Head Over Heels, a new musical that features the tunes of the all-female rock band the Go-Go's, is aiming for a Broadway debut during the 2018–2019 season. According to a recent Equity casting notice, an out-of-town engagement is scheduled for spring 2018.
The new musical, which made its world premiere this past summer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, features a libretto by Avenue Q Tony winner Jeff Whitty, who conceived the musical. James Magruder is the adaptor. Tony winner Michael Mayer (American Idiot, Spring Awakening) directs.
Rick Ferrari, Donovan Leitch, and Christine Russell are listed as producers. Last year, it was reported that Gwyneth Paltrow was also on board to develop the project (she and her former boyfriend Leitch were looking for seasoned producers to join the team).
Other members of the creative team include music supervisor Tom Kitt, music director Kimberly Grigsby, and choreographer Spencer Liff. Casting is by Jim Carnahan Casting.Songs in the production include “We Got the Beat,” “Turn to You,” and “Our Lips Are Sealed,” among others.
The musical was inspired by Philip Sidney’s Arcadia; a 2014 workshop described the piece as a “rollicking, comedic adventure tale, set in the Elizabethan period.”
The Go-Go's made history in the early 1980’s as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard charts.
