Monumental Theatre Company Brings Wacky Head Over Heels to Life

When it comes to musicals, you would be hard pressed to find many with the bizarre source material of Head Over Heels. First, there’s the plot: a fairy tale story of ancient Greek princesses based on a prose poem by Sir Philip Sidney. (He was huge in the Renaissance). Then there’s the music: The songs of The Go-Go’s may not put you in mind of 16th century poetry, but Head Over Heels plays out to the greatest hits of that 1980s all-female band.  And would you believe me if I said Gwyneth Paltrow was one of the show’s Broadway producers?  

Yes, Head Over Heels is undoubtedly one of the more bonkers concoctions to come off Broadway in recent years. This month, it’s making its D.C.-area debut, thanks to the spunk of one of D.C.’s newest and youngest theater troupes, Monumental Theatre Company. 

“I didn’t even want to see it when it was on Broadway last year,” says Jimmy Mavrikes, Monumental’s co-founder and the director of this production. “But my friend dragged me there and I fell in love with it right away. It was this wacky combination of The Go-Go’s and Shakespearean language and, somehow, it worked. I knew I wanted to direct it.” 

Beneath its comical tongue-in-cheek presentation, Head Over Heels offers a larger message of body positivity, inclusiveness and feminism.

“It really resonated with me,” Mavrikes said. “It features the first non-binary character in Broadway history, which I thought was excellent, and the message of the show… I mean it’s ridiculous, but it’s also so uplifting and heartwarming.” 

And then there is the music. With hits including “We Got the Beat” and “Our Lips Are Sealed,” The Go-Go’s ruled the airwaves in the 1980s. “The music of The Go-Go’s is so fun and has aged so well,” Mavrikes says. “It’s awesome to hear our actors belting their songs out in the show!” 

Going bold is nothing new for Monumental Theatre Company. In 2017, Monumental won the Helen Hayes Award for outstanding new theater company. In the two years since, they have amassed nearly 20 Helen Hayes nominations and a string of successes including last spring’s sold-out production of Be More Chill, which Washington Post theater critic Peter Marks claimed was better than the version playing simultaneously on Broadway.  

An impressive start for the new kid on the theatrical block.  

Monumental’s rise is even more impressive when you realize that the company was founded just two years after Mavrikes and fellow company founders Beth Amann and Michael Windsor graduated from college. The company’s tagline is “theater by Millennials for Millennials” and in choosing to produce shows like Head Over Heels, Monumental’s goal is both to provide up-and-coming young artists with professional experience and to produce musicals that will appeal to younger theatergoers. 

Getting young people to the theater is not always an easy task. “Netflix is our biggest competitor,” co-founder Beth Amann says. To make theater seem less daunting for people who may not be regular attendees, Monumental keeps their ticket prices low, offers 10 p.m. performances with drink specials, and stages cabarets in bars to drum up support for their larger productions. “If you are in an environment that is already familiar to you, theater doesn’t seem as stuffy,” Amann says. “We want our shows to feel like a community event.” 

Actress Rachel Barlaam, who appears in Head Over Heels, has been with Monumental from the beginning. “Monumental uses the youth of the company to their advantage by taking a Millennial and contemporary approach to theater,” Barlaam says. “I’ve performed in countless Monumental cabarets that involved renting out popular bars, playing drinking games, and audience participation. Artists always want to be involved because it’s so much fun and patrons want to be a part of the experience.” 

Mavrikes, who is directing Head Over Heels, has pursued a successful acting career in tandem with running the theater company. As an actor, he has been embraced by major D.C.-area theaters like Signature Theatre and Constellation Theatre Company. He earned his first Helen Hayes Award last year (after three nominations) for his role in Girlfriend at Signature Theatre. Head Over Heels will be his first time directing a major musical production.  

“I hope people connect with the show’s message about body positivity,” Mavrikes says. “But mostly I hope they will be laughing, dancing in their seat, and having a kick ass time.” And if Head Over Heels introduces audiences to the language of iambic pentameter and other classic theater tropes, that would be great too. “This show does a really great job of making that stuff accessible, funny, and almost modern.” 

Amann concurs. “Hopefully people will see that theater is fun and exciting and decide to see other shows. And not just our shows. We want theater be a normal part of young people’s weekend plans.” 

Monumental Theatre Company’s production of Head Over Heels plays through March 16. For tickets, showtimes and other information, visit www.monumentaltheatre.org.

Ainslee Arts Center at Episcopal High School: 3900 West Braddock Rd. Alexandria, VA; www.monumentaltheatre.org