Rolling in with 'Xanadu'
MANILA, Philippines - At first it seems like every unfortunate Broadway stereotype placed before the audience’s very eyes: costumes wielding every possible hue in the color wheel and actors needlessly prancing about, singing in high-pitched tones and bursting with inane dialogue and excessive hand movements. When there is far too much whimsy without a smidgen of wisdom, one cannot help but declare it as another unfortunate enforcer of the “trite play” generalization. Initially, none of it makes sense at all why, oh, why did someone decide to adapt a universally panned movie in the first place?
The main character, Greek muse Clio, inexplicably descends from Mt. Olympus, inspiring the suicidal Sonny Malone while disguised as a roller girl named Kira and sporting a fake Australian accent. But wait a minute even Sonny Malone himself seems to agree with the sentiment that maybe he lost his suicidal tendencies a bit too quickly (seven minutes, to be exact). That is when the audience realizes they’ve all been had. Then the true hilarity begins.
For, as it turns out, Xanadu the musical is not a misguided attempt to substantiate Olivia Newton-John’s infamous role; if anything, it does the exact opposite and treats its source material with all but ridicule. Pointing fingers at every possible target (the actors, the audience, and even the rainy day during which the preview was held), the production’s acute level of self-awareness breeds a whole new slew of wisecracks as it relentlessly derides the nuances of musicals in general.
Another target is the 1980s a setting that fully explains Sonny Malone’s insistence on building a roller disco, as it is purportedly where all forms of art come together. The ’80s are mythical to people like me, who are not quite so young anymore but still entitled to rag on pictures of our mullet-sporting parents. Despite the innumerable references to legwarmers (hint: they’re around for a reason), the play leaves little time for one to feel extremely nostalgic or hopelessly confused by the colloquial dialogue. There are still topics like Greek mythology, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Clash of the Titans (thank goodness for the remake, or, er, maybe not) to tackle.
The question of when calculatedly absurd becomes too absurd stands for a good portion of the play as the self-deprecating monkeyshines carry along. Efforts to counteract this can be found in some of the more memorable scenes, depicting sentimental moments of a charmingly classical nature.
The song list naturally consists of the same chart-toppers that made the original 1980 movie a cult classic, with numbers like Magic, Xanadu and Suddenly to contrast with other tunes given a slight Grecian spin by the Chorus (in the odes Evil Woman and The Fall). In fact, one of the production’s biggest strengths lies in the harmonizing of the cast’s voices. It avoids a pitfall many recent local productions have fallen into, wherein a group of cast members sounds noticeable pained when they sing in unison, and finger-pointing at the sound tech/microphones/other actors ensues.
What Xanadu might be missing is a bigger dose of elements more down-to-earth, since it sometimes gets lost in either the throes of Mt. Olympus or dizzying rave. However, for a concept so incongruous, it avoids crossing the threshold into downright grating.
Playfully thrumming the line between earnest and obtuse is Rachel Alejandro as Clio/Kira. She is reunited with fellow Avenue Q cast mate Felix Rivera (playing Sonny Malone), whom I recognized through his distinctive rapid-fire pronunciation of American English. The two prove that they can still look cute together sans the puppets.
Baddies Melpomene and Calliope, Clio’s sisters, are played by Chari Arespacochaga and Yael Alano Pineda, a duo of scene-stealers with formidable pipes. Noel Trinidad as the jaded businessman Danny Maguire injects some much-needed rationality into the cast, but his fun moments are enjoyable in their own right.
Directed by Bobby Garcia (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Hairspray, Avenue Q) and thanks to the music and lyrics of Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, Xanadu goes from chuckle-worthy to undeniably witty to utterly hilarious it’s a shame that, as a one-act play, it ends just as it appears to have reached its peak. One should not expect it to be calming (all the Technicolor proves that it is anything but).
Since Xanadu is determined to bring back every bit of the ’80s that should be forgotten, the disco balls are inevitable. It’s still a welcome relief at the end of a rainy day, though. One might as well enjoy the madness while it lasts in this strange, fantastic time warp; so be prepared to shrug and inexplicably bust out those glow sticks.
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Xanadu will run until Sept. 19 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium of RCBC Plaza. For tickets, call Atlantis Productions at 892-7078 or 840-1187 or Ticketworld at 891-999. For information, visit www.atlantisproductionsinc.com.
