Xanadu opinions

[wheelsinmotion]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:04am

Hi there, everybody. Long time reader, first time poster. Well, just wanted to let everyone know about my current FAVORITE show, Xanadu. I've read up on everyone's opinions and have come to the conclusion that most people will simply dismiss this incredible show because of the title. Give it a chance. Do the student rush (so easy), sit on the stage and if you're not smiling for at least half of the show, something is sincerely wrong with your sense of humor.

Any other thoughts?

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:04 AM

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 8:36am

Okay, here's my opinion. I wanted to like Xanadu. I REALLY did! I've never seen the movie, but anything 80's cheese is okay by me! I am also a huge fan of Kerry Butler, Jackie Hoffman, and Anika Larsen so I was psyched about the cast. Keep in mind that I loved (LOVED) Legally Blonde, so I didn't dismiss Xanadu for being goofy.

That being said, I was disappointed. I remember a while ago someone saying it felt like a big in-joke for the cast. I wouldn't say it's just the cast, but it definitely felt like I didn't get the joke. I mean, there was some guy in there belly-laughing as loud as anything at every little joke! I guess I just didn't "get it." I also get that it's "supposed" to look cheap, but if it's "supposed" to be cheap and cheesy, tickets should not be $110. As my boyfriend said when we got in a cab after, "Best middle-school show EVER!" I eventually plan to go back and give it another chance, But I was really let down.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:43am

I had a great time at Xanadu, but having paid only $19.80 for my tickets contributed to my sense of levity.

(Why hasn't the Federal Trade Commission brought a price-fixing case against Broadway theaters? Why should the shows all cost the exact same amount, and raise prices all in lock-step?)

Xanadu has a great score, and does count for something. I saw one of the first previews, and thought it could be a hit if some work was done on the book. I don't know how much has been revised since then.

I can't imagine what sort of reviews Xanadu is going to get although I know they'll have no difficulty coming up with good pull-quotes for Kerry Butler and the rest of the cast. Does anyone have any guesses?

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:46am

A agree about the pricing! I mean, I loved Company, but I don't think it should demand $110 per ticket. I guess it's because that's where they start, and then the smaller shows just release coupon codes. I do think it's a little suspect though!

[Steve2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:48am

TechEverlasting, you paid $19.80? Does that mean you showed up at the box office with rollerskates? Were there others too?

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 9:57am

I was there that day, but the whole rollerskate thing was a bunch of hype. There was a guy behind me in line wearing skates, and they made him take them off before he could go up to the box office window. (Oh the irony, fight the power!!!)

I did wear a "Ronald Reagan for President" button, but they were selling $19.80 tickets to anyone who showed up, regardless of attire.

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 10:00am

Wow! What a lame gimmick, then!

[Humbert]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:24am

I was there on the opening day of the BO and they were not giving 19.80 tickets out to people without skates. Many people there, came with their Direct Mail 49.00 discount and redeemed their ticket that way, which was stated as an option on every press announcement I saw.

The reason they had people take off their skates before entering the lobby was to avoid anyone getting hurt walking up and down the stairs.

It was one of the coolest openings I've ever seen on that street - come on! They set up a half - pipe on 44th street and Rollerblade USA had people flying thru the air. Hardly a lame gimmick, I should say.

[Humbert]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:46am

I am baffled by what some people are saying here. Xanadu is brilliant, irreverant and has the most laughs per minute on Broadway.

If you didn't "get it" Born To Reign, that doesn't mean anything really, besides maybe its just not for you, or perhaps you and your boyfriend don't have a very good sense of humor I don't get Spring Awakening or Legally Blonde, but a lot of people like it, ya know. So more power to them.

The show's not cheap either - I heard it cost over 5.2. M. Do you have 5.2 M dollars? The costumes are goregous, the set is brilliantly designed by David Gallo, who won the tony last year for Drowsey Chaperone. The lights are so beautiful (Done by Howell Binkley, also a Tony Winner from last year for Jersey Boys. 5.2 - That is a tight budget for Broadway, but that is why they put it at the Helen Hayes I suppose. And just maybe they have focused on the writing, acting and music and not accosting the audience with production values that will simply gett he audience thru the experience.

And the fact that that cast of 9 people on stage make it look easy to you is a testament to their work, not evidence of it being true - duh! obviously they were trying to give you a fantasy experience, satirizing a mixture of Martha Graham and Zeigfeld - the American Dream, not the angst of turn of the century Germany. They don't want it to LOOK hard to the audience - they want the audience, I imagine to relax and have a good time. If you've EVER worked in theater, you will know there is nothing easy about it. Duh.

In XANADU, people get quality, thoughts, inspirations, amazing music, artistry and the most laughs on B'way.

The show is so simple: it's about the creative process, about reaching for dreams even though others may set limits upon us. Yes, there are jokes about particular things in pop culture, but I have never seen Xanadu the movie and I don't know who Parker Stevenson is (referenced by Jackie Hoffman in the play), but I get that Jackie Hoffman, playing a jealous, approval-seeking evil sister whose thoughts seep out despite her efforts to remain stealth, is innappropriately sharing her feelings with the bud of her curse (Kerry Butler) and trying to manipulate her at the same time and that is funny. The way it is funny when my older brother tries to do the same thing to me or my siblings. It is UNIVERSAL.

There's something for everyone in Xanadu - that is what rocks so much about it.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:16pm

Humbert, I was there for the first 45 minutes the day the box office opened and there were maybe three people in line wearing skates. You just confirmed that they weren't allowing people to wear their skates up to the box office window. How in the world were they then denying the cheap tickets to skate-less people? Everybody who was in line with me got a pair of tickets for $19.80, including some nice older ladies from the Jersey suburbs who most certainly were not wearing skates, leg warmers or anything related to the 1980s.

I agree that the half-pipe and roller bladers were way cool, and the free disco balls and Gatorade weren't bad either.

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:21pm

I wasn't offering my opinion of the BO opening. I wasn't there. As for the show, I never said anything negative about the actors, I thought they were great!

In any case, I smell a shill

[The Goat]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:30pm

After the "loved it" "hated it" back-and-forth on this board about the show, I went in not knowing quite what to expect (I also hadn't seen the film). But, overall, I had a ball at "Xanadu." It seems that everyone involved in this production is on the same page in terms of approaching things in a wry, camp manner. Kudos to the entire cast--especially Hoffman, Testa, and Butler. And the "Have You Never Been Mellow" number on Mt. Olympus had most of the audience I was in (which included now-Tony winner Julie White) howling with laughter. Having said all this, the show is very "postmodern" and self-conscious about making various cultural references (from Greek mythology to modern musical theatre) and dropping in-jokes--so I can see how some folks might find this a bit "much" and offputting. Personally, I like self-conscious, pastiche musicals that are clever and performed with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek--and "Xanadu" filled the bill for me (as, earlier, "Hairspray" and "Spamalot" did). P.S. I am returning for this Saturday's matinee (thank goodness for those discount tix) and sitting in mezzanine A6--so any fellow "Xanadu" fans who are there, come over and say "hi."

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:32pm

I'm honestly glad people are enjoying it! I think it has so many cast member who all deserve the work for a long time! Overall, it wasn't my favorite, but there were definitely moments I enjoyed. I'm not saying I want it to close or anything, far from it!

Glad you had a good time :)

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:36pm

Im dying to see this show, the movie sucked, yet became a cult hit, the score is fantastic, and the cast is top notch.

[singingbackup]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:46pm

I saw it on Saturday matinee and enjoyed it along with a most of the crowd. Sure it might be cheese in a bucket, but it was damn tasty cheese and a near bottomless bucket. The book could use some tweaking, as there were references to living in Southern California that were almost lost on me and I have lived there 21 years. And the Parker Stevenson is an 80's joke for sure..he was half of the hunky Hardy Boys on TV, the other being Shaun Cassidy. He was also on the first season of Baywatch.

I really liked Kerry, Jackie, Mary..really everyone was hilarious, very commited to the choices they made, and Butler's Australian accent was near perfect. Her singing voice as beautiful as ever.

Say what you will about all of it, and NOTHING should ever cost $110, but myself and the crowd at the Helen Hayes had FUN. There's nothing wrong with that. Thank you to a wonderful group of performers.

[wheelsinmotion]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 2:16pm

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 02:16 PM

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 3:28pm

I had a great time at Xanadu, and am only now coming to grips with the startling fact that Munkustrap apparently didn't like the show.

If we all refrained from saying anything unless we had something nice to say this would be quite a slow, dull board. Casts work their butts off in all sorts of shows, and critiques are part of the territory. From what I've seen as long as their paychecks clear most actors and crew aren't really that upset by criticism of the shows they're working on.

"Score? XANADU doesn't have a score. It has songs."

I've heard others say the same thing about Spring Awakening, and I don't agree with them either.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 3:54pm

Actually no, the whole thing wasn't a gimmick. I was there that day wearing my skates, and they made us take them off to go into eh box office because the box office staff didn't want any accidents or problems inside the theatre. They wouldn't have sold you the tickets if you didn't have either 80s garb or skates.

And P.S., I loved the show.

[mspacman]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 5:16pm

I went with my mom who didn't know the movie or the songs and she loved it. I think the "in jokes" are there for anyone who's seen the film. I loved it. Also we got out $19 tix on the day the box office opened and weren't wearing rollerskates. We had a $39 coupon, but they gave everyone the same discounted price.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 5:34pm

"They wouldn't have sold you the tickets if you didn't have either 80s garb or skates."

I'm sorry to belabor this point, but I just get tired of reading untrue things on these boards. Was there someone determining if you were qualified to buy the cheap tickets when you were on the line? All I encountered was a guy who told the few people who actually had skates on to take them off before going into the box office. The guy at the box office window couldn't have cared less, his only issue was that he wouldn't sell more than two tickets at that low price. I was there for the first hour standing in line with a few nice old ladies from Jersey who didn't have anything from the 1980s on and certainly weren't on skates, and they got the $19.80 tickets along with about a dozen other people near me who were also dressed normally.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 5:39pm

I am in shock at what I am reading here. Broadway is hitting rock bottom with Xanadu. Its amazing how such crap can get produced, and even more amazing that people actually enjoy it!!!!! I am so dismayed at the unbelievably low level of expectation audiences demand from Broadway shows. Xanadu might be cute at your local community theatre, but as a Broadway show, it stinks.

[wheelsinmotion]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 5:45pm

WestVillage, have you SEEN Xanadu yet?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 5:48pm

WestVillage - You're in shock because people have opinions different from yours? If you don't like what is being produced on Broadway, then produce something yourself. Audiences will decide if Xanadu succeeds or fail, but people will enjoy whatever the hell they want. It's not a new concept.

[Steve2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 5:49pm

Since when does not seeing a show stop people here from having an opinion and posting about it.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 6:25pm

It wasn't a great show.

Hell, it wasn't even a good show.

It was a delightfully bad show. The creators went out to create a bad show, which, in the end, surpasses bad-ness and actually ends up being a pretty fun experience. Great cast, EXCELLENT score (that's not bastardized like Elvis, Beach Boys, John Lennon).

It's just that half-way through, it gets dull.