Imagine Greek muses, two of them in drag-- singing, dancing, cackling. A laughing tragedy on stage.
I watched Atlantis Production's Xanadu twice. The first one when I won tickets to the twitter raffle and one was today. And catch this: I want to watch it again. It's like going back to Avenue Q, amazing cast; no one needs to catch up, everyone is a triple threat. Maybe because it's a small cast, or maybe it depends on the direction/production.
The show opened on Broadway June 2007, months after Legally Blonde opened and closed September 2008, months before Legally Blonde closed. 2008 was the year I was hooked to this musical together with Legally Blonde (mind you, I love LBTM more). I love the song, the punchlines, the creativity within the musical. The show was a muse itself, it inspires us.
Talk about the talent, Xanadu is full of high-in-cocaine cast because of their life that they put in their characters. Comparing the first time I watched to the second time? It's incomparable because they are ecstatic on both shows and that's what other shows here in Manila should take note: Take each show as a premiere performance.
Rachel Alejandro as the amusing muse Clio/Kira reminds me of Kerry Butler's performance in Xanadu only bland. Props to Xanadu for her wig, it looks much better than the one they used in Legally Blonde. I heard it was especially made for Rachel, and the wig is Broadway quality. Her costume is even much prettier than the original design and her skates has pink wheels, which is good; the leg warmers just looked like it was cut from a scrap of pink cloth and wrapped around Rachel's ankles. But her performance, her voice, her acting, her Australian accent it all goes well together. It just proves that she has versatility and not just a person behind a puppet. She needs to improve her comic timing-- she loses alot of punchlines, it's supposed to be laughed at but by the way she throws them it becomes unnoticeable-- people might not notice it, but not all of your audiences are like I am.
Felix Rivera. Can I just say... "AWESUMMM!"? Needless to say, he's one of the best theater performers in our country. Her vocal chops killed me and they just came out of his mouth effortlessly. I love how he had a new take on this role, Sonny Malone. It's very different to Cheyenne Jackson's which is very impressive. The beach boy accent and lingos are properly thrown which gained much applause and also, for his comic timing. He is a performer who does not drop his character when the spotlight's not on him, he's always Sonny Malone and it's amusing because when you talk to him in person, he is very different from Sonny. He skates good too.
Chari Arespacochaga and Yael Pineda as E-evil Woman were definitely showstoppers. Their interaction with the stage audience is very much impressive because you don't know how these audience will react if you do something to them. The vocals of these two together just brings the house down. Hey-hey-hey! I can proudly say that their tandem slaps Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman together. And did I mention I super love Yael as Aphrodite?
Noel Trinidad as Danny Maguire; expected great performance, although I haven't seen this guy around theater that much. I was expecting to catch another Danny when I watched awhile ago but it's still good that it was him. His punchlines are thrown Dolphy-style and I give him props for that. His facial expressions are what some of the people in theater are missing.
The ensemble, and I can name each one of them-- Anthony Ong, Glen Llanes, Bea Garcia, and Alys Serdenia. Their speaking, singing, and dancing in unison is sooo Broadway! I love that although they are ensembles, they take their role to the fullest. Anthony Ong with his Tap dancing in "Whenever You're Away from Me" gives me full of envy because I've long wanted to Tap dance (and have tap-dancing shoes). Glen Llanes stands out as Hermes, for me. Bea Garcia and Alys Serdenia made me laugh so hard in "Have You Never Been Mellow?" and by their respective roles.
Did I mention that the cast are sooo nice? We went all fan-ing over them and they are very, very kind and corteous. I love them so much.
Xanadu is a 90-minute musical comedy with a book by Douglas Carter Beane, music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, based on the 1980 cult classic film of the same name which was, in turn, inspired by the 1947 Rita Hayworth film Down to Earth.
The story of the whimsical and comic musical focuses on a Greek muse, Clio, who descends from Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest creation of his life - a roller disco. But, when Clio, disguised as an Australian roller girl named Kira, falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters ake advantage of the situation, and Clio risks eternal banishment to the underworld.
The musical opened on Broadway in 2007. It has earned an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and Drama Desk Award for Best Book. It was nominated for Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book.
Xanadu features songs made popular by Olivia Newton-John in the film of the same title including MAGIC, SUDDENLY, SUSPENDED IN TIME, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN MELLOW and the hit title track XANADU.
With an abundance of famous pop songs from the 80's, a hilarious and lighthearted comic script, and some amazing rollerskating, Xanadu is a hilarious, rollerskating musical adventure about following your dreams despite the imitations others set for you.
Edit: Third time watching the show on its last night. Bobby Garcia treated me and my friends orchestra tickets!
Up next: THE WEDDING SINGER and A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC!
