Xanadu on Broadway - seriously

I have one thing to say "hy-fucking-sterical." This play Xanadu on Broadway was a great fun show. If you liked the movie you will love this show. Let me start at the very beginning...

Before the show began, Douglas Carter Bean (recently nominated for writing "Little Dog Laughed") addressed the audience as the book writer for this show on stage. Mr. Bean told us that after the previous night's performance the male lead "James Carpinello" had broken his foot and our performance would be the first performance of his understudy. "Damn!" - I thought. But what 'cha gonna do? A broken foot in a show that calls for heavy roller skating means allot of time out. Poor James Carpinello. Moving right along, Mr. Bean also informed the audience that "yes, Little Dog Laughed will be made into a movie starring Ms. White (who won the tony this year for the show). "Excellente" - I thought. So on with the show, understudies and all.

The show follows the 1980's movie Xanadu almost perfectly. Every song in the movie is included in the stage production as well as a few extra songs from that era by both ELO & Olivia Newton John. Specifically Evil Woman & Have You Never Been Mellow. Both fit into the show wonderfully. This musical doesn't take itself seriously one iota. It pokes fun at itself with a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor that literally made me split my sides at some points. The lead actress Kerry Butler is so damn funny I can't even begin to tell you how she is so gifted for comedy. Her faux Australian accent is the best. Her 9 muse sisters are played by 4 women & 2 men. I know your thinking "Ryan Charisma, that's only 6 muse sisters - well, there are 2 orchestra sisters "& Bob" playing muse sisters as well. So funny. The sets are sparse, but I never knew Mt. Olympus & Pegasus were art deco. But they are. And oh so funny. Really, you must see this show to believe it. This musical was crafted with love for the movie and it shows. If you're a fan of the movie - you'll love this. I only wish I had seen it with Olivia Newton-John to see her reaction.