Head Over Heels’ Music Director Nick House spent much of his childhood watching musicals: The Little Mermaid, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Lion King, Singin’ in the Rain, you name it. So it’s little surprise he’s wound up carving out a career for himself in the music sphere—a career that’s taken him across the globe.
“It wasn’t until I finished my music degree and moved to London that I realised my skill set was perfectly suited to music direction,” he says. “I MDd a fringe production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel and discovered that I really could have a job where all of the things I loved came together in one beautiful, camp, touching art form!”
A musical director, pianist, vocal coach and educator, Nick spent many years in London’s cabaret and improvised musical theatre scenes, notably with Sh*tfaced Showtime, an improvised musical, with yearly stints at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Brighton Fringe Festival and Leicester Square Theatre in London’s West End.
Nick is currently musical director for Danny Beard—the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4—and is at the helm of the musicians for Head Over Heels, a musical making its premiere in Queensland on May 31 for a strictly limited time.
It’s a project that he’s particularly excited about. “This show is pretty bonkers, but in the best way possible!” Nick says of the musical featuring iconic 1980s hits of The Go-Gos. “If you’d asked me before hearing the show how I’d feel about an Elizabethan text reimagined as a queer-positive modern tale told through the songs of an all-female 80s punk band… actually I’d probably have loved that, but it’s a crazy premise, right?
“The awesome musical material lifts the adventure right off the page and in its unapologetically tongue-in-cheek way, provides audiences with a zany celebration of love, identity and queerness. How could I refuse?!”
Head Over Heels—produced by Ipswich Civic Centre and THAT Production with Mira Ball Productions—definitely seems to be the joyful nod to nostalgia that we need in these trying times, bringing to life the iconic 1980s hits of The Go-Go’s, such as We Got The Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed.
Nick says it’s tough to pick his favourite song in a show packed with so many recognisable, toe-tapping hits. “Heaven is a Place on Earth is obviously one of the best songs of all time though, and I expect to hear audiences humming along at that point in the show.
“That said, there’s an unexpectedly tender moment where the cast sing Here You Are, a thoughtful, quietly reflective song that teaches us that wherever we go and however many mistakes we make, those that love us will always hold us in their hearts. Bring your tissues folks!”
Nick says Head Over Heels is a joy to behold and there are so many reasons to grab your tickets for this strictly limited season.
“If you’re looking for a new musical to listen to on repeat, this one will delight and surprise you! If you’re looking for a story where what you look like and how you identify doesn’t define who you can love, this show is 100 per cent for you.
“If you want to see some of Brisbane and Ipswich’s best—and I mean BEST—musical theatre talent lifting the roof off the Ipswich Civic Centre, then this is absolutely unmissable,” he says.
Head Over Heels
Where: Ipswich Civic Centre, 50 Nicholas Street, Ipswich QLD
When: 31 May – 1 June 2024
Tickets: $60.00 Adult; $40.00 Student; $55.00 Groups of 4+. See the website here for more details or to purchase.
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
