The 2024 theatrical season at the Waterville Opera House continues April 26 through May 5 with the musical comedy “Head Over Heels”.
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The story reimagines and retells “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia” (a 16th century poem by Sir Philip Sidney, one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries), a fantastical tale kings and queens, mistaken identities, and burgeoning romances. All that gets dialed up to an 11 in the hands of writers Jeff Whitty and James Magruder, and then up to a 12 or 13 when the whole thing is set to the earworm pop-rock hits of the iconic all-female ’80s group the Go-Go’s.
“This story is incredibly fresh, well-written, and robust with love, and I can’t wait to share it with our audiences,” said Isabelle Grignon, who returns to the WOH stage for the first time since 2020 to play Pamela in the play, according to a news release from Waterville Creates.
The production is whacky, colorful, bright, and boppy, but also delivers poignant messages about personal acceptance and the importance of celebrating love in all its forms.
“This show exists to communicate an acceptance that will hopefully be simply woven into theatre’s onstage future as naturally as it’s been woven into the offstage history,” said veteran WOH actor Jak Peters, who stars as Basilius in this production. “Whether or not the themes of a show are concerned with queer identity and exploration like Head Over Heels, these things have perennially been concerns of the artists and people putting on shows you enjoy. So much better to honor the real spectrum of people who populate the world—and the world of art—with visibility onstage.”
Tickets cost $30.
For tickets or more information visit operahouse.org, call 207-873-7000, or stop by the Ed Harris Box Office in the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, 93 Main St.
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