HEAD OVER HEELS Comes to The Hilberry Theatre in April

 The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, a program within the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University, will present Head Over Heels, featuring songs by the Go-Go's; based on the 'Arcadia' by Sir Philip Sidney; Conceived and Original book by Jeff Whitty; Adapted by James Magruder. Directed by Jill Dion, this production performs live on-stage April 15th through 24th the at the Hilberry Theatre located at 4743 Cass Ave. Performances are Friday April 15th at 8:00 PM, Saturday April 16th at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, Wednesday April 20th at 2:00 PM, Thursday April 21st at 7:00 PM, Friday April 22nd at 8:00 PM, Saturday April 23rd at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, and Sunday April 24th 3:00 PM.

A hilarious, exuberant celebration of love, Head Over Heels follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous 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. This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980's all-female rock band The Go-Go's including the hit songs, "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are Sealed," "Vacation," Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and "Mad About You."

This jukebox musical is based on The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, a 16th tale by Sir Philip Sidney. It follows the two daughters of King Basilius, the beautiful Pamela and the plain Philoclea. Pamela is exhausted by not-so-perfect suitors and Philoclea wants to marry her true love, a lowly shepherd boy, Musidorus. The new oracle of Arcadia, the non-conforming Pythio, warns them of a new prophecy that will cause the Kingdom of Arcadia to fall, along with their precious "beat" that keeps it going. Relationships, loyalty and sexual preferences are tested as the family, try to save their home.

James Magruder made his Broadway debut with the book Triumph of Love. His adaptations of Marivaux, Moliére, Lesage, Labiche, Gozzi, Hofmannsthal, Dickens and Giraudoux have been staged across the country in Germany and Japan, and his dissertation, The Three Comedies, was named an "Outstanding Literary Translation of the Year" in 1997. Also a fiction writer, he has published Sugarless, a Lambda Literary Award Finalist; Let Me See It, a story collection; Love Slaves of Helen Hadley Hall; and Vamp Until Ready.

Tickets start at $15 for students ages 12 and up, $18 for seniors and Wayne State faculty, staff, and alumni, and $22 for adults. Tickets can be purchased online at https://theatreanddance.wayne.edu/ticket-info , by phone at 313-577-2972, or in-person at the Box Office at the Hilberry Theatre two hours prior to performance time.

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