Head Over Heels Playgoer's Guide
Who are the Go-Go’s?
From their halcyon days as America’s sweethearts to their current status as superstars who pioneered a genre, The Go-Go’s preside over an amazing three-decade reign as high pop priestesses. The internationally-loved pop hitmakers helped cement the foundation of the early 80’s pop-rock sound without the aid of outside composers, session players or, most importantly, creative compromise. From their very first show, The Go-Go’s sang and played their own songs, offering five feisty role models for a generation of ready-to-rock girls and good, hooky fun for pop-loving guys.
Their story truly is a punk version of the American Dream. They came, they saw and they conquered the charts, the airwaves and, with their kicky kitsch appeal, pop culture in general. For a while, the band was virtually inescapable: TV guest shots, magazine covers, high-profile concert tours and movie offers turned Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock and Kathy Valentine into certified rock stars. Their sparking California pop appealed to an astonishingly wide cross-section of music fans.
Because of — or maybe in spite of — all this attention, they soared to become a pop phenomenon while having a lot of fun and blazing a brand-new trail — for the DIY ethic in general, and women in music in particular. Their self-contained battle cry was a string of irresistibly catchy, self-penned pop singles featuring Carlisle’s infectious vocals, with Caffey and Wiedlin’s loud, punk rock guitars and sweet backing vocals, all slammed home with Valentine’s throbbing bass and Schock’s big 60s beat.
Sure, before the Go-Go’s debuted in May of ’78, there were other all-female bands, but to a man (ahem, or in this case, woman) there was usually a seedy, cigar-chompin’ guy lurking just behind the curtain, pulling strings, writing songs and shaping the image as his gals danced on his string. But The Go-Go’s didn’t need a doctor in their house. No Phil Spector, Kim Fowley or Sonny Bono plotted their moves. It was their baby right from the start and they nursed the bouncing infant on a diet of non-stop nocturnal nourishment in dank clubs all across the city.
(From The Go-Go’s official website)
Give a listen to a few of the Go-Go's hits.
What is Iambic Pentameter?
Head Over Heels is written in iambic pentameter, which lends a feeling of history to the play, even though it is a new musical. But what is iambic pentameter? Isn’t that what Shakespeare used? Why use it for a musical today?
Iambic pentameter is a rhythmic pattern in poetry that consists of ten syllables, with stress on every other syllable. It is often compared to a heartbeat, a’la: ba-BOOM, ba-BOOM, ba-BOOM. Even though we associate it with Shakespeare and other writers of his time, it is actually the most common meter (rhythm) in English poetry. A line of poetry written in iambic pentameter means the sentence has ten syllables using the unstressed/stressed pattern.
Here is a video from The Royal Shakespeare Company talking about Iambic Pentameter. Note that in classic texts, Iambic pentameter generally shows up in moments of great conflict, inner turmoil, or confessions of love - much like how songs show up in musicals.
A Note from Head Over Heels Co-Director Laura Wurzell
I was “heels over head” with excitement at the opportunity to collaborate with my co-director Brad Dell again after a long hiatus, and to do so with the incredible talent at Iowa State University has truly been a collaboration of joy. My philosophy of theater, in general, is that the storytelling we experience on a stage is really nothing more than a reflection of humanity (our best and worst moments, our triumphs and tragedies, our humor and tears.) The musical Head Over Heels, with a soundtrack from the Go-Gos, offers a surprisingly delightful backdrop for such a task. The musical follows the adventures of a royal family as they attempt to save their beloved kingdom from extinction. Their journey is one of true growth, where they realize that the key to their survival is found not through a strength in numbers and like-mindedness, but in the celebration of all of their individual “beats.” This is, I believe, a reflection of the current challenges that many of us face in our lives today. Here’s to finding, celebrating, and reveling in the “beats” we find all around us and in ourselves!
-Guest Co-Director and Choreographer, Laura Wurzell
Read more from the co-director, costume designer, and actors
Press Release: Get ready to fall 'Head Over Heels' for ISU Theatre's latest musical
