Not rain, sleet or snow could keep me away from a big Broadway musical! Last night as my brother and I headed to Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium we were immediately confronted with the beginning of the blizzard of '10. We'll maybe not a blizzard, but it's a lot of snow for NC. After witnessing a car accident literately 5 minutes after we left our driveway I though maybe it was best to just go back home. Maybe it was the muse Clio (played by Elizabeth Stanley) who whispered encouragement in my ear (or maybe it was the thought of seeing Max von Essen (who plays Sonny Malone) in super short-shorts), but I new I had to keep going... and boy am I glad I did!
So some back story. Xanadu "Broadway's Surprise Hit Musical" is based on a 1980 movie by the same name. The movie, staring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, yes Gene Kelly, was a remake of Down to Earth with Rita Hayworth (1947), which was a remake of Cover Girl (1944) staring... Gene Kelly! Quite simply the movie Xanadu is terrible. That's not really fair to say because it has a certain charm and it's a fantastic period piece. I recommend seeing it if you have a sense of humor and irony. If you are a cynic or only go in for high art, well you might as well stop reading this post now. I'm also a fan of Newton-John. (She was the first concert I ever went to in 1983 - "Let's Get Physical" was lost on my innocent 8 year-old mind, but I loved the leg-warmers!)
Xanadu, the musical, however is a delight! I honestly wasn't expecting too much. Sure, there would be some fun songs and a few good dance numbers, but I was pleasantly surprised to find an incredibly talented cast in a charming, touching and hilarious production. I purchased stage seating and was a bit nervous as we were walked on stage before the show. Looking at the tiny stage and the huge theatre I though that I might have made a bad mistake. Could I sit here just inches from these actors and in front of the entire audience and relax enough to have a good time. The answer is yes! We were dead center and we got to see every moment up close and personal. I cannot recommend stage seating enough. Yes, a lot of shows do it and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but in this case it did and I loved it. I mean I LOVED IT! You could smell the glitter powder and see every wink, nod and gesture!
The story itself, young artist meets muse, fall in love, find success and happiness, might not be much to work with, but mixed with some great 80's songs, a lot of self-depricating humor and very talented cast and you have a suburb production. There were some amazing lines, but my favorite was, "with all this hiding and cackling you'd think this was children's theatre... children's theatre for 40 year old gay men!" Uh, we'll they should have just throw that line on the poster and I woulldn't have thought twice. This was like candy for a 40-year old gay man!
Elizabeth Stanley as muse Clio is funny, charming and beautiful. Max von Essen is adorable...I mean really adorable, has a GREAT voice and plays dumb very, very well. He also rocks those short-shorts! The rest of the cast, including the fierce Natasha Yvette Williams and knee-slapping funny Annie Golden, are brilliant. So, as I ast there, on stage, watching all this magic take place I couldn't help but smile. The audience was beaming, the high school muscial theatre nerds (adorable) sitting behind us were giddy with delight and I was in heaven... or Xanadu.
To make this experience even better was that an old friend of mine introduced me (via Facebook) to the show's Company Manager. He walked us around after the performance and we talked theatre and touring and snow. He was so great and it was a pleasure to have a little back-stage insight. As we were leaving I told my brother that I wish I'd been able to meet Max von Essen. He's a UNC grad (he threw out a nice little Tarheel reference at the top of the show), and I'm a rabid follower of his Tweets (@maxizpad), so I was feeling a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to meet him. Then, as we were about to leave I see him talking to some fans. My brother and I waited to say hi and get this... As he turns to me he say, "Hey, Shane right?" - What, what!! I was blubbering then..."uh, yeah, uh huh, how did you..." "I keep up with the Internet," he says. OMG, I love the interwebs! He knew my name. I mean, I have Tweeted and blogged about him and the show all week, so it's not like he read my mine or something, but still... I was tickled and thrilled.
That's the way Xanadu made me feel. Tickled and thrilled. I love all types of theatre. Drama, Shakespeare, comedies are all wonderful, but it takes a musical to really move me. This musical is silly - and that's exactly what it's supposed to be.
I had a great time and I hope you can make it to the show. They have four more performances and there are seats available. With the snow the houses are a bit light. There were probably only a few hundred people in the house yesterday and I know that must be tough for the performers. The next two days of performances are going to be really light with all the snow, so if you can, buy a ticket and get to the theatre. You won't be disappointed! You might even be tickled. I know I'm still smiling!
Thanks Xanadu cast and crew for a great performance and thanks Max for being so cool!
A promo from the Costa Mesa leg of the tour! Wait till the end and you get a preview of Sonny's short short-shorts!
From the Movie
So some back story. Xanadu "Broadway's Surprise Hit Musical" is based on a 1980 movie by the same name. The movie, staring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly, yes Gene Kelly, was a remake of Down to Earth with Rita Hayworth (1947), which was a remake of Cover Girl (1944) staring... Gene Kelly! Quite simply the movie Xanadu is terrible. That's not really fair to say because it has a certain charm and it's a fantastic period piece. I recommend seeing it if you have a sense of humor and irony. If you are a cynic or only go in for high art, well you might as well stop reading this post now. I'm also a fan of Newton-John. (She was the first concert I ever went to in 1983 - "Let's Get Physical" was lost on my innocent 8 year-old mind, but I loved the leg-warmers!)
Xanadu, the musical, however is a delight! I honestly wasn't expecting too much. Sure, there would be some fun songs and a few good dance numbers, but I was pleasantly surprised to find an incredibly talented cast in a charming, touching and hilarious production. I purchased stage seating and was a bit nervous as we were walked on stage before the show. Looking at the tiny stage and the huge theatre I though that I might have made a bad mistake. Could I sit here just inches from these actors and in front of the entire audience and relax enough to have a good time. The answer is yes! We were dead center and we got to see every moment up close and personal. I cannot recommend stage seating enough. Yes, a lot of shows do it and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but in this case it did and I loved it. I mean I LOVED IT! You could smell the glitter powder and see every wink, nod and gesture!
The story itself, young artist meets muse, fall in love, find success and happiness, might not be much to work with, but mixed with some great 80's songs, a lot of self-depricating humor and very talented cast and you have a suburb production. There were some amazing lines, but my favorite was, "with all this hiding and cackling you'd think this was children's theatre... children's theatre for 40 year old gay men!" Uh, we'll they should have just throw that line on the poster and I woulldn't have thought twice. This was like candy for a 40-year old gay man!
Elizabeth Stanley as muse Clio is funny, charming and beautiful. Max von Essen is adorable...I mean really adorable, has a GREAT voice and plays dumb very, very well. He also rocks those short-shorts! The rest of the cast, including the fierce Natasha Yvette Williams and knee-slapping funny Annie Golden, are brilliant. So, as I ast there, on stage, watching all this magic take place I couldn't help but smile. The audience was beaming, the high school muscial theatre nerds (adorable) sitting behind us were giddy with delight and I was in heaven... or Xanadu.
To make this experience even better was that an old friend of mine introduced me (via Facebook) to the show's Company Manager. He walked us around after the performance and we talked theatre and touring and snow. He was so great and it was a pleasure to have a little back-stage insight. As we were leaving I told my brother that I wish I'd been able to meet Max von Essen. He's a UNC grad (he threw out a nice little Tarheel reference at the top of the show), and I'm a rabid follower of his Tweets (@maxizpad), so I was feeling a bit disappointed that I wasn't going to meet him. Then, as we were about to leave I see him talking to some fans. My brother and I waited to say hi and get this... As he turns to me he say, "Hey, Shane right?" - What, what!! I was blubbering then..."uh, yeah, uh huh, how did you..." "I keep up with the Internet," he says. OMG, I love the interwebs! He knew my name. I mean, I have Tweeted and blogged about him and the show all week, so it's not like he read my mine or something, but still... I was tickled and thrilled.
That's the way Xanadu made me feel. Tickled and thrilled. I love all types of theatre. Drama, Shakespeare, comedies are all wonderful, but it takes a musical to really move me. This musical is silly - and that's exactly what it's supposed to be.
I had a great time and I hope you can make it to the show. They have four more performances and there are seats available. With the snow the houses are a bit light. There were probably only a few hundred people in the house yesterday and I know that must be tough for the performers. The next two days of performances are going to be really light with all the snow, so if you can, buy a ticket and get to the theatre. You won't be disappointed! You might even be tickled. I know I'm still smiling!
Thanks Xanadu cast and crew for a great performance and thanks Max for being so cool!
A promo from the Costa Mesa leg of the tour! Wait till the end and you get a preview of Sonny's short short-shorts!
From the Movie
A really FUNNY and VERY Gay video about Xanadu with Nathan Lane and Cheyenne Jackson (the original Sonny on Broadway)
![[broadwaybares5.jpg]](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_j4lpyCLYIO4/SjCdQp9x6xI/AAAAAAAAAbk/F2gY2RxWiCw/s1600/broadwaybares5.jpg)
![[broadwaybares.jpg]](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_j4lpyCLYIO4/SjCdGhAY9iI/AAAAAAAAAbE/ntIHibhgs9w/s1600/broadwaybares.jpg)
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