If not for the pandemic, Diversionary Theatre would have produced The Go-Go’s jukebox musical “Head Over Heels” in 2020.
But it’s a blessing in disguise that the Jeff Whitty-penned comic fairy tale finally arrived on Saturday, smack in the middle of a conservative culture war against men in drag, gender freedom and queer relationships. A show this joyful, funny, open-hearted and affirming is a bubbly antidote to the poisonous “anti-” campaigns gaining legislative steam in the South and Midwest.
Co-directed with vivacious energy and visual humor by Diversionary’s outgoing artistic leader Matt M. Morrow and its incoming interim artistic director Stephen Brotebeck, “Head Over Heels” is a clever adaptation by James MacGruder of Sir Philip Sidney’s 1597 play “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia.” It’s about a royal family stagnating in their rule-bound kingdom that marches to its own time-honored beat (cue the Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat”).
Spoiled princess Pamela, played with sparkle and wit by Gerilyn Brault, refuses to wed any male suitor, while her younger sister Philoclea, a charming Adelaida Martinez, falls for the lovesick shepherd boy Musidorous, played by Joey Kirkpatrick, who steals all his scenes with his expressive face and comic timing.
Joey Kirkpatrick as a shepherd who disguises himself as an Amazonian warrior in Diversionary Theatre’s “Head Over Heels.”
(Courtesy of Simpatika)
Arcadia’s rigid and toxic male king Basilius (a starchy Scott Ripley) receives a summons to Greece from the mysterious and non-binary Oracle of Delphi (a playful Faith Carrion), who delivers four prophecies that, if fulfilled, will spell doom for Arcadia’s “beat.”
Rather than share the news with his queen Gynecia (Broadway vet Amanda Naughton in a nice bit of Champagne casting), Basilius hits the road with his extended family, that includes his hysteria-prone servant Dametas (the ever-entertaining Berto Fernández) and Dametas’ daughter Mopsa (a gentle-hearted Lauren King Thompson), who is Pamela’s handmaid.
The shepherd Musidorous worms his way into the family caravan by disguising himself as a female Amazon warrior (who virtually everyone swoons over) and Pamela finds her true love in Mopsa the handmaid. There are many twists and turns, but eventually the king and queen come to the happy realization that love is love and that Arcadia needs a new beat that allows everyone to live their best lives.
Gerilyn Brault as Pamela (left) and Lauren King Thompson as Mopsa in Diversionary Theatre’s “Head Over Heels.”
The Go-Go’s biggest hits, performed by the cast and a four-piece live band led by conductor-keyboardist Patrick Marion, are amusingly woven into the fabric of the story, including “Mad About You,” “Our Lips are Sealed,” “Turn to You” and “Heaven is a Place on Earth.” Katie Banville designed the retro pop choreography performed by ensemble members Alyssa Junious, Sutheshna Mani and Kevin Phan.
The physical production — CD-and-mixtape decorated scenery by Justin Humphries, Elizabethan-’80s mashup costumes by Elisa Benzoni and glowy neon lighting by Joel Britt — is a delightful throwback. Harper Justus designed sound and Peter Herman designed wigs. The show runs two hours, 20 minutes, with intermission.
“Head Over Heels” has a handful of comically naughty double-entendre jokes, but it’s a PG-rated show that teaches the simple and heartwarming lesson that beats change, times change, and people have the right to change, too.
‘Head Over Heels’
When: 7 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through June 25
Where: Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights
Tickets: $25-$60
Phone: (619) 220-0097
Online: diversionary.org