(Broward Center for the Performing Arts)
The Amaturo Theater seats 584 people and has its own separate entrance on the ground level of the Broward Center complex.
Set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-female rock band the Go-Go’s, the Slow Burn Theatre Co.’s production of “Head Over Heels: The Musical” is an exuberant and laugh-out-loud celebration of love and acceptance.
Running June 10-26 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts’ Amaturo Theater, the show follows the escapades of a royal family on a journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction, only to discover the key is within their own hearts.
The story is set to some of the Go-Go’s and Belinda Carlisle’s hit songs, including “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.”
(Slow Burn Theatre Co.)
Sabrina Lynn Gore Cast as Queen Gynecia
A highlight of the jukebox musical is being the first to depict gender fluidity through a nonbinary character, the Oracle.
“Head Over Heels” is based on a book written by Jeffrey Whitty. The musical adaptation premiered in 2015 at the Oregon Shakespeare Theater.
Whitty’s vision was to create a musical that was a hybrid of Sir Phillip Sidney’s “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia” and some of the girl band’s biggest hits.
The show enjoyed a short run on Broadway in 2018 and was initially scheduled to make its debut at the Slow Burn Theater just before COVID-19 shut down all live events. Sabrina Lynn Gore, who plays Queen Gynecia, said she isn’t sure the musical would have been positively received.
“When this show opened in 2018, I don’t think people were ready for it,” said Gore, who moved to South Florida from New York City in 2007. “At that time, we weren’t talking as openly about acceptance and diversity.”
She posits that – because everything was locked down during the height of the pandemic – people were forced to have difficult discussions with themselves and their loved ones.
(Slow Burn Theatre Co.)
Patrick Fitzwater, Artistic Director
“I’m really excited to tell this story. It’s such an underrated show and it’s always been on my bucket list to be a part of,” Gore said, while pointing to the underlying theme she hopes comes through in the performances: the power of being your authentic, true self.
Patrick Fitzwater, artistic director and co-founder of Slow Burn, echoed Gore’s sentiments.
“I think a lot has changed since we all had to sit down and enlighten ourselves and grow outside our bubble. Even though we were in our own bubbles, we were exploring,” he said. “I think this show needed the time for society to catch up."
He added that the production is using a lot of local, professional talent from South Florida, while the cast is rounded out with actors from New York City.
“It’s such a wonderfully diverse cast. One of our leading ladies is from Hawaii,” said Fitzwater. “It’s going to be really fun. We’re going to be covering all corners of the United States. Some of this stuff probably isn’t accepted in some parts of the country.”
Ultimately, he said the message that’s gleaned from the production will be different for everyone.
“I don’t think anyone will walk away with a life-changing experience. I think we’re all on our own path. It humanizes different groups, where you could only read about a certain society member before,” said Fitzwater. “It just really humanizes people. I hope people laugh. I think the whole world needs a lot of joy right now.”
Major support for Slow Burn Theatre Co. is provided by the Broward County Cultural Division, the Cultural Council and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, and is sponsored in part by the State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.