Xanadu, May '07 Opening

[C is for Company]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:35pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=14414


Finally some XANADU action on broadway. "A place where nobody dared to go, a love that we came to know, they call it Xanadu"

[MotorTink]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:41pm

I don't think there will be a middle ground for this show, it's either be a cult classic hit or a big flop! Maybe the Xanadu project will open at the Meadowlands at the same time so it can be double the press for each.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:42pm

Whether it becomes a mega-flop or a smash success, I think this is brilliant. I can't wait to see the cast announced!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:42pm

Well it's official! No one can ever criticise any Film-to-Muiscal translation ever again because Xanadu is by far the worst film ever so adapted.

[JRybka]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:42pm

I absolutely LOVE this movie. I watch it every year at Christmas. I do a whole classic bad movie day; XANADU, Grease II, and Valley of the Dolls.

I hope it goes well.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:46pm

I do not even think Gene Kelly coming back from the dead would have helped this

Why take a bad film musical & bring it to the stage when good film musical transfers have failed ?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:46pm

The thing that is interesting about this production is that it is only very loosely based on the film. The music is the same but the story is much more fleshed out and focused on the backside of the story. I don't know how this is going to pan out: its probably not going to be campy enough for die hard fans of the film as a piece of "bad cinema" but it remains to be seen whether the script is good enough to make it work as a somewhat legit musical theatre evening that will appeal to your average theatre goer. A definite risk.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:47pm

it sounds bad, but it will be interesting to see

i cant wait to hear all the tourists try and pronounce that...

[Heybeenfood]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:54pm

Will this have an original score?

[MLE]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 6:56pm

Wow.

That's incredible. I haven't seen that movie in years, but I loved it. I don't know why, but somehow the movie got rented by my family and I fell in love with it. I was so young, I didn't know who Gene Kelly was at the time, so I really didn't know he was in it until now. Ouch. Haha, I used to put the cassette tape on in the basement and skate around to the music for hours.
I barely remember anything from the film, but now I have the urge to watch it again. Maybe when I go home this weekend I'll dig out the VHS.

I'm definitely going to be following the upcoming show. It'll be very interesting to see how it develops.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:01pm

I will cry if this lasts longer than High Fidelity.

Which it will.

[samcd3]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:13pm

at least now the cast from starlight express around the globe will be able to put their skating to good use in a different show.

[Sylar2]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:14pm

I hope the musical makes more sense than the movie.......

I give it less than 6 months.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:17pm

I would love to see Jane K. skate....and I want her in this show.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:23pm

They've been courting Tommy Tune and Ben Vereen for the Gene Kelly role. I say hire Tommy Tune and than maybe he can fix the show directorially if they hit a bump on that roller rink floor...

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:27pm

yeah!!!!

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:27pm

I'm waiting for "Show Girls" The Opera.

Any day now, mark my words.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:36pm

I thought there really was a Showgirls musical in the works?

I'm not joking or being snarky, I'm quite sure there is...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:37pm

And yet, we still can't get The Princess Bride to be a musical. i give it three months. But, if Jane and Ben came in, you may get some more people. Isn't the Helen Hayes too small and aren't there WAY too many new musicals this season? Besides, we don't need Xanadu. Of course, E! named it as one of the 101 Guilty Pleasures.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:45pm

THE PRINCESS BRIDE is being made into a musical by Adam Guettel...

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:55pm

Joe Esterhaus is working on a Showgirls musical for Vegas.

The producers of Xanadu is smart for picking the Hayes. They know they can fill a theater of that size....anything else, not so much.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:56pm

OT: Did anyone hear the suite of the music for Princess Bride btw? If that didn't fall through. Anyone know any projected dates for the show?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 7:59pm

Well, smart or not will remain to be seen in terms of how much the show costs. You could hypothetically sell out the Helen Hayes every week and still not make the running cost of the show. Particularly a musical with a large cast. The Hayes was not designed for that...

The last musical to play the Helen Hayes with a cast as large as XANADU's was THE NEWS in the early 80s which lasted about 4 performances.
Updated On: 12/14/06 at 07:59 PM

[Heybeenfood]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 8:03pm

Will someone answer my question? Will this have an original score?

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 12/14/06 at 8:06pm

I hated the movie, but I'll go see it anyway.