
'Head Over Heels' celebrates love in all its forms, set to the beat of iconic 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go's and telling the story of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save their kingdom from extinction – only to discover the key to survival lies within them.
Audiences can expect to groove to iconic songs like 'We Got The Beat', 'Our Lips Are Sealed', and Belinda Carlisle's 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth'.
The cast keeps things local – with talent such as Meanjin-based drag superstar Freya Armani, seasoned performers Aurelie Roque and Henry Kafoa as Queen and King of Arcadia, rising star Erika Naddei ('Bananaland'), Josh Whitten fresh from 'Dog Man: The Musical', and more.
Here, 'Head Over Heels' Director Timothy Wynn gets us excited, talking about the show's messaging, music, and queer representation.
This show is set to the songs of The Go-Go’s. Why do you think their music is perfect for a stage show?
The Go-Go’s are absolutely timeless. They were all at once totally current with a finger on the pulse and ahead of their time. This anachronistic element makes their music the perfect choice to fuse with a new take on the classic text.
What’s your favourite number and why?
This changes all the time! At the moment, we are heading into rehearsals, I am listening non-stop to 'We Got The Beat'! It gets you in such an energised groove!
Image © Brit Creative
It’s the first time ‘Head Over Heels’ is rocking the Queensland stage! What are you most looking forward to about presenting it?
I am so excited to be directing a musical that will show off so much incredible Queensland talent. There are some members of the cast I have been watching perform for over a decade and now I am finally getting the chance to work with them, which is such a treat. There are also some great emerging talents in the cast who are already making big waves in the industry and across southeast Queensland.
What sort of messaging does the show have?
'Head Over Heels' is a play that celebrates everyone’s uniqueness and individuality and shows how much our society can improve by doing so, and what the dire consequences are if we don’t.
When you direct a show, how do you prefer to approach it? What’s your plan of action when you begin putting it all together?
The first thing I do is build the team I want to work with (sometimes this can even happen before the show itself is programmed or chosen, as I am always interested in dreaming up projects from the ground up with my collaborators). Making a show really takes a village and you need to be working with a team who is going to help you shepherd this big thing into the world. From that point onwards, it is all just a whole bunch of imagining, play and exploration. . . And usually a lot of silliness no matter what the show.
In terms of queer representation and celebration, what makes this story so groundbreaking?
What I think is so great about 'Head Over Heels' is that the heteronormative status quo is challenged and it is the characters with all the power and all the privilege (the cis, hetero characters) that risk losing it all if they do not change. Often in queer narratives, it is incumbent on the queer character to overcome adversity in a world seemingly built to be against them, in 'Head Over Heels' the world of Arcadia is inherently queer, putting those characters determined to remain ignorant and opposed to the queer characters at the heart of the conflict.
As Director, what’s your number one hope when it comes to how audiences receive ‘Head Over Heels’?
I hope people feel immense joy when they come to the show. It is ultimately a celebration.
Describe ‘Head Over Heels’ using a song lyric from the show.
“They say in Heaven, love comes first, we'll make Heaven a place on Earth” – 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth'.
Tickets are on sale now.
'Head Over Heels' plays Ipswich Civic Centre (Queensland) 31 May-1 June.
This story originally appeared on our queer sister site, FROOTY.
