Head Over Heels (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Feels as timid and awkward as the new kid on the first day of school...'Head Over Heels' lacks the courage of its contradictions. It mutters deferentially when what you want is a rebel yell...What’s lacking in the musical performances here is the go-for-broke exuberance that made the Go-Go’s so irresistible...Its audience might leave the theater less hungry if this oddly earnest show could really kick up its heels and let the message take care of itself."
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"To enjoy 'Head Over Heels,' which offers quite a lot to enjoy, it is probably best to kick up your heels and put your head on hold. That’s not to say that this saucy, boisterous musical doesn’t have a brainy side, starting with its ambitious crossbreeding of four time periods...But at heart the show is a campy romp...Broadway traditionalists may not approve, but that feels like part of the point...A fantasy and celebration of nonconformity, and it puts its casting where its mouth is."
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"If the premise of 'Head Over Heels' sounds a little nutso, that’s because the show is a lot nutso, in the most delightfully daffy, exuberantly heart-open way...'Head Over Heels' is joyfully queering the canon (which isn’t all that straight to begin with) and throwing a heady, hearty party while it’s at it...Part of the appeal of 'Head Over Heels' is that while it’s got Broadway sparkle to it, it depends almost entirely on its ensemble to generate its goofy, big-hearted brand of magic."
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“A bouncy, bizarro, occasionally didactic musical...The amalgam is so brazen as to be immediately disarming: it would take a truly bad sport not to get on board with ersatz Elizabethan verse side by side with eighties earworms, delivered with equal gusto by a game cast...Mayer’s production revels in postmodern whimsy...The familiar tunes give the tale a welcome infusion of nostalgia...but the catalogue is puddle-deep."
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"Relentlessly frothy musical...You'll either find the humor uproarious fun or, like me, an utter trial...The performers certainly give the material their all...Mayer's blithe staging keeps things moving at a fast pace...Despite the ample professionalism on display, the show comes across as painfully strained rather than pleasurably antic. 'Head Over Heels' may be admirably woke when it comes to gender fluidity, but as entertainment, it's strictly retrograde."
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"The feeling of watching Cher kiss Meryl Streep on the lips has been captured on stage in the form of 'Head Over Heels'...It can be a little distracting when the dialogue tries to double as LGBTQ 101, but it still feels like a divine post-Pride Month miracle that this show’s 'Vision of Nowness' is not just to incorporate one or two LGBTQ characters but to foreground a whole host of people of varying identities."
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"An over-written, over-designed, and generally overdone production...Thanks, no doubt, to the Oracle of Delphi (played here by the impishly funny Peppermint), it’s a miracle that at least some of the wit in Jeff Whitty’s original book gets through...The show never recovers from the pervasive feeling of exhaustion. There’s the exertion of making the stilted Spencer Liff choreography seem vaguely vogue. There’s the constant struggle to push and shove songs into places where they don’t fit."
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"The book is still a sophomoric mess, and the 17 songs, which are mostly either fast or rather less so, are lively but unvaried...Michael Mayer has done what he can to put a directorial shine on 'Head Over Heels'...Everyone else in the cast takes care of business, and if you really, really like the Go-Go’s, you might possibly find the results tolerable."
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"'Head Over Heels' just strikes as winking and self-satisfied, occasionally amusing, occasionally cloying...For a show that is so determined to transcend convention, 'Head Over Heels' feels predicable from start to finish...'Head Over Heels' offers up a few surprises...But the biggest surprise is an unfortunate one: The Go-Go’s songs don’t hold up all that well."
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"A lot of harder-edged Go-Go’s fans who find their way through the door will wonder what on earth all of these silly theater people are doing with their beloved music...Many of the performances are perfectly solid...But 'Head Over Heels,' which is so anxious to please as to be overplayed, is too arch to drive real suspense and not detailed enough in how it explores this music to allow you to feel a sufficiently organic connection."
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“The main problem...is easily diagnosed: The music of the Go-Go’s isn’t a natural fit for a story that traffics in faux Elizabethan iambic pentameter...’Head Over Heels’ comes across as a grab bag of theatrical games...Rather than involve us emotionally in the fate of the characters, the show seems content to have us cheer-lead the triumph of LGBTQ values...This jukebox experiment doesn’t succeed, but...at the end, some genuine new wave Elizabethan feeling sneaks through.”
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"It’s an idea that’s so crazy, it just might work! It doesn’t. This indulgent show is wackier than it is fun, and elicits more 'huh?' than 'ha.' Worse, it treats the catchy pop music like a side of spinach...The uppity chitchat is the musical’s main gag, and it’s extremely tedious. You’ll wish their lips were sealed...These songs are a bad fit for theatrical storytelling. They begin at one place, plant their feet and stay there, both musically and lyrically."
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"'Head Over Heels' has not 'got the beat.' That probably got lost long ago in the development of this oddball property...This baffling concoction contains court masque-style painted scenery, dialogue in iambic pentameter, tacky dance choreography and an ostentatious dress code combining courtly period and downtown club attire...'Head Over Heels' misfires. The songs suffer from the new context, with their bright and propulsive energy dampened."
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"A cockamamie mish mash of disparate elements that at best is a high-energy goofball of a show and at worst, well...see for yourself...If you're willing to suspend your disbelief, under Michael Mayer's spirited direction, there's so much good-natured talent on the stage you may just give in to the frivolity...Another plus: they're backed by a terrific all female band that sounds a lot fuller than you'd expect from just five musicians."
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"'Head Over Heels' is not only a sterling example of inclusivity, but also a beautiful model of how progressive Broadway has the potential to be...Milligan, whose foot-stompingly funny performance is one of the great breakthroughs of the year, milks it for all it's worth...Magruder's adaptation has the tendency to fall into self-seriousness...While the energy flags here and there when the ensemble isn't singing and dancing, Mayer's efforts cannot be understated."
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“If the plot slogs about a bit, the attempts at humor can get clunky and the lyrics are often indecipherable...give credit to director Michael Mayer, choreographer Spencer Liff...and a talented company seemingly obsessed with showing the audience a good time. On paper, ‘Head over Heels’ may not be to everyone's taste, but it certainly achieves its goal of providing glossy, energetic fun. And when you tack on the fact that there's a message or two about inclusivity, well, so much the better.”
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“The comedy of mistaken identity falls flat because the characters barely have any identity...And the admittedly catchy Go-Go's songs have little to offer; they got the beat, but it's the same beat, repeatedly, for two full acts. And the joke of pairing peppy new wave anthems with the courtly love conventions of an earlier century quickly pales...Mayer's direction works hard to keep this soap bubble floating, and his cast makes the most of their limited opportunities."
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"Only a few of the songs connect with the plot or move it forward...The reason this random coming together of story and song more-or-less works is due to the fact that the plot is so convoluted, it hardly matters...There is a lot of silly fun to be found, even with a plot that frequently gets tangled in the brambles. For that functional frivolity, thanks goes to Mayer's skill at keeping the highly energized cast and the eye-catching design elements flying non-stop."
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"The most surprising thing, perhaps, is that after all is said and done, this purposely low-brow, far-from-subtle propaganda statement for sexual equality turns out to be a wittily wicked romp...Musically, alas, the evening is weak; highly energetic and often rambunctious but weak...The cast is game...Star of the evening, though, is Mayer...No gag is too small for him, and he is ably abetted by choreographer Spencer Liff."
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"As soon as the curtain goes up, you’ll hear the unmistakable driving drum riff of 'We Got the Beat'...If that number doesn’t put a smile on your face, go grab a frosé from the lobby bar at intermission, because you need a boozy millennial-pink frozen beverage to relax your facial muscles...'HOH' is a parade of cross-dressing, mistaken identities, and, above all, moments of profound silliness. Some work, such as a flock of sheep singing backup on 'Mad About You'. And some don’t."
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"I was rather charmed by the show’s venturesome conceit...But I’m afraid that the stylistic dissonance between the show’s book and its songs ultimately proves to be an insurmountable problem...While Mayer and his high-spirited cast serve up the tasty mixture of lowdown comedy and highfalutin’ language commendably, there’s no escaping the herky-jerkiness of the transitions between book and songs."
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"Under Michael Mayer's fast-paced direction, 'Head Over Heels' starts badly and busily but eventually slows down to a delightful Elizabethan parody on love and gender. While not all of The Go-Go's songs are suitable for the storyline and the period, enough of them fit perfectly to make this a superior light entertainment. The cast is first rate and the show may make stars of the ingenious Andrew Durand and the classy and stylish Peppermint."
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"Whether you're a Go-Go fan or not, what you're most like to go ga-ga over in here are the sets and costumes and — and the talent on board...The songs are ear pleasing and easy enough to like but somehow fail to make a really memorable impression. However, what does impress is the way director, adapter, and choreographer have managed to shoe-horn the songs into this Elizabethan romance."
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"The thematic thrust here is 'binary is so last century!' It’s not so much politically edgy as it is gently teasing, a crash course on LBGTQ+ sensibility, but all very safe. This high-spirited production is for folks looking for a good time — a lot of pounding good music — young actors with powerhouse voices — and a director who knows his way around a farce...There are moments of hilarity, the kind of laughter that catches you up and keeps doubling back.”
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“This melting of 80’s pop and 16th Century prose is a silly fun invention worthy of everyone’s time and energy...A deliciously created Elizabethan landscape drenched in farce and merriment with a knowing wink and a big old smile...’Head Over Heels’ has its bow and arrow joyfully and comically aimed at timely issues...without ever trying to obstinately hit you too seriously over the head with any one topic...The play is priceless in its prose, and well executed with innocence and a-dork-ability.”
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"Subtle it is not. Entertaining? If a jukebox musical crammed into the construct of an epic 16th-century work of prose is your jam, sure...Choreographer Spencer Liff has plenty of ammunition thanks to Tom Kitt’s super-charged orchestrations and arrangements...This rainbow-proud revelry doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the message is clear: We’re here. We’re queer. And we know how to have a good time. 'Head Over Heel’s' greatest stride, though, is the casting of Ms. Milligan."
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"The only things you need to have fun are an appreciation of the stunning visual talents of set designer Crouch and costume designer Phillips (both of whom do truly outstanding work), a sense of awe while watching eight extraordinary dancers executing the choreography of Liff, the ability to laugh loudly, and above all, an open mind to receive all the queer-friendly, feminist, slightly subversive content that has been packed with a firm yet friendly touch into this Elizabethan-era story."
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"Given the full treatment by a talented, big-voiced company, with lots of modern-day dance moves...The songs, though, contain nothing suggestive of the play's period and, for all their rhythmic charms, are filled with so many banal, repetitive phrases…and such a lack of character revelation that they do nothing for the Arcadian plot…Talented as the cast is,..it performs as though in a broad burlesque…Given the dearth of truly funny thespians, the show is often sophomorically silly."
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"This is silly, but the show doesn’t pretend otherwise, and, given the right mood, one can revel in its silliness. 'Head Over Heels' is happy to be a musical comedy that winks at us, while under Michael Mayer’s fast-paced direction a ton of talented performers energetically deliver the songs, the shtick and the story in 19 colorful and sometimes off-color scenes...The logic along the way would not withstand much scrutiny, but the show’s innate silliness more or less inoculates it from scrutiny."
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"It is pretty silly and pretty dumb. Mostly it’s a lot of fun. That beat they’ve got? It’s infectious...'Head Over Heels' is kind of great without ever being especially good...What puts 'Head Over Heels' over the top are a couple of genius comic performances and the play’s blithe conjuring of a better, hornier world...The moral is a little soppy...But under Michael Mayer’s perky, occasionally frantic direction, there’s too much goodwill and too many good wigs to resist it."
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“A polished yet touching fairytale rom-com that succeeds where so many catalogue tuners fail. Whitty’s book is silly and sweetly wise enough to transcend the absurdity of Eighties pop in Elizabethan drag...Graceful book and elegant, rock-smart music direction...A visual impact where goofiness and camp can still be artful and lovely to behold...Shrewd, funny, sexy, and with a glorious beat, ‘Head Over Heels’ will have you flipping for joy.”
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"Against all odds, it mostly works...For me, Liff’s choreography is one of the strongest aspects of the show. l confess that I had never heard a Go-Go’s song before and would not feel deprived if I did not hear one again. Nevertheless, they fit reasonably well into the show...It’s not 'My Fair Lady' or 'Carousel,' but it works as naughty fun for a summer night. The curtain call is a real treat!"
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"What’s spoken on stage is often amusing and sometimes hilarious. But there’s just too much of it. The plot is stupid, so why give so much exposition to get to the Go-Go’s hit tunes...which have little or nothing to do with the story?...In the cast, only Durand and Milligan match Peppermint’s energy and snappy delivery of the lethal one-liners...What really holds the show together and never fails to enthrall is Mayer and choreographer Spencer Liff’s use of an eight-person chorus."
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"A production that entertains on many counts, including showy performances, amusing costumes, savvy scenery, imaginative lighting, and some updated gender exploration. To call this a jukebox musical would be denigrating. It comes through with a lot more than that as a fun-filled experience...All the Go-Go’s numbers are deftly worked into the action...Even if you never heard of the Go-Go’s you should find plenty to enjoy seeing the exuberant 'Head Over Heels.'"
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"'Head Over Heels' could have been just another jukebox musical, but the clever book...mixes Sir Philip Sidney’s 16th century 'The Arcadia' and with songs by the 1980s girl group The Go-Gos for a surprisingly fun, silly joyride. The usual tangle of hidden loves and gender-bending disguises gets a 2018 twist...The myriad plot patches are woven into a brightly colored crazy quilt, reflecting the creators and cast’s appreciation and love of sexual diversity, pop culture, and the beat."
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“‘Head over Heels’ broadly succeeds because of the inclusivity of its non-binary message...Smartly pairs an unrelated story with familiar hits...The first transgender woman to take on a leading role in a Broadway show. That’s cause for celebration enough; but this genuinely celebratory show also generates a lot of inclusive, boundary-pushing fun – including, appropriately, an all-female band too.”
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"An upbeat, gender fluid, Renaissance retro romp that is decidedly, and refreshingly, queer...It is clever enough and funny enough, but disappointingly just enough—light fare with a great message and jolly fun throughout that ultimately fails to make a deeper impression. The fault lies with the score, the songs of which interrupt a free flowing story...The good news is that despite its score, the show remains eminently enjoyable and features a handful of standout performances."
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"Wielding nostalgia and camp as its weapons of choice. The result is openly bizarre, no doubt. It’s also an infectiously entertaining, french-tipped fist pump for the resistance...If not every number pops, neither do they feel shoehorned...Given the show’s unwaveringly open embrace of its own absurdity, faulting it for flaunting logic or convention feels beside the point...A series of sharp turns near the end are enough to cause whiplash. But then, so is dancing to the Go-Go’s if you’re doing it right."
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"Cause for joyous celebration, in its exhilarating paean to 'love is love is love' across time, class, and gender...All are delivered, under the energetic and sharp-witted direction of Michael Mayer, by an exuberant cast that brings humor, empathy, and commitment to the over-riding message of opening our hearts and minds to diversity, while having a rollicking good time and enjoying life and love to the fullest."
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“This new jukebox Broadway musical has a tendency to wallow in some low-grade smirking, even as it offers a celebration of love...Mayer keeps the action moving in blithe fashion, except for a tendency to linger a bit too long on the salacious bits...Perhaps the most endearing elements...are the lovingly old-fashioned sets...Enclosed in a plushy fake proscenium, they emit a gently embracing storybook welcome. It’s a quality that this sometimes off-putting...raucous offering could use a bit more of.”
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"The cast is hardworking and talented, especially the amazing Bonnie Milligan as the more narcissistic of the two daughters and the Peter Scolari-ish Andrew Durand as the lead drag queen, who breaks fourth walls and romantic barriers...Michael Mayer’s direction and Spencer Liff’s choreography are specific and vigorous (with lots of voguing moves thrown in)."
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"A delightfully entertaining romp, an impressive display of theatrical creativity that leaves you in awe of any mind capable of dreaming it up. (Extra points because it didn't start out as a movie.)...The casting is perfection as the story unfolds in (mostly) iambic pentameter...As the action moves along under Michael Mayer's swift direction, we're treated to fabulously athletic choreography by Spencer Liff."
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“Nicely orchestrated farce...Fun is in abundance in this show, staged as an old school musical comedy entertainment complete with clam shell lights on the stage...Everyone else in this frothy frolic is spot on...’An odd combination of ‘ye olde England’ and songs which seem a bit thin musically for the Broadway stage. Get past that (and I did) and you will enjoy a fizzy, lusty tale of love, desire, freedom and tolerance.”
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"It wears its irreverence not just on its sleeve but all over its stylish gowns and doublets...The show’s book is packed with so much clever wordplay that there’s scant room for characters to evolve. Also, the plot wears thin over the musical’s two hours and 15 minutes, with dramatic breakthroughs explained instead of felt...Still, it’s impossible to resist the exuberance of cast members like Milligan."
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“An exuberant, raucous and joyous musical...Director Mayer serves the fable up with pomp and romp. Some language observes Shakespeare’s iambic form...Adaptor Whitty ingeniously slips The Go-Go’s songs into the classic tale...The ensemble performs with uniform talent, but the women featured shine through...The Arcadia restored in ‘Head over Heels’ creates a world that’s better for this smart and silly, imaginative musical.”
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“May be a period piece but it certainly isn’t stuffy or old fashioned in any way...The musical embraces it’s own ridiculousness, playing into every campy element possible...It is hard to look past some of its larger flaws. Most odious among them are its book...The failures of this musical seemed avoidable...This musical is a bit messy, but it’s fun and it is doing some very important work for representation and visibility on Broadway.”
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“The show grows on you if you simply go along with it and accept it for nothing other than the mindless, splashy entertainment it is...Go-Go’s classics...are woven into the wacky narrative of changing genders, revolution in the monarchy, and sexual discovery. The story’s humor is sometimes riddled with corny visual puns...In comparison to some of the dreadful jukebox musicals recently...‘Head Over Heels’ is a vast improvement for the genre.”
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“There’s no natural affinity between the story and the songs, so the songs at best become diversions from the story, if not outright impediments...Amiable enough, and is frequently quite funny...But certain plot devices lack justification...Despite the mostly first-rate cast, the production has a summer-stock feeling to it...Static choreography...Lazy writing.”
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“Fun, charming, and a lot more complex than it initially appears...Refreshingly queer and endearingly topical, the musical features a plot that is gleefully convoluted without being a chore to follow...The show is colorful, upbeat, and not out to punish anyone: it all works out well in the end...A warm, bubbly show that promises total acceptance, happy endings for every one of its lovelorn characters, and a heaping plate of cultural wish-fulfillment just can't be....um....beat.”
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“Sly but rambunctious, big-hearted but snarky: ‘Head over Heels’ now at the Hudson Theatre, is the new bizarre musical on Broadway...This is a good-time show, smart and loud and colorful, with a terrific cast and a great all-girls rock band banging out the beat behind the upstage wall...Under Michael Mayer’s direction, these very game actors are, without exception, a pleasure to watch and listen to.”
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"All the actors work hard, have good voices, and attempt to put a jukebox musical across so it is pleasing and entertaining...A silly but lively show, an over-the-top production with disparate parts that are not tied tightly together to enable it to be an impressive whole...If you enjoy a silly farce with music but which can be confusing, you will enjoy this musical...Adults who enjoyed the Go-Go’s music in the 1980s will find 'Head Over Heels' a worthwhile venture."
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"The show is ground-breaking. It’s about sexual identity and the struggles that come along with it...It’s about freedom. Liberation. Acceptance. And the theme weaves in and out of the story effortlessly, all the way to the dancers and choreography...The songs are wonderful, as you’d expect them to be, and they are well sung by a skilled cast. The show is a bit campy, but there is nothing wrong with that, particularly at a time when we all need a dose of positivity and inclusion.”
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