Head Over Heels review — Tudor poetry goes punk
★★★☆☆
This agreeably arch American jukebox musical-comedy sprinkles the beat-driven songs of the 1980s girl group the Go-Go’s into a book derived from The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia, a pastoral romance by the Elizabethan poet, courtier, soldier and MP Sir Philip Sidney. Surprisingly, the unlikely merger of toe-tapping pop hits and vintage literary artifice mostly works a treat.
Conceived by Jeff Whitty, the author of Avenue Q, with further adaptation by James Magruder, this decidedly queer confection was first presented in 2015 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A few years later it had a nearly six-month run on Broadway. The show is receiving its European premiere at Hope Mill, a cosy venue that consistently demonstrates a deeply appreciative understanding of the musical genre.
