River Campus’ “Head over Heels” combined the dialogue of Shakespeare with the Rock and Roll of the 1980s band the Go-Gos on Sept. 27- Oct. 1.
“Head over Heels” follows the story of a royal family (a king, queen, and their two daughters) all comedically falling “head over heels” for one man disguised as a woman.
One of the major components of the musical is the LGBTQ+ themes present throughout the production.
Director Kitt Lavoie said that the representation of nonbinary characters was very impactful when the musical came out in 2018.
“The nonbinary characters and their discovery of their identity as being nonbinary and also the way in which their identity impacts their relationships with the people around them, actually was really on the cutting edge of cultural discussion at the time that it came out,” Lavoie said.
One of the most interesting aspects of the musical was the combination Shakespearean dialogue and comedy.
Sophomore musical theater major and actor portraying King Basillius, Miko Hare, claimed the most difficult part of the production was learning Old English.
“There's certainly a lot of old English that translates into our newer English and becomes jokes and stuff like that. So trying to find that timing and punch lines was really a challenge,” Hare said.
Reception was really good for the performance. Several audience members left the theater, having enjoyed the performance.
Junior musical theater major Grace Schofield said she enjoyed the performance.
“I think it turned out really, really well,” Schofield said. I had such a good time watching it. The sets are amazing, the costumes are wonderful, and the actors were phenomenal too.”
River Campus’ next musical, Wizard of Oz, will take place on Apr. 10-14.
