Tony Tuesday: XANADU
Today we’re hopping back to the noughties for a bit of roller-skating pop musical theatre. Today’s TONY Tuesday is:
‘Don’t Walk Away from XANADU at the 2008 TONY Awards.
XANADU is a 2007 musical based on the 1980 film of the same name. The story is grounded in Greek Mythology and tells the story of Clio, one of the muses and daughters of Zeus, who wants to travel from Mount Olympus to earth in order to inspire a disheartened Californian chalk artist called Sonny, who is on the verge of taking his own life. When Clio’s disguise including a name change to Kira, some roller skates, legwarmers and an Australian accent creates a stronger connection with Sonny than she bargained for, Clio must try and choose between love and her place amongst the God’s on Mount Olympus.
XANADU was an unlikely choice for musical adaptation because when the movie premiered, it barely managed to dent the box office and its reviews were mainly negative. However, what inspired producers was the fact that its soundtrack was a commercial hit. The songs written by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar for the film were retained as well as the use of ELO’s ;Strange Magic’ and ‘Evil Woman’. Farrar’s song ‘Have You Never Been Mellow’ was added and the hit song by Olivia Newton-John (who played Clio in the movie) ‘Physical’ was deed for the London production.
They brought playwright Douglas Carter Beane on board to rewrite the book, rooting it more securely in Greek mythology and adding further sub plots to flesh out the narrative, as well as parodying its own source material (the film). Workshops were held in 2007 at New World Stages with Jane Krakowski and Cheyenne Jackson attached as Clio and Sonny. However, due to scheduled appearances for screen jobs, neither were able to continue with the production to Broadway.
The show opened for previews at The Helen Hayes Theatre on 23 May 2007. James Carpinello was cast as Sonny, with Kerry Butler playing Clio, Tony Roberts as Danny Maguire, and Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa as Calliope and Melpomene respectively. However, just two weeks into previews, Caripinello injured himself during a roller skate rehearsal, causing his understudies to takeover until original workshop Sonny (Cheyenne Jackson) was rehearsed in to take on the role full time.
The musical opened on 10 July 2007 with direction by Christopher Ashley, choreography by Dan Knechtges, sets by David Gallo, lighting by Howard Binkley, costumes by David Zin, sound by T. Richard Fitzgerald and Carl Cassella and projections by Zachary Borovay. The show was 90 minutes in length and played without an intermission. The production was reviewed favourably and appeared much more successful than its 1980 film counterpart. During the run, Whoopi Goldberg played Calliope for a limited six-week engagement. The production was nominated for four 2008 TONY awards and closed on 28 September 2008.
The show opened two months later playing limited runs in California, Chicago and Japan, before commencing a national tour in December 2009. These productions all starred Elizabeth Stanley as Clio and Max Von Essen as Sonny. A second national tour was announced a decade later with RuPaul’s Drag Race queens Jinkx Monsoon and Ginger Minj set to play muses, however, the tour was cancelled due to low ticket sales.
The show received its London premiere at the Southwark Playhouse in 2015. The production was directed by Paul Warwick Griffin, and starred Carly Anderson as Clio, Samuel Edwards as Sonny, Alison Jiear as Melpomene and Lizzy Connolly as Calliope.
The show has also enjoyed various productions internationally including South Korea and Australia.
If you haven’t listened to this poppy album full of bangers Besties, why not?
Cast recording available on streaming services.
FACTS:
Music: Jeff Lynne and John Farrar
Lyrics: Jeff Lynne and John Farrar
Book: Douglas Carter Beane
Theatre: The Helen Hayes Theatre
Run: 23 May 2007 – 28 September 2008 (49 previews, 513 performances)
TONYS:
(NOMINATED) Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical – Douglas Carter Beane, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Kerry Butler, Best Choreography - Danny Knechtges.
