“Head Over Heels” will open at New Line Theatre March 6. It is the regional premiere of the wild, sexy, modern musical fairy tale where Once Upon a Time is now.

“Head Over Heels” is the bold new musical comedy from the visionaries that rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Avenue Q and Spring Awakening.

Conceived by Jeff Whitty, with an original book by Whitty, adapted by James Magruder, originally directed by Michael Mayer, and set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-girl rock band The Go-Go’s, this high-octane, laugh-out-loud love story includes hit songs like, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.”

The wild story follows the escapades of a royal family who set out on a journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction, only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts — though not always in the way they expect — and in their willingness to let go of rigid tradition and change with the times.

With band and vocal arrangements by Broadway composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, If/Then, High Fidelity), and eleven amazing dance numbers, choreographed by New Liners Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack, this is the heaviest dance show New Line has produced since Chicago in 2002.

Head Over Heels originally premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015, then opened on Broadway in 2018. The show was nominated for Best Musical by the Drama League and the Outer Critics Circle Awards.

The New Line cast includes Grace Langford (Princess Pamela), Melissa Felps (Princess Philoclea), Clayton Humburg (Musidorus), Jaclyn Amber (Mopsa), Zachary Allen Farmer (King Basilius), Carrie Priesmeyer (Queen Gynecia), Aaron Allen (Dametas), Tiélere Cheatem (Pythio), Kevin Corpuz, Evan Fornachon, Chris Kernan, Chris Moore, Maggie Nold, Michelle Sauer, Alyssa Wolf, and Sara Rae Womack.

The New Line production will be directed by Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor, with music direction by Nicolas Valdez, choreography by Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack, scenic design by Rob Lippert, costume design by Sarah Porter, lighting design by Kenneth Zinkl, and sound design by Ryan Day.

The Daily Beast said, “Head Over Heels is a raucously choreographed joy — intelligent, winningly comic, and surprisingly-for-Broadway radical when it comes to its presentation of gender and sexuality.” Entertainment Weekly said, “The show is an ode to female independence with the winking spirit of a Shakespearean fairy and the neon edge of a rebellious ‘80s teenager, teaming up to beckon people into the woods. Forty years after The Go-Go’s’ formation, Head Over Heels does more than preserve the band’s iconic hits in amber. For two hours and 15 minutes, it’s enough to pull the world back into sync.”

TimeOut NY said, “It grafts a 2010s sensibility onto songs from the 1980s — by the all-girl pop-punk quintet the Go-Go’s (plus two hits from lead singer Belinda Carlisle’s solo career) — and fits them into a 16th-century story that is set in ancient Greece. . . Head Over Heels is a fantasy and celebration of nonconformity, and it puts its casting where its mouth is with an ensemble that is diverse in race, gender and size. Honoring the beat, in this merry Arcadia, means making room for different drummers.”

Head Over Heels contains adult content. Produced by arrangement with Broadway Licensing, New York.

Tickets

HEAD OVER HEELS runs March 5-28, 2020, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, all at 8:00 p.m., at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in the Grand Center Arts District. March 5 is a preview.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students/seniors on Thursdays; and $30 for adults and $25 for students/seniors on Fridays and Saturdays. To charge tickets by phone, call MetroTix at 314-534-1111 or visit the Fox Theatre box office or the MetroTix website

DISCOUNTS

HIGH SCHOOL DISCOUNT: Any high school student with a valid school ID can get a $10 ticket for any performance, with the code word, posted only on New Line’s Facebook page.

COLLEGE FREE SEATS: Ten free seats for every performance, open to any college student with a valid student ID.

EDUCATORS DISCOUNT: New Line offers all currently employed educators half price tickets on any Thursday night, with work ID or other proof of employment.

MILITARY DISCOUNT: New Line offers all active duty military personnel half price tickets on any Thursday night, with ID or other proof of active duty status.

All offers not valid in connection with other discounts or offers, available only at the door, and subject to availability.

The New Line Film Series

Have a Little Rock & Roll Fable with your Rock & Roll Fable…

The New Line Film Series presents the movie musical ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS on Weds, March 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Marcelle Theater, during the run of New Line’s Head Over Heels.

Click Here for more info.

About New Line Theatre

New Line Theatre is a professional company dedicated to involving the people of the St. Louis region in the exploration and creation of daring, provocative, socially and politically relevant works of musical theatre. New Line was created back in 1991 at the vanguard of a new wave of nonprofit musical theatre just starting to take hold across the country.

New Line has given birth to several world premiere musicals over the years and has brought back to life several shows that were not well served by their original New York productions.

Altogether, New Line has produced 89 musicals since 1991, and the company has been given its own entry in the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre and the annual Theater World. New Line receives funding from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and the Regional Arts Commission.

For other information, visit New Line Theatre’s full-service website at www.newlinetheatre.com. All programs are subject to change. New Line’s 29th season closes in June with Urinetown.

Chiropractor-Turned-Playwright Strikes a Chord with Romantic Comedy
By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
Actor-playwright Michael Madden could be called a late bloomer.  He did not start acting until five years ago. Two years ago, he wrote his first play, and people like it – a lot. “Maybe This Time” won an audience award in San Diego and sold out every performance last month in St. Louis.
The native of St. John, Mo., discovered that his own online dating experiences was a rich source of material. In 2016, “Maybe This Time” won an audience award at the San Diego Fringe Festival.
That encouragement started an interesting and exciting journey. Family suggested he bring the play to St. Louis, and arrangements were finalized with a local director and cast at The Gaslight Theatre Aug. 17-19.
The 90-minute play is about four online dates with good, bad, humorous and sad results.  You not only see and hear two people on a blind date, but you also see and hear what their brains are thinking. It shows how miscommunication and misunderstanding can lead to unexpected and unwarranted consequences.
Directed by Pamela Reckamp, the cast included Mara Bollini, George Doerr IV, Carrie Priesmeyer, Paul James, Tonya Darabcsek and Todd Micali.
In these characters he has created, Madden wants people to be entertained, moved, laugh and perhaps recognized themselves. He figures that nearly all adults have dated at some point in their lives, whether it’s been online or not, they can still relate.
“I think it struck a chord with people because everyone has been on a date before. And the play isn’t so much about online dating as dating itself. The reason people respond the most though, I believe, is that it’s a pretty unique idea to have the character’s brains on stage too. Hearing what people are thinking and then seeing what they say is very interesting,” he said.
And his online experience ultimately had a happy ending. Giving it one more shot, he met someone very special on Match.com.
“I saw this winsome blonde, and she was wearing a St. Louis Cardinals sweatshirt. We both live in San Diego. I found the love of my life,” he said about wife Ann (maiden name Siemer). “And she grew up in Florissant — went to Sacred Heart.”
He hopes his play about the pains, passions and possibilities of online dating as performers take you through the process and results will be seen by more people.
The reception was so positive in St. Louis, it opened doors – and his eyes, too.
“I realized that the show can travel with or without me,” Madden said. “I had directed all the previous performances and was worried that it would be a lot different. But I think the show’s bones are strong enough to support it being anywhere. The reception for every performance was loud and enthusiastic with a lot of laughter,” he said.
A small theater company in Washington state plans to do it next spring.
“Anyone can license it out for royalties. Not sure I’m bringing it back to St. Louis again, although if someone else wanted to do it, that would be fine. Producing it from California was very logistically challenging,” he said.
But he enjoyed his time visiting family and friends. A graduate of McBride High School, he did not do theater in school, but his parents, Bill and Marie Madden, were professional performers.
“They headed a group called Old-Time Vaudeville Troupe and then had a company called Banjo and Bus, where they took busloads of mostly seniors all over the U.S. while they entertained them on board with music, sing-a-longs, movies and games,” he said.
“My parents performed for the public for 50 years and my sister has been a working actor in New York and L.A. for 50 years also. So there’s a lot of this in my blood. I did a lot of lectures and speaking before I started acting five years ago as well,” he said.
Now it’s on to the next chapter, and back ensconced in California. Although he says: “St. Louis will always feel like home.”
The St. Louis cast of “Maybe This Time” with playwright Michael Madden (center): From left, Tara Darabcsek, Mara Bollini, Carrie Priesmeyer, Paul James, Todd Micali and George Doerr IV. (Photo provided)Here is our Q&A with Michael Madden:
1.Why did you choose your profession/pursue the arts?
“I was forced to retire from the chiropractic profession after a car accident in 1999. Since then I’ve done a variety of things, from producing the San Diego Blues Festival to buying and selling precious gems in Asia. I started acting about five years ago and writing and directing two years ago. My sister has been a working actor in NYC and LA for 50 years and my parents performed in public for decades.”
How would your friends describe you?“Loud but sensitive, irreverent but thoughtful, with many interests and passions.”
How do you like to spend your spare time?“Writing, reading, dancing, poker and dinner parties with family and friends.”
What is your current obsession? “Spoken Word like ‘The Moth Project’ and ‘The Narrators.’”
What would people be surprised to find out about you?“I worked in a leper colony in Venezuela and was a contestant on ‘Jeopardy!’”
Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?“The births of my two incredible daughters.”
Who do you admire most?“Anyone that is doing what they like and making a living at it.”
What is at the top of on your bucket list? “Getting interviewed.”
What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis? “Visit the Missouri Botanical Garden.”
What’s next? “Hopefully another play.”
MORE ABOUT MICHAEL MADDENAge: 69Birthplace: St. LouisCurrent Location: San DiegoFamily: Wife Ann and daughters Ashley and CaseyEducation: B.A, in Psychology, UMSL; Doctor of Chiropractic, Logan CollegeDay Job: RetiredFirst Job: Slaving under my parents’ idea of what constituted a work ethicFavorite Role: Moss in “Body of Water” by Lee BlessingDream Role: Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman”Awards/Honors/Achievements: Best Actor Nomination SD Aubrey Awards “Body of Water”/Audience Award 2016 SD Fringe Festival for “Maybe This Time”Favorite Quote/Words to Live By: “You don’t always get what you want and you rarely get what you deserve but you almost always get what you think you deserve. If you think you deserve hardship and garbage, you will often get that and conversely, if you think you deserve joy and abundance, you will often get joy and abundance.”A Song That Makes You Happy: “When You Wish Upon a Star”