Go-Go’s musical ‘Head Over Heels’ hasn’t got the beat

Intermission, all I ever needed! The brand new musical “Head Over Heels,” which opened Thursday on Broadway, takes the songs of ’80s American lady group the Go-Go’s, plops them in a British story from the 16th century and provides a bunch of recent, self-referential jokes. It’s an concept that’s so loopy, it simply would possibly work! It doesn’t. This indulgent present is wackier than it’s enjoyable, and elicits extra “huh?” than “ha”. Worse, it treats the catchy pop music like a aspect of spinach. The confusion kicks off with the opening quantity, “We Got the Beat,” which additionally options the finest dancing you’ll see all night time. We’re informed that Arcadia, the fictional land the place the present is ready, has “got the beat” — the “beat” presumably being social stability and wellness. Fantastic. These are the narrative gaps you’ve gotta fill when watching “Head Over Heels.” Quickly the King of Arcadia (Jeremy Kushnier) has an ominous assembly with the Oracle of Delphi (the splendid drag queen Peppermint) and hears some downer prophecies: His daughters might be caught with terrible suitors, his spouse (Rachel York) will cheat on him and his land might be overtaken. He’s misplaced the beat. Get it? So, the King and Co. head out of city to the nation to flee his unhappy destiny. His two daughters, the useless Pamela (Bonnie Milligan) and the plain Philoclea (Alexandra Socha), are the finest a part of the present. Milligan has a robust voice and a depraved humorousness, and Socha brings some a lot wanted sincerity to the cacophony of loopy. It may use a complete lot extra. One suitor, a poor shepherd named Musidorus (Andrew Durand), is informed to pack his tent, so he clothes like an Amazon to observe Philoclea round undetected. Mistaken identification antics ensue, and Durand, who appears to be like so much like Invoice Hader, retains them amusing. The sex-and-disguise plot is zany, if acquainted. There’s just a little little bit of “Twelfth Night time” right here, some “Into the Woods” there, some “Xanadu” in all places. However the dialogue is grating. The ebook, initially by Jeff Whitty and James Magruder, is marred by olde English communicate. There are sufficient thees, thous and wherefores for the Wars of the Roses. The uppity chitchat is the musical’s principal gag, and it’s extraordinarily tedious. You’ll want their lips had been sealed. Most individuals don’t purchase tickets for the quips: They arrive for the Go-Go’s, and hits like “Trip,” “Cool Jerk,” “Mad About You” and Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.” However in contrast to the ABBA catalog that drove “Mamma Mia!,” these songs are a nasty match for theatrical storytelling. They start at one place, plant their ft and keep there, each musically and lyrically. Electrical Mild Orchestra gave us extra element and motion in “Xanadu,” which is a low, low bar. If the songs — excellent for the dance ground — can’t push the story alongside, then not less than they will present some alternatives for giant, glittery dance numbers, proper? Nope. There actually aren’t any exhilarating musical moments in director Michael Mayer’s slapdash manufacturing. “Trip” is decreased to a solo, with just a few ensemble members leaping out of cloth ocean waves, as in the event that they had been in a dance recital. Stumped Go-Go’s followers will wish to stand up and go. Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/07/26/go-gos-musical-head-over-heels-hasnt-got-the-beat/ The post Go-Go’s musical ‘Head Over Heels’ hasn’t got the beat appeared first on My style by Kartia.