Broadway musical 'Head Over Heels' to open at SEMO River Campus

Southeast Missouri State University Department of Theatre and Dance will present a production of the Broadway musical "Head Over Heels", opening Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

Kit Lavoie, the play's director and assistant professor for the university's Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre & Dance, called "Head Over Heels" a "jukebox" musical that incorporates songs from the 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go's into the story.

The website for the Broadway production describes "Head Over Heels" as a modern musical fairy tale where once-upon-a-time is right now and follows the escapades of a royal family who set out on a journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction.

Lavoie said the story is a "riff" on Shakespearean-era comedies -- full of mistaken identities and characters disguising themselves in order to win the heart of the princess. While the plot is from the 16th century, Lavoie said that shouldn't frighten anyone away.

"Even though the story is set in ancient Greece, the dialogue is very contemporary," Lavoie said. "Our set and costume designers have done a really terrific job making ancient Greece meet up with the '80s pop punk of The Go-Go's."

The musical uses The Go-Go's hits, including "We Got the Beat", "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "Vacation", as well as songs from the solo career of the band's lead vocalist, Belinda Carlisle, including "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "Mad About You".

Lavoie said the musical also has some "deep cuts" that may not be as familiar to the audience, but turned out to be some of his favorite songs in the show.

"The music is just terrific," Lavoie said. "I think anybody who's a fan The Go-Go's is going to enjoy the show an awful lot."

The show does contain mature content and may not be for the whole family. Lavoie described the show's humor as "bawdy", similar to that in a Shakespeare play.

"It's not in any way a dirty show, but there are double entendres and triple entendres sprinkled throughout," Lavoie said.

Lavoie said the musical is a coming-of-age story in which some characters explore gender-fluidity.

"They discover gender identities and sexual orientations that are not necessarily the ones that they or their families thought they were going to grow into," Lavoie said. "I think the show is a very exciting and complex exploration of those things in the middle of a funny raucous '80s Go-Go's musical."

Performances of "Head Over Heels" will begin at 7:30 p.m. starting Sept. 27 through Saturday, Sept. 30, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, in Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus, located at 518 S. Fountain St. in Cape Girardeau.

Call the River Campus box office at (573) 651-2265 or go online at www.rivercampus.org for more information and to purchase tickets.