Head Over Heels (Kilborne/Viola)
by Ben Hecht, William S. Kilborne Jr., Albert T. Viola, William Sawyer Goodman

Name: Head Over Heels (Kilborne/Viola)
Brand: Ben Hecht
SKU: 9780573681714

Off-Broadway

Head Over Heels (Kilborne/Viola) Book Cover — Head Over Heels (Kilborne/Viola) Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

90 mins 18th Century Exterior Set Period Costumes

Synopsis

Based on the 1916 short play The Wonder Hat, this 1981 off-Broadway musical features the commedia dell’arte characters Harlequin, Columbine, Pierrot, Punchinello and the Nurse in a charming and magical Harlequinade about star-crossed lovers.

The original score by Albert T. Viola and William S. Kilborne features the songs “Market for Magic,” “Castles in the Sand” and “As We Grow Old.”

Press Reviews

"A musical romp brimming with innocent charm… a jewel of a musical."
— Gannett Papers

"A confection… the show is a brief Harlequinade about potions, spells and suddenly requited love… wooing an audience with whimsicality."
— The New York Times

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Nurse (Margo) Outspoken, shrewd, worldly-wise, fiercely loyal, formidable – an older woman (55 +) who is lonely without self-pity. Hefty, single, direct and strong.	female	—	Outspoken, shrewd, worldly-wise, fiercely loyal, formidable – an older woman (55 +) who is lonely without self-pity. Hefty, single, direct and strong.
Harlequin A conceited character who has seen enough of the world and who has learned enough from what he has seen to have developed also considerable wit and a philosophy of cheerful charlatanism. He loves Columbine but is reluctant to give up the pleasures of profligacy.	male	—	A conceited character who has seen enough of the world and who has learned enough from what he has seen to have developed also considerable wit and a philosophy of cheerful charlatanism. He loves Columbine but is reluctant to give up the pleasures of profligacy.
Columbine Beautiful, young, tough, determined, swift with repartee, well educated. Sincerity disguised as artifice.	—	—	Beautiful, young, tough, determined, swift with repartee, well educated. Sincerity disguised as artifice.
Pierrot A perennial, amiable loser, unfit for the rough-and-tumble pursuit of amatory delights. An engaging, vulnerable, sleepy, disingenuous fellow who really prefers covers to lovers.	—	—	A perennial, amiable loser, unfit for the rough-and-tumble pursuit of amatory delights. An engaging, vulnerable, sleepy, disingenuous fellow who really prefers covers to lovers.
Punchinello An old peddler of potions and dreamer of dreams, at least 55, with a long grey beard. A charming, clever, devious wheeler-dealer who has lived by his wits for eons, a thief of both property and good lines, who is lonely and witty and wise, yet, at the same time, a buffoon. His love for the Nurse, on the other hand, turns out to be real and genuine and strong and durable.	male	—	An old peddler of potions and dreamer of dreams, at least 55, with a long grey beard. A charming, clever, devious wheeler-dealer who has lived by his wits for eons, a thief of both property and good lines, who is lonely and witty and wise, yet, at the same time, a buffoon. His love for the Nurse, on the other hand, turns out to be real and genuine and strong and durable.