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Xanadu is roller boogie
brilliance!
Set in 1980 on Venice Beach and based on the classic movie of the
same name which starred Olivia-Newton John and Gene
Kelly, this musical
follows the journey of Kira, a beautiful Greek muse who
comes to earth to help Sonny, a struggling artist,
renew his hope and develop his greatest achievement - a
roller disco.
Sonny (Max Von Essen), donned in
striped tube socks and cut off jean shorts, first
introduces us to Kira and her six sisters (two of which
are actually guys) as they
fantastically seem to come alive right before our eyes
from a ‘chalk’ mural on a brick wall.
In order to accomplish her job of inspiring
art, Kira (Anika Larsen) disguises herself with
roller skates, legwarmers, and a hilariously over
exaggerated Australian accent; but it isn’t long before
two of her sisters, Melpomene (Natasha Yvette Williams)
and Calliope (Annie Golden) place a curse on Kira
causing her to fall in love with the mortal, and
comically air-headed, Sonny.
Kira resists since this action is
forbidden by the gods, but she’s no match for the
shirtless, belly rubbing, arrow wielding Cupid (and wow,
we’re not sure how long it’s going to take to shake that
image). So love is born amidst a tender yet powerful
and funny rendition of “Suddenly”, along with an onstage
kiss that brought cat calls from the audience and an all
around feeling of boom-chicka-wow-wow.
Soon however, Kira senses the error
of her way and attempts to flee. Despite desperately
holding on to her leg to prevent her, Sonny is left with
only Kira’s roller skate as she disappears in
Cinderella-like retreat. On her way to Mt. Olympus to
beg forgiveness from Zeus, Kira seats herself on a
winged Pegasus which dramatically lifts her high above
the other actors on stage while she sings “Suspended in
Time”.
Once at Mt. Olympus, we see a band
of characters pleading to Zeus (Larry Marshall) on Kira’s behalf in a scene which includes Medusa, Cyclops,
and Centaur singing “Have You Ever Been Mellow?” It was
hysterical. All turns out for the best; and in the end,
we are taken back to Club Xanadu for a terrific closing
number featuring a stage flooded with colored light, a
cast bedecked with Deney Terrio era satin and sparkle
glory, and over three dozen disco balls sprinkling light
across the entire auditorium.
Overall the show was really funny,
doling out quips and one-liners like candy and leaving
us cracking up while gasping and thinking, “Did they
really just say that?” And the onstage audience, which
was used as unlikely ‘props’ in many scenes, lent an
unexpected element of humor and unpredictability.
The music is the star in this
production though. There was a nostalgic touch of soft ‘40’s swing and a little ‘80’s head-banging strobe
lit hair band rock, but the score showcases the talents
of John Farrar, who wrote most of Olivia Newton-John’s
number one pop singles, and Jeff Lynne, who formed
Electric Light Orchestra (E.L.O.). Songs in this
production include “I’m Alive”, “Magic”, “Evil Woman”,
“Strange Magic”, “All Over the World”, and of course “Xanadu”,
and were performed in part by an onstage band consisting
of keyboards, guitars, and a synthesizer.
Mmmh, sounds that
took us all the way back to the corner hang out where we
played Asteroids and Galaga in our tennis shoe styled
roller skates with a mouthful of Pop Rocks. Ah, our own
personal Xandadu … Xanadooo ooo oooh … |
