Jukebox musicals already dominate local stages this summer, with “Beautiful” running at Virginia Rep, “The Sound of the Guns” at Firehouse, and Broadway in Richmond’s “Ain’t Too Proud” tour hitting the Altria.
Add into the mix “Head Over Heels,” opening at Richmond Triangle Players on July 12th. Even though it exclusively features the music of ‘80s girl group The Go-Go’s, director Lucian Restivo asserts that this show is not like the others.
“It’s not a traditional jukebox musical in terms of only talking about the Go-Go’s history,” he says. “The show takes the Go-Go’s music and puts it into a beautiful storyline about gender identity and sexual identity mixed with Elizabethan culture.”
The foundation of “Heels” comes from the 16th-century prose poem, “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia,” a typically Byzantine story where the rulers of the kingdom of Arcadia are struggling to marry off their daughters. The plot of this updated version turns on the prophecies of a non-binary character, an oracle named Pythio, who will be played in the RTP production by Zachary A. Myers, recently seen on Broadway in “A Strange Loop.”
Pythio’s prophecies end up loosening up the uptight Arcadians and soon lesbian romances bloom, cross-dressing plays a pivotal role and, as per other popular Elizabethan comedies, mistaken identities both complicate and clarify the trajectory of true love.
Playing the potential royal suitor, Musidorus, is Lukas D’Errico, a rising VCU senior who has starred in an impressive string of major shows over the past year. The Loudon County native played two key roles, a homeless sex worker and a rising young artist, in “The Inheritance, Parts 1 & 2” at RTP last fall. He went on to light up Virginia Rep’s stage in “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” over the holidays, then took a charismatic star turn as Roger in VCU’s “Rent” this spring.
“In ‘The Inheritance,’ Lukas played two very dark characters,” says Restivo. “For this, he really reaches into his own personality. I’m excited for audiences to meet him again in this very different light.”
For D’Errico, the flurry of professional activity has been right in line with the trajectory he’s had as an actor. “Since high school, really since middle school, I’ve just been doing stuff constantly,” he says. “In high school I was almost constantly in rehearsal and productions.”
“I mean, the work has gotten harder especially with roles like the ones in ‘The Inheritance,’” he continues. “As I mature and evolve, it’s starting to feel like I’m watching it materialize into the career I hope it to be.”
Richmond might not have had the chance to enjoy D’Errico’s talents if not for the pandemic. While in high school, he was invited to a workshop offered by Peter Sklar, founder of Beginnings Workshop. The exclusive actor training program has an impressive list of graduates, including Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Jessica Parker.
“They said they were looking for interns so I applied, got it, and then went up to New York for a bit to work with [Peter],” D’Errico explains. “Then, in probably a naive delusion, I was like ‘I’m just gonna move into the city and do the thing.’”
He had landed a role in an off-off-Broadway play when COVID hit. “All of that got shut down so I thought, I’m just gonna go home. So I came back to Virginia,” he says.
“I’m still planning to go to New York once I graduate,” he says. “But Richmond has treated me well. I’m very thankful for what I’ve gotten to do here.”
Restivo says a cast full of so many young cast members like D’Errico, many discovering the music of The Go-Go’s for the first time, has made getting “Head Over Heels” ready for the stage a fun experience. “We’re having a party in rehearsals,” he laughs. “So it’s gonna be very exciting for an audience to come and see the fun that we’re having on stage and join in on it.”
“Head Over Heels” runs at Richmond Triangle Players, 1300 Altamont Ave, from July 12th to August 26th. Tickets available at https://rtriangle.org/.
