This past weekend, the lights of the Ruth Nagel Jones Black Box Theater shone brightly on a giant pride flag painted on the stage. The occasion was Wellesley Upstage’s production of “Head Over Heels,” a jukebox musical featuring the music of the Go-Go’s directed by Taryn Castro.
The show opens in Arcadia, a fictional kingdom ruled by a king (played by Ruby Orr) who has two daughters, the “beautiful” Pamela (Anneke Schmidt) and the “plain” Philoclea (Rita Zhu). The kingdom is ruled by “The Beat,” hence the big opening number to the famous hit, “We Got the Beat” (If you’ve ever watched Trolls World Tour, it’s a similar concept to the whole magic chord). The young Philoclea is in love with the shepherd Musidorous (Faire Soule-Reeves), which is obviously considered forbidden, given his lack of noble blood. He proposes to Philoclea in front of her whole family, and she is forced to reject him due to his status. Then the plot takes off. With an invitation to visit the oracle Pythio (Rosemary Hungerford) regarding a threat to Arcadia’s “Beat,” King Basilius ventures into the forest with his viceroy Dametas (Alexandra Mosakowski). He learns from this oracle of four prophecies that if they all come true will mean the end of Arcadia. With one prophecy concerning a new king, King Basilius decides to take his family on the road to slay his opponent. Meanwhile, a heartbroken Musidorous meets Pythio, who tells him he should disguise himself as a woman and come along.
While this plot can be difficult to comprehend on paper, the show itself dances through each of the family members and their troubles. It manages to juggle the slowburn between the eldest daughter Pamela and her maid Mopsa with the comedic confusion of the King and Queen both pursuing Musidorous (now dressed as Cleophila). The musical numbers, too, were frequent and buoyed the story along. One favorite involved a slightly forlorn and ever devoted Musidorous singing “Mad About You” as actors dressed as sheep (Emma Baker and Lily Wan Wyk) pranced around with him. Another particularly notable routine involved King Basillius’s and Queen Gynecia’s fantasies of a seductress and a frat-bro-esque Cleophila, respectively, to the song “This Old Feeling.” It was in these numbers that the actor’s comedic abilities could shine through, and the songs truly reflected the plot of the play.
It’s important to remember that this is a jukebox musical, so there are a few moments where one can’t help but wonder at the possibilities of a less limited discography. For example, at one point, the cast dances to the Go-Go’s cover of “Cool Jerk” which feels a bit out of place given the way other songs do some narrative lifting. What’s more is that the jukebox nature of the musical tends to give it a very karaoke-like feel. The musical plays with time and setting, sometimes to its credit and sometimes to a dizzying effect. The dialogue and costumes put the setting as a fictionalized Renaissance kingdom, yet the set (featuring a sparkly pink backdrop) and a 1980s soundtrack hinted at a more contemporary moment. Nonetheless, it succeeded in portraying a compelling saga of hidden identities and whirlwind romance.
After a shocking plot twist in the final act in which King Basilius kills Musidorous/Cleophila and then he is revived, everything is wrapped in a bow with each character receiving their own happy ending. Pamela and Mopsa (played by Elena Kwauk) reveal their love for each other to Mopsa’s thrilled father, Dametas. Dametas is, in turn, reunited with his beloved partner, thought to be dead, who has taken the form of the oracle Pythio. Queen Gynecia is named ruler of Arcadia, and King Basilius repents his misogynistic ways in favor of a new, more accepting future. Philoclea and Musidorous are finally together, and Musidorous shares that they will be “keeping Cleophila around.” It’s the kind of feel-good ending that one hopes for with a title like “Head Over Heels,” one of love and unapologetic joy. This is a play best enjoyed with ones you love, a reminder that being yourself and supporting each other is worth fighting for.
