Nataley Davis | staff writer

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Red Masquers are bringing a show about finding love in unlikely places to Genesius Theater.

“Head over Heels” is a juke box musical that premiered on Broadway in 2018, set to the hits of The GoGo’s, a female rock band from the 1980s.

The characters are based off of “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia,” a 16th-century prose romance by Philip Sidney, adding modern societal aspects like LGBTQ+ characters.

“Head over Heels” follows the royal family of Arcadia who are threatened by a mystical oracle, giving them four prophecies that will destroy the kingdom’s “Beat,” the divine force that allows them to prosper.

King Basilius (Gavin Hart) orders the family to journey through the woods to escape the prophecies, but trying to outrun their fate leads to complicated romances and character development.

Director Jill Jeffrey has been working with the Red Masquers since 2016.

Jeffrey said that at its core, the show is about romance, but it’s also about pushing boundaries and creating new norms in established systems.

“It’s a love story, but it’s much more than that,” she said. “It’s a story that allows for audiences to see people waking up to the realities of what’s just been around them all the time.”

Jeffrey added that including the music of The GoGo’s has been equally challenging and exciting.

“It’s really demanding, even for the principal characters, just because it is 80’s pop rock and you have to be big and you have to be bold,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun … I think most people are going to recognize all the songs.”

The show features familiar songs from The GoGo’s discography to move along the plot including “We Got the Beat” and “Vacation.”

The societal norms of Arcadia get challenged when the character Mopsa (Aubrey Posluszny) comes to terms with her love for Princess Pamela (Julia Kadar), the eldest daughter of the kingdom.

Posluszny, who both portrays Mopsa and choreographed the show, said that she has enjoyed conveying the character’s suppressed feelings through music.

“She’s very dance heavy, and I like getting to move and express myself with dance,” Posluszny said. “Mopsa is a very intricate character ‘cause she has all of these things that she wants, but she can’t exactly go for it … that’s also been a lot of fun to play with the secrecy and the hidden things.”

The plot also plays with unorthodox ideas to showcase the struggle of living by Arcadia’s strict societal rules.

Musidorus (Jonah Higdon), a shepherd who is in love with the youngest princess, Philoclea (Ashley Caldwell) disguises himself as a woman to stay close to her — despite Philoclea’s father rejecting him as a suitor for her.

Neglected by her husband, Queen Gynecia (Zoe Pace) develops feelings for Musidorus as a woman and is forced to confront her marital dissatisfaction.

As love triangles turn to love squares and identities get questioned, the characters must figure out how to save Arcadia.

Hart, who plays King Basilius, said that people should come see “Head over Heels” to try something new that is right on campus.

“Sometimes it’s a little off the rails and you gotta accept it, but if you accept it, I think you’ll have a good time,” Hart said.

“You’ll walk out of there being like, ‘what did I watch?’… but it was fun.”

The Red Masquers theater troupe will be performing “Head over Heels” at the Genesius Theater from Feb. 12 to 21.

Tickets are on sale at the Red Masquers website and are $15 for students and seniors or $20 for general admission.

Nataley Davis can be reached at davisn5@duq.edu