3.5 Stars
‘Xanadu’ Does Broadway…. Seriously. We’re not kidding.
How does one even begin to describe “Xanadu”? Is it a musical, a movie parody or merely a roller disco? One character calls it “children’s theater for forty-year old gay people.” In other words, it is a trippy, kitschy, totally guilty pleasure.
The show’s ad campaign slogan, “Xanadu on Broadway,” reminds us how unbelievable it is. After all, this is a stage show of “Xanadu,” the notoriously trashed, magnificently bad 1980 cult film fantasy. Its nonsensical plot concerns a hot, roller-skating goddess, originally played by Olivia Newton-John, who jumps out of a neon street mural to befriend a hot, frustrated painter in Venice, CA of 1980. Some say it killed the movie musical genre for a while.
But even if you hated the film, fear not. Douglas Carter Beane’s new script brims with broad comedy and constant mythology, replacing the film’s stale dialogue and unmotivated plot. And in place of the film’s awkward special effects, the show is surprisingly intimate, performed at Broadway’s smallest theater with only roller ramps and disco balls for scenery. But luckily, all the Electric Light Orchestra songs from the film are still intact, including hits like “I’m Alive,” “Suddenly,” “All Over the World” and “Magic.”
Sporting a fake Australian accent and gliding on roller skates, Kerry Butler is hilarious and dynamic as Kira. Cheyenne Jackson, who plays Sonny, is a temporary replacement for James Carpinello, one of two cast-members injured in rehearsal. As the role demands, Jackson excels at playing a blissfully ignorant idiot. The small cast is rounded out by a band of background dancers, a five-piece rock band and veteran comedians like Tony Roberts, Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman.
At a jam-packed 90-minute length, “Xanadu” provides the giddiest dose of silliness to be found on Broadway this summer. Like watching “The Rock Horror,” “Xanadu” is proudly theatrical, flamboyant and tongue-in-cheek. Half of the audience may look on in confusion, but it’s sure to bring the rest into endless bursts of happy hysteria.
Theatergoers will probably gaze at its marquee and wonder why in the world anyone would do a stage version of “Xanadu.” It’s as if its creators smiled back and answered “Why not?” What may been a total trainwreck is instead a perfectly fun, charmingly retro evening of theater.
Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 West 44th St, 212-239-6200, $51.25-111.25. Tues 8pm, Wed 2 & 8pm, Thurs-Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm, Sun 3pm. Open Run.