Xanadu is a musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth^[1]. The title is a reference to the poem, Kubla Khan, or A Vision in a Dream. A Fragment, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province where Khan establishes his pleasure garden in the poem. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Jeff Lynne (born December 30, 1947) is a Grammy Award-winning English rock songwriter, singer, guitarist and record producer. ... The cover of Farrars self-titled album. ... Jeff Lynne (born December 30, 1947) is a Grammy Award-winning English rock songwriter, singer, guitarist and record producer. ... The cover of Farrars self-titled album. ... Douglas Carter Beane is an American playwright and screenwriter. ... Xanadu is a 1980 musical/romance film directed by Robert Greenwald. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Lion King at the New Amsterdam Theatre, 2003 Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in history Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. ... Douglas Carter Beane is an American playwright and screenwriter. ... Jeff Lynne (born December 30, 1947) is a Grammy Award-winning English rock songwriter, singer, guitarist and record producer. ... The cover of Farrars self-titled album. ... Xanadu is a 1980 musical/romance film directed by Robert Greenwald. ... Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), was an American actress of Spanish and Anglo-Irish descent who reached fame during the 1940s as the eras leading sex symbol. ... Down to Earth was a 1947 film starring Rita Hayworth and Larry Parks. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Samuel Taylor Coleridge (October 21, 1772 – July 25, 1834) (pronounced ) was an English poet, critic, and philosopher who was, along with his friend William Wordsworth, one of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England and one of the Lake Poets. ... This article is about the summer capital of Kublai Khans empire. ...

The story of the musical focuses on a magical Greek muse, Kira, who descends from Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest creation of his life - a roller disco. But, when Kira, disguised as an Australian roller girl, falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation, and Kira risks eternal banishment to the underworld. In Greek mythology, the Muses (Greek , Mousai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root *men- think[1]) are a number of goddesses or spirits who embody the arts and inspire the creation process with their graces through remembered and improvised song and stage, writing, traditional music and dance. ... Mount Olympus (Greek: ; also transliterated as Mount Ólympos, and on modern maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece at 2,919 meters high (9,576 feet)[1]. Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe, in real absolute altitude... Venice Beach and Boardwalk Venice, California, is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California. ... A roller disco is a disco where all the participants wear roller skates or roller blades. ...

Production history

Workshop productions

The musical was first given a workshop production and backers' audition at the Minetta Lane Theater in Greenwich Village, New York City, in January 2007, featuring performances by Jane Krakowski, Tony Roberts, and Cheyenne Jackson. Readings of the stage version had previously been held on April 21 and Aug. 3, 2006 at New World Stages in Manhattan.^[2] The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (IPA pronunciation: ), also called simply the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City named after Greenwich, London. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Jane Krakowski (née Krajkowski, born October 11, 1968 in Parsippany, New Jersey) is a Tony Award-winning American actress and singer. ... Tony Roberts (born October 22, 1939 in New York) is an film actor who is best know for his work in the films of Woody Allen. ... Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne Jackson (born July 12, 1975[1]) is an American actor and singer from Newport, Washington. ...

According to Beane, in rewriting the script for the Musical, he was influenced not only by the 1980 Xanadu film, but also by the 1981 fantasy film, Clash of the Titans, prompting him to add the subplot "in which Kira’s jealous sister-muses doom her to fall in love with a mortal, incurring the wrath of their father, Zeus."^[1] He has noted that the stage musical focuses more on the Greek mythology plot lines but has "a lot of [parody] references to the movie."^[3] Krakowski and Jackson were cast in their respective leading roles of Clio/Kira and Sonny Malone for the Broadway run, but both eventually dropped out. Jane cited her TV shooting schedule on the NBC show 30 Rock, while Jackson cited post-production commitments for his film Hysteria.^[4]. Clash of the Titans is a 1981 fantasy movie based on the myth of the Perseus. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... 30 Rock is a Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated NBC sitcom that debuted in the United States on October 11, 2006. ...

Broadway production

Helen Hayes Theatre showing Xanadu, 2007

Xanadu began previews on Broadway on May 23, 2007 at the Helen Hayes Theatre and opened on July 10, 2007. The show is directed by Christopher Ashley (All Shook Up and The Rocky Horror Show), and choreographed by Dan Knechtges (Spelling Bee and 110 in the Shade), with sets by David Gallo, lighting by Howell Binkley, costumes by David Zinn, sound by T. Richard Fitzgerald and Carl Cassella and projections by Zachary Borovay. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3264 × 2448 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3264 × 2448 pixel, file size: 3. ... The Helen Hayes Theatre (originally the Little Theatre) is a Broadway theatre at 240 West 44th Street in New York City. ... The Lion King at the New Amsterdam Theatre, 2003 Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Helen Hayes Theatre (originally the Little Theatre) is a Broadway theatre at 240 West 44th Street in New York City. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... All Shook Up is a Broadway jukebox musical featuring the music of the classic rock star Elvis Presley, with a book by Joe DiPietro. ... The Rocky Horror Show is a long running stage musical (opening in London initially, on June 19, 1973) that inspired the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show. ... The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a musical comedy with music by William Finn centering around a fictional spelling bee in Putnam County, New York. ... 110 in the Shade is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt. ... Howell Binkley is a professional lighting designer in New York City. ...

There is considerable skating for Kira and Sonny, and the set extends over the orchestra pit partly into the audience. The score includes the hits from the film and also includes new arrangements by Eric Stern of "I'm Alive," "Magic," "Suddenly," and "Dancin'," as well as interpolating two classic Electric Light Orchestra songs, "Strange Magic" and "Evil Woman," plus Farrar's "Have You Never been Mellow?" The show is presented partially in the round, with some audience members seated on benches on the stage. The small cast includes Kerry Butler as Kira, Cheyenne Jackson as Sonny Malone, and Tony Roberts as Danny Maguire. Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa co-star as "evil" Muse sisters, a new plot twist introduced in the Broadway version. Eric Stern is the former Executive Director of the National Stonewall Democrats. ... “ELO” redirects here. ... Kerry Butler (born June 18, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress. ... Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne Jackson (born July 12, 1975[1]) is an American actor and singer from Newport, Washington. ... Tony Roberts (born October 22, 1939 in New York) is an film actor who is best know for his work in the films of Woody Allen. ... Jackie Hoffman (born November 11, 1960) is an American Jewish actress and stand-up comedian best known for her facially-contorting expresions, one-woman shows and rancorous comedy that often focuses on Jewish themes. ... Mary Testa is an American stage actress. ...

Kerry Butler with Cheyenne Jackson in Xanadu

James Carpinello was originally cast in the leading role of Sonny and played the role during May and June previews. The actor was forced to leave the production, however, after he injured his foot roller skating during a rehearsal on June 12 at the theater.^[5] Carpinello's understudy, Andre Ward, who usually plays muse Terpsicore (among other roles) played the Sonny role on June 12. Jackson was announced on June 14th as the new male lead. Two understudies and cast members, Ward and Curtis Holbrook, alternated in the role of Sonny until Jackson went onstage beginning June 21. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 153 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Original Broadway Cast of Xanadu This image is of a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 153 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Original Broadway Cast of Xanadu This image is of a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or... James Carpinello in The Great Raid, (right) James Carpinello (born 1975) is an American actor, currently co-starring in Tori Spellings VH1 sitcom, So NoTORIous. ...

Proposed tour and London

A national tour is currently being prepared for 2008 and producers are planning to visit London with regards to possibly staging a West End production of Xanadu. ^[6] This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland. Along with New Yorks Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in... This article is about the summer capital of Kublai Khans empire. ...

Synopsis

It is 1980, and chalk artist Sonny Malone is dissatisfied with his sidewalk mural of the Greek Muses (daughters of Zeus) and determines to kill himself. On Mount Olympus, Clio (pronounced Klio – rhymes with Ohio), the youngest, perkiest Muse, convinces her eight sisters (two of whom are men in drag), to travel to Venice Beach (rising out of the sidewalk mural) to inspire Sonny ("I'm Alive"). Zeus's rules require that Muses must always be disguised from mortals, and all agree that Clio must appear on roller skates, wear legwarmers, sport an Australian accent, and change her name to something contemporary: Kira. Quickly inspired ("Magic"), Sonny decides that he can combine all the arts and "something athletic" all into one spectacular entertainment: a roller disco. Clio—detail from The Allegory of Painting by Johannes Vermeer For other uses, see Clio (disambiguation). ... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Zeús, genitive: Diós), is... Leg Warmers are a type of clothing similar to a sock except that they are footless. ...

Two of Clio's sisters, Melpomene (the oldest sister) and Calliope are jealous that Clio (although the youngest) is the leader of the Muses and that Zeus had promised "Xanadu" to Clio, although no one knows exactly what that entails ("Evil Woman"). So they plot to discredit Clio and cause her banishment by tricking her into breaking one of Zeus's rules: a Muse must not fall in love with a mortal, so they will curse "Kira" and Sonny to fall in love. Hesiod and the Muse, 1891 - Oil on canvas, Musee dOrsay, Paris Gustave Moreau Melpomene (to sing) was a Muse in Greek mythology. ... Detail of painting The Muses Urania and Calliope by Simon Vouet, in which she is supposedly holding a copy of The Odyssey In Greek mythology, Calliope (Kaliope or Kalliope) (Greek: Καλλιόπη, beautiful-voiced) was the muse of epic poetry, daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, and is now best known as Homer...

Meanwhile, Sonny finds a good location for the roller disco, a long-abandoned theater in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles called "Xanadu." "Kira" inspires him to locate the owner in the phone book ("Suddenly"), and they set up a meeting with real estate mogul Danny Maguire, who used to be a big band clarinettist before he started in the real estate game. Real estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ...

Sonny visits hard-hearted Danny in his posh office in downtown Los Angeles and tries to convince him to donate the theater for the roller disco, because it would bring the arts to the Fairfax district and drive up real estate values. But Danny scoffs, even though he had plans to open the theater himself, once upon a time. As Sonny leaves, "Kira" arrives, jogging Danny's memories of an old love and dance partner of his, who looked suspiciously like "Kira," named Tangerine ("Whenever You're Away from Me"). Tangerine tells Danny that although he had let his greed stop him from pursuing his dream to open the theater 35 years ago, he has a chance to redeem himself now by opening the roller disco with Sonny. Danny finds Sonny and tells him that if he can get the disco up and running in one day, he'll give him 25% of the take from the Disco ("Dancin'"). Excited, Sonny readily agrees.

Sonny finds "Kira" and tells her the good news. She is not impressed with the deal that he has cut. It is then that the evil sisters work their curse, and the winged Eros shoots "Kira" and Sonny with the arrows of love ("Strange Magic"). "Kira" is soon overwhelmed with guilt over her loving feelings and of having created her own art (a hand-drawn picture) alongside Sonny – both violations of Zeus's restrictions on the Muses. Look up eros, Eros, EROS in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

With the help of some of the muses, "Kira" and Sonny fix up the old theater ("All Over the World"), and Danny agrees to go ahead with the opening. Clio realizes that she is falling in love with Sonny and tells him that she must leave ("Don't Walk Away"). But the evil sisters are not finished. Now they offer Danny piles of money if he will tear down the theater and build condos. Danny can't resist and tells Sonny that the deal is off.

"Kira" comes back to tell Sonny that she loves him, but the evil sisters tell her that she has broken Zeus's rules, and that she must tell Sonny the truth. So "Kira" reveals all to Sonny, including that her name is Clio, but he does not believe her and is upset. He suggests that she is a crackpot. He also doubts that she really loves him, and she is angry and hurt ("Fool"). The evil sisters have triumphed ("The Fall"), and Kira sets off for Mount Olympus to receive her punishment from Zeus ("Suspended in Time").

Meanwhile, Sonny and Danny discuss "Kira" and after seeing her in the sky - it all makes sense. Danny tells Sonny not to let go of his muse because of foolish pride as he once did back in the 1940s. Sonny, realizing that he really loves "Kira," decides to find her - even if it means climbing Mount Olympus.

Back on Mount Olympus, Zeus's wives ask him to take pity on Clio ("Have You Never Been Mellow"). One of Zeus's wives, Thetis, retells the story of Achilles and his vulnerable heel – all the demi-gods and demi-goddesses are so afflicted. This gives Clio an epiphany: She, too is invulnerable, except for her heels, but when the evil sisters had her shot with the arrows of love, she had been wearing the "mighty legwarmers," and so she must have been completely invulnerable. This means that she really did love Sonny! This article is about the Greek sea nymph. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War...

Sonny reunites with "Kira" and they tell Zeus of their love for each other. Sonny brashly declares that he would even fight Zeus for the woman he loves. Zeus, impressed with his pluck, decides to pardon Clio. The evil sisters are displeased, but the lovers are reunited, and Zeus reveals what Xanadu is: "True love and the ability to create and share art." Clio and Sonny go back to L.A. and Xanadu.

Musical numbers

• "I'm Alive" – Kira and the Muses
• "Magic" – Kira
• "Evil Woman"– Melpomene, Calliope and the Sirens
• "Suddenly" – Kira and Sonny
• "Whenever You're Away From Me" – Danny and Kira
• "Dancin’" – Danny, Sonny and the Muses
• "Strange Magic" – Melpomene, Calliope and Kira
• "All Over the World" – Sonny, Danny and the Muses
• "Don't Walk Away" – Sonny and the Muses
• "Fool" – Kira and the Muses
• "The Fall" – Sonny and the Muses
• "Suspended in Time" – Kira and Sonny
• "Have You Never Been Mellow" – Kira and the Greek gods
• "Xanadu" – Kira, Sonny, Danny and the Muses

Im Alive is the title of a track by the Electric Light Orchestra Taken from the Sountrack album Xanadu. ... Evil Woman is a song written and recorded by Electric Light Orchestra. ... For the greatest hits collection of the same name, see Strange Magic: The Best of Electric Light Orchestra. ... All Over The World is the title of a track by the Electric Light Orchestra Taken from the Soundtrack album Xanadu. ... Dont Walk Away is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). ... Have You Never Been Mellow is a popular song written by John Farrar and recorded by Olivia Newton-John as the title track for her album of the same name. ... Xanadu is the title song from the album Xanadu, the soundtrack to the 1980 film of the same name. ...

Critical reception

Xanadu's opening night reviews from the New York critics were mostly positive. The musical broke the Helen Hayes one-day box office record the day after the reviews came out.^[7]

Charles Isherwood, in The New York Times, wrote that the show is "simultaneously indefensible and irresistible... there’s so much silly bliss to be had... there is enough first-rate stage talent rolling around in Xanadu to power a season of wholly new, old-school, non-jukebox musicals, if someone would get around to writing a few good ones... the show’s winking attitude toward its own aesthetic abjectness can be summed up thus: If you can’t beat ’em, slap on some roller skates and join ’em." Although Isherwood praised most of the cast, he noted that the musical "does have a few dead spots in its brisk 90-minute running time.... Mr. Beane’s inspiration seems to have failed him when it came to minting fresh fun from the subplot involving flashbacks to Danny’s 1940s romance. The stage "Xanadu" can’t really muster much in the way of an extravaganza, either.... The production is skimpy on both the casting and design fronts."^[8] The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ...

Hilton Als review in The New Yorker called Xanadu "probably the most fun you’ll have on Broadway this season, one reason being that everything about it is so resolutely anti-Broadway. In its wildness and ecstasy, Xanadu is a welcome relief from the synthetic creations that some Broadway producers have been peddling for years. Here you can’t count the disco balls fast enough—not to mention the roller skates, the frosted-pink lips, and the glittering spandex that the director, Christopher Ashley, hurls at you like a PCP flashback. Xanadu is far sleazier and cheesier than conventional musical theatre, and it points out just how tame most other musicals are."^[9] The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 164th day of the year (165th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official website
• Xanadu on Playbill.com
• Playbill.com article from May 10, 2007
• Broadway Rehearsal video
• Broadway Rehearsal photos
• NY mag article
• Playbill production photos
• Opening night curtain call with Olivia Newton-John and John Farrar