They've Got a Diverse Beat, and It's Mighty Catchy

Review: Head Over Heels

Bonnie Milligan and the cast of Head Over Heels.

On paper, Head Over Heels sounds like a recipe for disaster. A jukebox musical using the music of 80s new wave band The Go-Go's to adapt an obscure 17th century play called The Arcadia, it doesn't sound like the sort of thing Broadway is clamoring for. And yet through some kind of bizarre theatrical alchemy, these seemingly disparate parts coalesce into a show that isn't just a campy good time, but also one of the most refreshingly progressive shows on Broadway.

Set in the land of Arcadia, Head Over Heels opens with the kingdom's residents singing about how their mystical Beat is responsible for their continued prosperity and happiness (a conceit obviously designed to allow the show to open with one of The Go-Go's most recognizable hits, "We've Got the Beat"). All seems well and good until the land's new oracle Pythio predicts the impending loss of said Beat should four cryptic prophecies come to pass, most relating to the romantic couplings of the royal family. When the impetuous King Basilius decides to pack up the court - including his wife Gynecia and daughters Pamela and Philoclea - and go on the move in an attempt to prevent the prophecies coming true, a series of shenanigans and comic mistakes follows (many spurred by that old standby of 17th century comedy, cross dressing).

Pretty standard stuff for a pastoral comedy, made fresh thanks to some wonderfully inclusive story decisions and casting. Elder princess Pamela (newcomer Bonnie Milligan in a breakout performance) is universally acknowledged to be prettier and more desirable than her "plain" sister Philoclea (a winsome Alexandra Socha). Now it just so happens that Pamela is the more full-figured of the two, but never is her size the butt of a joke or played for laughs, nor does the tone of the show indicate that anyone is the slightest bit delusional for finding the big girl more attractive. Milligan, with her razor sharp comic timing and powerhouse voice, is a prime example of the kind of magic that can happen when casting directors are open to performers of all body types in all kinds of roles.

Another inclusive storytelling decision is the fact that Pythio is a gender nonbinary oracle who prefers to be addressed using they/them pronouns. Again, this is not something the show goes out of its way to comment upon or play for laughs, it is merely a fact everyone just rolls, including the use of their preferred pronouns. The role is played quite well by Peppermint of RuPaul's Drag Race fame, the first openly transgender woman to originate a role on Broadway. It is a boundary breaking act of representation made all the more powerful by treating it as no big deal, the way it should be in an ideal world.

Other progressive plot points include a lesbian romance (which prompts a visit to the Isle of Lesbos and a delightfully cheeky rendition of "Vacation"), a shepherd who starts cross dressing to get closer to his beloved princess and later discovers he kind of likes his drag persona, and a general acceptance of the idea that women are just as fit for rule as men, if not more so. It all combines to create one of the most queer-friendly shows to ever get a commercial Broadway run, an achievement to be celebrated and hopefully repeated in the future.

The performances are solid from top to bottom. While Milligan ultimately steals the show, she is given a run for her money by the equally hilarious Andrew Durand as the cross dressing shepherd Musidorus. Rachel York and Jeremy Kushnier do excellent work in the occasionally underwritten roles of the king and queen, with their firmly tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Heaven is a Place on Earth" an Act II highlight. Taylor Iman Jones provides some heart and a lot of vocal pyrotechnics as Pamela's handmaiden Mopsa, and Tom Alan Robbins understands exactly what's needed to make the role of the king's comical viceroy pop.

As the ringleaders of this delightfully campy circus, director Michael Mayer and choreographer Spencer Liff expertly juggle a lot of narrative and tonal balls to keep things moving along at a breezy pace. It helps that the book, adapted by James Magruder from Jeff Whitty's out of town libretto and concept, does a better job grafting The Go-Go's songs onto the narrative than it has any right to. And those numbers that are awkwardly shoehorned into the narrative are so enjoyable to watch thanks to Liff's high energy choreography and the Go-Go's catchy musical hooks that you'll hardly begrudge the show an occasional clunky segue.

There are certainly those who will find Head Over Heels to be too lowbrow for its own good, although those people would be willfully ignoring how bold a statement the show is making by putting underrepresented groups at the center of its narrative with such little fanfare. In a way, the fact that Head Over Heels is largely fluff and camp (and very entertaining fluff and camp at that) amplifies the power of its inclusion by positing a world in which everyone is just accepted as they are, without fanfare or grand proclamations of the value of diversity. For those who yearn for a more inclusive theatre, Head Over Heels is not only an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is, but also a campy night out in a world that could certainly stand an infusion of fun and fabulousness.

The Origin of a Superstar

Review: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Add "legs" to the list of things NPH does better than you.

When it was announced that perpetual Tony host and all-around theatrical ambassador Neil Patrick Harris would make his long-awaited return to Broadway in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, I was skeptical.  While I had never seen the show, I knew just enough about this cult musical with Off-Broadway origins to question how well Harris - known for his polished performances and generally genial disposition - would be able to carry a grungy show about a transgendered rocker.  I'm happy to report that any doubts I had were entirely misplaced, as it is clear from the second Harris struts onto the Belasco Theatre's stage that the show (and the audience) are in excellent hands.  The Emmy-winning actor just gets it, and Harris absolutely owns the evening for the duration of its 100 minutes.

The musical, with a rock score by Stephen Trask and a book by original star John Cameron Mitchell, centers on the "internationally ignored song stylist" Hedwig, a refugee from Cold War-era East Berlin who was the recipient of a botched sex change operation.  A former collaborator and lover of the much more successful Tommy Gnossis, Hedwig and her band the Angry Inch follow Gnossis around the world as she attempts to win back the affection of the man she is convinced is her soulmate.  The entire evening occurs in real time during one of Hedwig's concerts, while Tommy plays a much bigger, flashier engagement down the block in the heart of Times Square.

Mitchell's book deals with the universal feelings of longing for acceptance and love, and the show also touches upon the host of identity issues brought up by Hedwig's gender reassignment.  Despite premiering almost two decades ago, the show remains groundbreaking in its portrayal of the transgendered Hedwig, because the show steadfastly chooses to treat her gender as a big deal.  Hedwig is who she is, and although her sex is a part of her she is not solely defined by it, which makes the show's central themes relatable to everyone whether you're gay, straight, transgendered, or anywhere inbetween.  The score also contains a surprising amount of depth and musical variety, while remaining steadfastly in the rock idiom and eschewing the traditional musical theatre sound.  The show offers a lot to think about without feeling preachy or pedantic, with a great deal of heart packed into its intermissionless runtime.

The real joy of Mitchell's book is that it provides a framework around which the lead actor can fashion their own unique take on the material.  The sensational Neil Patrick Harris ceases this opportunity and runs with it, taking full advantage of the show's loose structure to improvise when the inspiration strikes him.  In between songs, Harris has ample opportunity to toy with the audience using the razor-sharp wit and superb comic timing he's demonstrated time and again hosting various award shows.  In fact, there are times when Harris' wit is so fast paced it takes the audience a few seconds to catch up to him, but the master showman Harris knows just how long to wait for a joke to process before moving on (while playfully judging you all the while).  He's not above poking fun at the audience, but also knows just how to pitch the joke so it feels like good-natured ribbing rather than a malicious takedown.

Harris' mastery over both the stage and the audience is intoxicating while at the same time a decidedly different energy than the persona he's cultivated over the years.  Harris embodies Hedwig, with all of her hopes, dreams, and carefully masked insecurities.  Harris' creation is so fully realized that even when the actor goes off script everything feels authentic to the character and the situation.  But there is also a tenderness to his Hedwig, a sullen vulnerability that makes her someone you can root for throughout the course of the show.  Hedwig may be a rock concert with Harris as its giddy ringmaster, but the it is this added depth that makes the performance truly mesmerizing.

Providing a necessary and unexpectedly moving counterbalance to Harris' flash and spectacle is Lena Hall's understated Yitzhak, Hedwig's current husband.  Although Yitzhak spends most of the show running tech support and providing Hedwig whatever she might require (water, towels, background vocals), Hall manages to communicate volumes about her largely silent character's inner life by the way in which she does all these things.  For most of the show the interaction between Hall and Harris is limited, but when they do share a moment the connection speaks volumes.  Hall does an excellent job of making up for the lack of information provided about her small but pivotal role in the script, and without her assured performance the show's finale wouldn't have the momentum to provide the emotional release it currently does.

Director Michael Mayer and his creative team have done an excellent job of scaling up this intimate musical (usually performed in small spaces or even underground clubs) for the Great White Way.  Taking his cue from Harris' electrifying performance, Mayer has turned the evening into a full-blown rock concert, cranking the volume up to 11 and giving the performance all sorts of big-budget bells and whistles.  Julian Crouch's set (which as Hedwig helpfully explains is leftover from the opening/closing night performance of The Hurt Locker: The Musical) constantly reveals new facets and hidden surprises, as well as providing a veritable jungle gym for Harris and his enormous platform heels to climb all over.  Arianne Phillips' costumes are just as tongue-in-cheek and fabulous as you could hope for, and although Hedwig barely leaves the stage Phillips' layered creations allow the star to cycle through several equally outrageous looks.  And Kevin Adams lighting and Tim O'Heir's sound design is 100% rock n' roll, completing the Belasco's transformation from Broadway theatre into concert venue.

Thanks to the presence of its famous headliner, Hedwig and the Angry Inch has already become one of the must-see events of the spring season.  Thankfully, Neil Patrick Harris exceeds expectations in the central role with a star turn that cements the actor's status as a theatrical heavy hitter, clearly giving 110% in a performance that is by turns hilarious, moving, and most importantly real.  Director Michael Mayer has carefully crafted his staging around Harris' talents without losing focus of the story they're trying to tell, with a physical production worthy of both Broadway and the Broadway-level ticket prices the show currently commands.  Seats may be hard to come by, but Harris ensures that searching them out is worth the effort, and proves to be the perfect actor to introduce this gem of a show to wider audience.  Hedwig is not to be missed.