Playhouse Square Review: Xanadu
Aside from being able to hum a few bars of the song sharing its namesake, I didn’t know anything about the musical Xanadu before going to see it this weekend at Playhouse Square. I had heard that it was an award-winning comedy with some recognizable music, but I decided not to look into the plot, former performers or time on Broadway before seeing it for myself.
Heading in to take my seat in what was a sparsely populated upper balcony, I noticed the program said the performance would take place without an intermission. My initial thought was that it must be an incredibly long performance, but the two and a half hours flew by. The stage was set up as a sort of amphitheater with a roller skating area in the center, the orchestra above and stage right, and audience members sitting in tight sections of rows in a half circle facing the house audience.
The comedy began with Sonny Malone, a ‘totally righteous’ chalk artist at Venice Beach in 1980, unhappy with his mural of the nine Greek Muses. As he gives up on his painting, it comes to life. Led by their youngest sister, Clio, played by Anika Larsen who was a member of the original Broadway cast, the actual Greek Muses of Mount Olympus notice Sonny’s plight and decide to go to Venice Beach to inspire Sonny to continue his artistic work. Tasked by the Olympian gods with inspiring though not revealing their true identity to mortals, the Muse sisters (laughingly, as they include several guys), fully support Clio’s decision to rise from the painting in a fool-proof disguise; leg warmers, roller skates, an Australian accent and a new name—Kira.
The Muses were hysterical with antics specific to the arts they inspired. Larsen had a fantastic voice, both in her overplayed Australian accent as well as in her powerful vocals. The Muses performance of “Magic” had the audience chuckling and their interaction with the audience members on stage, from sharing popcorn with a couple in a front row to grabbing hold of other audience members in attempts to delay getting pulled into the action were truly funny. It was almost as entertaining watching my fellow audience members’ reactions to being pulled into the musical as the actual antics themselves.
As Kira hits Venice Beach, she quickly inspires Sonny to do more than move forward with his artwork, but to move forward with his dream to bring all the arts together in one venue—a roller disco. He decides on the perfect locale, an abandoned theater named Xanadu, and speaks to the owner about gaining permission for use. The owner, Danny Maguire, is a successful businessman who, despite his current fixation with money and success, recalls key aspects of his youth, including his drive to create and his own personal muse at the time, who looks mysteriously like Kira. Through some manipulation on Kira’s part, Danny agrees to partner with Sonny on the roller disco as long as Sonny and Kira can revive the theater in an afternoon.
Sonny and Kira get to work on designing the plans but are under scrutiny by two of Clio’s sisters, Melpomene and Calliope, who are jealous. The hilarious duo devises a plan to cast a spell on Clio, causing her to fall in love with a mortal which will get her banished from Mount Olympus. Performing “Evil Woman” and “Strange Magic” with much spectacle, at one point placing their bosoms on audience members’ heads, the sisters made the perfect comedic sidekick team with a very memorable performance and outstanding vocals.
After being shot with one of Eros’ arrows and receiving a warning from Hermes, Kira quickly recognized her growing feelings toward Sonny. As she realizes the consequences of becoming involved with a mortal, in addition to helping create art rather than just inspiring it, Kira leaves behind Sonny and the newly revived theater project and heads off to Mount Olympus to escape the truth and ask Zeus for forgiveness. The performance of “Don’t Walk Away” by Sonny, Kira, Danny and the Muses was riveting during the almost a cappella moments, and the lighting effects as the rain set in, “washing away” the chalk mural, were unlike any I’d seen.
Leading to the plot’s climax, the meddling sisters convince Danny to go back on his deal with Sonny, threatening the success of the roller disco, and both he and Clio are left with the decision of following their inspired destiny or chancing it all on a forbidden relationship.
I now know Xanadu is an award-winning musical, awarded the Best New Musical in 2008, but I went into the Cleveland performance without a pre-constructed opinion and came away pleasantly surprised and entertained. The scheming sisters reminded me of the sidekick pairs in Mama Mia and Damn Yankees, and they kept the audience laughing throughout. The vocals, set design, roller skating and choreography, and lighting were also excellent and brought in new elements I hadn’t seen before. Overall it was very enjoyable, went by quickly and actually inspired me to rent the movie it was derived from for comparison.
