Dramas may be dominating New York's fall season, but what really fuels the Broadway economy are big new musicals. But so far, Broadway is...
Dramas may be dominating New York’s fall season, but what really fuels the Broadway economy are big new musicals.
But so far, Broadway is having to make do with “Xanadu” — and with a hulking musical creature-feature direct from Seattle, “Young Frankenstein.”
Both productions caught a lucky break. They are two of just eight ongoing shows not suspended by the crippling strike by Broadway stagehands, because their theaters are covered by separate labor agreements.
While the expensively produced “Young Frankenstein” underwhelmed most critics, the more modestly scaled “Xanadu” sneaked into the Helen Hayes Theatre with no major stars and little hype — and became an instant guilty pleasure.
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A delectably cheesy lampoon of a disco-era movie musical, “Xanadu” has had a box-office boost from an influx of desperate tourists. And judging from a recent performance, those who’ve wandered in without preconceptions get a real treat.
An affectionate spoof of a polyester-dreams 1980 film that featured Olivia Newton-John as a roller-skating Greek muse, and Gene Kelly (yes, the Gene Kelly) as a real-estate mogul, “Xanadu” bolsters the notion that rotten movies can make delightful stage musicals.
The odds are higher if there’s a sharp wit guiding the project (here it’s Broadway dramatist Douglas Carter Beane) and a savvy director (Christopher Ashley) in charge.
Both have a flair for exploiting the tacky absurdity of mythic Greek figures tooling around L.A. on roller skates, helping a Valley Boy wannabe artist realize his dream of opening a disco palace.
This confection also comes with a hook-happy score attached, including such Top 40 hits as Newton-John’s “Magic” and Electric Light Orchestra’s “All Over the World.” And some terrific former Seattleites get to strut their stuff: designer David Zinn crafted the outrageous clothes (Zinn’s also responsible for the great duds in ACT Theatre’s “The Women”). And Cheyenne Jackson is the perfect male ingenue here — the clueless yet endearing Sonny.
In fact, “Xanadu” is packed with hip theatrical talent: funny gals Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa as acerbic, big-lunged Greek deities, and Tony Roberts doubling as a hard-nosed SoCal businessman and as Zeus.
Best of all is Kerry Butler, who as Sonny’s muse Kira channels her inner Newton-John with a vengeance. You might recognize Butler as the original Penny in Seattle’s pre-Broadway run of “Hairspray.” Here she’s utterly hilarious as a wide-eyed sprite with an extreme Aussie drawl. Anybody who can get you excited about hearing “Have Your Ever Been Mellow?” for the ten-zillionth time deserves at least a Tony Award nomination.
“Xanadu,” on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th St., New York
Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com