Inspired by the 1980 movie flop of the same name, the roller-disco romp mostly overcomes the thin script with energetic performances
Depending on your age bracket, you may not remember the wildly cheesy 1980 movie musical flop “Xanadu.” It was a celebration of ELO pop tunes, pink leg-warmers, roller skates and the irresistible Olivia Newton-John as a Greek muse sent down from Mt. Olympus to inspire a Venice Beach artist to open a roller disco.
“Xanada” returned to San Diego this month in a new staging at San Diego Musical Theatre in Kearny Mesa. Directed by Jason Blitman, with choreography by Allison Bibicoff and musical direction by Richard Dueñez Morrison, the spirited one-act musical is a celebration of silliness. If you’re a fan of ELO , bright costumes and broad humor, and you aren’t a stickler for plot development, this is the show for you.
The rest of the paper-thin story is a vehicle for more Jeff Lynne songs, sung by the sibling muses , as well as Danny — an aging nightclub impresario who also fell in love with Clio when she was on a previous earthly visit decades before. By the end, Zeus, the Cyclops, Medusa and a Centaur are all harmonizing with the muses as the love story winds to its inevitable upbeat conclusion. Filling out the cast are offstage singers Daisy Martinez and Isabelle Jennings Pickering.
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