Translating a 16th century literary work for the 21^st century, retaining its archaic dialogue style and mixing in chart-topping hits by The Go-Go’s does not at first sight appear to be a promising concept for a hit Broadway show. However its short run in 2018 perhaps says more about the nature of New York audiences and their reaction to the unapologetic representation of diversity and LGBTQ+ on stage. The reality is that Head over Heels is great fun, as evidenced by audience and critical acclaim generated by its 2023 UK premier at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre.

The tone for the production of Head Over Heels was set by choreography of Sophelia Gentles combined with cast vocal attack in We Got The Beat. Musical Director Daniel James Wilby provided the essential heavy rock foundation with a tight five piece band. This energy pervaded the entire production. Group numbers were smartly executed, with just one routine needing slightly more polish. Director Stuart James was blessed with a strong  line of talented and experienced principals. Leading the charge here was the on stage chemistry of Stephen Hewitt  (King Basilius) and Tal Hewitt (Queen Gynecia) his arrogance balanced by her wicked sense of humour and an impressive pair of splits. Tomo McSorley (Musidorus) and Hannah Grace (Philoclea) provided another great pairing with their powerful voices. The final pairing of Lydia James (Princess Pamela) and Zoe Tavares (Mopsa) while initially appearing not to be destined for a satisfying outcome, ultimately triumphs. Cristobal Gomez (Dametas) was relentlessly energetic but dialogue clarity would have been enhanced by slowing delivery a tad. Finally, the imposing presence of James-Lee Campbell (Pythio) completely transformed by their wig, makeup and magnificent sparkly green dress provided an anchor for the whole production.

Special mention has to be given to lighting design by Will Lake in what appeared to be an enormously complex plot. In the absence of set, lighting assumes much greater importance. Apart from colour, localised lighting by directional spots allowed focus to remain on individual performers where appropriate. Costumes essentially become the set under these circumstances and the wardrobe assembled by Rosie O’Rourke was very much in keeping with show style.

Set was defined mostly by stage furniture, including luggage trucks and two movable sets of stairs which required their own choreography – most memorably dividing with Musidorus stranded with one foot on each. There were indeed a number of other simple but memorable effects, such as the blue river sheet secreting dancers whose entrance was  successfully concealed even from halfway up the audience rake. The disappearance of Musidorus’ corpse from behind his covering sheet was very neatly engineered. The various conjunctions silhouetted behind gauze were sensitively choreographed, albeit for comedic effect.

It is assumed that opening night technical teething problems were the cause of a 15 minute delay in the show start. Of greater significance was however a serious problem related to sound balance. Granted that a rock score requires associated volume, this cannot be at the expense of lyric audibility. Given that songs underscored mood rather than carried plot line, this was not a critical issue for the most part.

Unfortunately, underscoring completely overwhelmed dialogue at times, with the result that critical elements of the plot were lost. Although some responsibility lies with performers by relying on mics to compensate for lack of projection or imprecise diction, the main problem in this instance appeared to lie in the sound desk. While programme synopses are useful, these should not be used to compensate for performance issues. There were clearly some outstanding performances. Unfortunately these could not be fully appreciated as a result of sound balance, which it can only be hoped has been addressed for subsequent performances.

Review by Robin Kelly

Head Over Heels is on until 5th April at the Bridewell Theatre. You can find out more and book tickets on Centre Stages website.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Bare, The Wedding Singer and The Little Mermaid, all by Centre Stage.