They've got the beat: Kathy Valentine, Charlotte Caffey, Jane Wiedlin, Belinda Carlisle and Gina Schock
The world's head was a little less lost Monday night when Kathy Valentine reunited with the Go-Go's for a short concert at Bowery Ballroom to promote "Head Over Heels," the upcoming musical heading to Broadway featuring 17 of the band's songs.
An inspired mash-up of posh and punk, "Head Over Heels" is an unpredictable, Elizabethan romp about a royal family that must prevent an oracle's prophecy of doom. In order to save their beloved kingdom, the family embarks on an extravagant journey wrought with mistaken identities, jealous lovers, sexual awakening, scandal and self-discovery, where everything (and everyone) is not quite what it seems.
And Michael Riedel of the New York Post writes:
Insider buzz on “Head Over Heels” is strong. The show’s had a few workshops since it premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015. It’s gotten better each time, sources say. It did hit a bump in the road when the original writer, Jeff Whitty, left the production. Whitty, who wrote the script to “Avenue Q,” is a talented writer. And at the Go-Go’s concert Monday night, people involved in the show told me much of his original script was “great fun” and “brilliantly theatrical.” But it was long. “Head Over Heels” ran three hours in Oregon, prompting one of the Go-Go’s to remark, “I love the Go-Go’s. I’m in the Go-Go’s. But I can’t take three hours of the Go-Go’s.” James Magruder stepped in to streamline the script, under the supervision of director Michael Mayer, who won the Tony for his terrific production of “Spring Awakening.” While “Head Over Heels” uses Go-Go’s music, it’s not the band’s story. The show is based on “Arcadia,” a 16th-century prose poem by Sir Philip Sidney, and is set in a magical land of dukes, oracles, lions, bears -- and more than a couple of cross-dressers. The cast includes Jeremy Kushnier, Taylor Iman Jones, Andrew Durand, Rachel York and Peppermint (of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fame).
While it's no secret I'm not a big musical theater goer, I don't know that there was anyone more excited to be there than I was -- especially with this guy by my side.
Damian's future's so bright ...
Legendary MTV veejay Mark Goodman spoke with director Michael Mayer -- who described the show as the perfect escapist antidote for today's troubled times -- before introducing the band.
And then out came the ladies ...
who launched into "Vacation," Kathy's classic written for her old band the Textones ...
followed by "How Much More," which Charlotte wrote with Jane ...
Andy Cohen and Sandra Bernhard -- (S)Andy -- were to my right, loving every minute of it ...
Was a little surprised that they then did "Mad About You," which was technically written (by replacement Go-Go Paula Jean Brown) for the band's first post-Jane album before ending up on Belinda's solo debut ...
Then came their cover classic, "Cool Jerk." Belinda really seemed to get into the song with Kath and her bad, bad bass ...
The play's title track was next -- a Caffey/Valentine collaboration ...
Followed by the one-two "Beauty and the Beat" punch of "Our Lips Are Sealed" (Wiedlin/Terry Hall)
... and "We Got the Beat” (Caffey).
Afterward we got to spend a little time with Kathy ...
And I confronted Mark Goodman about his missing trademark curly locks. (He hates them and gets his hair straightened these days!)
Miss Guy -- my all-time favorite deejay -- did not disappoint ...
Then I bumped into Charlotte and showed her the photo I took of her when my friend Mark and I stalked the Go-Go's on their 1984 tour. She was so tickled she went running -- with my phone -- across the venue (with no warning) to show her posse, laughing and saying, "That was definitely 'Talk Show' hair!"
It remains to be seen if "Head Over Heels: The Musical" is my cup of tea -- the music's obviously great and the cast is adorable, so that helps! -- but seeing these five women onstage again most definitely is. Here's hoping they continue to play together. We wouldn't want them to be rusty (or estranged) when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally comes knocking.
Info HERE.
2 comments:
Very cool, they were the first band I ever saw in concert. Back in the day Boston hosted a pretty cool summer concert series called, Concert on the Common, and I went with my friends INXS opened for them. It was pretty amazing.
Hey mate! I was the one with the setlist (above photo). By any chance, do you have any other cast photos? I was thrown into it, but never found a copy. Thx!
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