[NEohioPAL] Berko review: XANADU @ Beck

[Roy Berko]

*••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••*

*
*

*XANADU:  Beck makes bad script into funky fun*



Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)



So there is no question about the praises that appear in this review:  XANADU
is a bad script, with an uneven musical score, and few redeeming qualities.
In spite of this, the Beck Center’s production is mostly funky fun.  There
are three reasons for this:  Martin Céspedes’s choreography, Scott Spence’s
awareness that playing the material as a comic strip rather than a “for
real” piece of musical theatre was necessary, and some over the top
performances.



Xanadu’s so-called storyline centers on Sonny, an artist who becomes
frustrated because of the low quality of his mural of the Greek Muses.  His
depression leads to thoughts of suicide.  But, on Mount Olympus, Clio,
Zeus’s youngest daughter, decides to come to Venice Beach, California, and
save him from himself.  She, along with her seven sisters, descend and help
Sonny combine the arts with something athletic, roller skating.  Forbidden
from appear as a Muse, Clio changes her name to Kira, wears roller skates
and leg warmers (an important plot device) and speaks in an Australian
accent.  In the process, Clio/Kira falls in love with Sonny, and problems
from above are created, as her jealous sisters encourage the forbidden
love, potentially causing Clio to be banished into the underworld (that’s
where you and I live).



Honest, that’s the story.  Could I make up such ridiculousness?



Everything about XANADU is strange.  The musical score, rather than being
written by a librettist and a composer, as is the norm, is a series of
songs, some written by Jeff Lynne, others by John Farrar, but none
co-conceived.  The play is based on a flop movie which was originally
inspired by two other less than world shaking flicks, DOWN TO EARTH and its
sequel HEAVEN CAN WAIT.  Both are based on a rather obscure poem, *A Vision
in a Dream* and refers to a Chinese province where, in the rhyme, Kubla
Khan established his pleasure garden.



Again, could I make this stuff up?



The movie, which lost a great deal of money for its producers, has become a
cult favorite, making it a ROCKY HORROR SHOW-type experience, where
viewers, often shod in roller skates, dress the roles and act scenes at
midnight showings.



The musical, which opened on Broadway in 2007, ran for over 500
performances, receiving the Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award
for Best Musical.  This, in spite of the fact that it received mostly
marginal reviews.  A tour of the show appeared in Cleveland in 2010 to
basically negative reaction.



Songs from the show include such modern classics as *All Over the World*, *I’m
Alive*,* Have You Never Been Mellow*, and *Magic*.



Director Scott Spencer, realizing that he was not directing the likes of
WEST SIDE STORY or CHORUS LINE, takes on the staging with a joyful mockery,
bridging tongue in cheek comedy with farcical overtones.



Martin Céspedes picks up Spencer’s attitude and creates choreography that
is a mélange of styles.  Among others, he uses ribbon, rock, tap, bop,
line, modern, and hand jive moves.  His dancers are fun to watch,
especially Matthew Ryan Thompson and Ben Donahoo, as the two cross dressing
muses.  Thompson, who is making a career of playing fey, is a total hoot,
as well as being a talented dancer.



Amiee Collier (Melpomene), as the wicked sister and Leslie Andrews
(Calliope) as her co-conspirator, are delightful.



Handsome Sam Wolf (Sonny Malone) is physically right for the role, has a
pleasant singing voice, but needed more dynamism to pull off the leading
man role.  Kathleen Rooney (Clio/Kira), as with Wolf, looks the role, but
her Australian accent often sounds more like New Joisey and her voice
sometimes gets a little shrill.  She gets lost in her voluminous untamed
blonde wig.  Her rendition of *Magic* is nicely done.  Wolf and
Rooney’s *Whenever
You’re Away From Me* is well sung.



Greg Violand, who portrays Danny Maguire (a business man who was entranced
by Clio, many years ago), and is double cast as Zeus, has the best singing
voice in the cast.  The muses (Leslie Andrews, Maggie Stahl, Kathleen
Ferrini) sing, pose, and dance well.



Trad Burns has transformed the Beck stage into a Greek temple, complete
with lots of white pillars, which change colors through creative
lighting.  Alison
Garrigan uses traditional Roman togas, while dressing Sonny (Sam Wolf) in
70s inspired skin tight short shorts and funky tank tops.  Larry Goodpaster
rocks the house with his musical arrangements.



*CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  If you are in the mood for total silliness, want to
hear some well sung classical modern songs, and desire to see some
excellent dancing, XANADU is for you.  The “Magic” may “Suddenly” take you
to “Xanadu,” allowing you to be “Suspended in Time,” so, “Don’t Walk Away”
from seeing this show at Beck.*

XANADU is scheduled to run through October 14 at Beck Center for the Arts.  For
tickets and information on call 216-521-2540 or go to www.beckcenter.org


•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20120924/73945177/attachment-0004.htm>