Broadway musical ”Head Over Heels” to have UK premiere in January

Exclusive: Jukebox musical Head Over Heels is coming to the UK.

Penned by Jeff Whitty and James Magruder, the show features the music of iconic ’80s rock band The Go-Gos and is based on The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia, a seminal piece of British political literature from the 16th century.

It was first seen in Oregon in 2015, with a Broadway run beginning in July 2018, where it received solid reviews and made history by featuring the first transgender woman to originate a principal role on the Great White Way.

WhatsOnStage’s sister site TheaterMania described the piece as “the most inclusive production on Broadway, one that puts a lesbian love story front and center, features the first trans woman ever to originate a principal role on Broadway, and embraces and accepts queerness in all its forms.”

Tom Jackson Greaves (Amélie) will direct and choreograph the new UK production, running from 26 January to 4 March at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. Jackson Greaves said today: “Head Over Heels has been on my radar since its inception. Its colour, pride and joy combined with the music of The Go-Go’s is a delicious recipe.

“There are very few new musicals that excite me as much – from its portrayal of queer experiences to its comment on the patriarchy, with its mounds of silliness – the piece is a breath of fresh air within the art form. It’s a rebellion against the confines of history. It’s a celebration of uniqueness. It’s the perfect antidote (and in some ways challenge) to the world’s darkness in 2022 and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with Manchester.”

The production has musical direction by Arlene McNaught, casting by Lucy Casson and set and costume by Sophia Pardon.

Tickets are on sale via the Hope Mill Theatre website.

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