Welcome to Feature Fridays! In this series, AU Music Library staff highlight items from our collection. This week, Student Assistant Lauren Riojas reviews Head over Heels, a musical by James Magruder and Jeff Whitty consisting of music from the discography of the Go-Go's.

Head over Heels, a cult classic musical, was written by James Magruder and Jeff Whitty and Composed by The Go-Go's. This fun pop score consists of music from the discography of the popular band The Go-Go's. The story is adapted from the plot of The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia by Philip Sidney. The story in the musical follows the royal family of Arcadia and their journey to keep the “beat” from disappearing by making sure different prophecies are not fulfilled. This musical broke barriers in terms of representation on Broadway. It consisted of a diverse cast, a lesbian love story, a plus-size ingénue and a trans-woman in a leading role playing a non-binary character.

A couple of my favorite songs from Head over Heels include “Beautiful” sung by the amazing Bonnie Mulligan and “Vacation” sung by the amazing Taylor Iman Jones. Both songs are so important and groundbreaking in their own way. “Beautiful” is a song about knowing yourself worth and how beautiful you are. It is so groundbreaking because it is sung by the plus-size ingenue of the cast which is rare on Broadway and shouldn’t be. Bonnie Mulligan sings this song beautifully and introduces the character of Pamela wonderfully. “Vacation” on the other hand takes place a bit further into the musical than “Beautiful”. “Vacation” takes place after Mopsa leaves Pamela and she realizes she still has feelings for Pamela. This song shows the beginning of lesbian love which we don’t see on stage as often as we should. Taylor Iman Jones sings this song beautifully and portrays this important moment so well.

Head over Heels is a fun pop-rock musical that integrates the music of The Go-Go's to tell a beautiful story about love and hope! For Musical Theatre fans looking for a fun show that pushes boundaries, Head over Heels is for you!

Head over Heels is available on CD and digitally through the American University Music Library. If you like this musical, you might also like Carrie or Legally Blonde.