By M.K. Scott
PORTLAND, OR- My journey to Xanadu (at Portland's Keller Auditorium)
started as a blind date at the Romano's Macaroni grill. 'Ryan' was waiting for me with a Martini and great conversation. Later, we had to rush to the Keller and to be in our seats 15 minutes prior to curtain. When we got there, we were escorted to the backstage walking past the cast including the sexy male lead in his red tank and short denim shorts. We sat in some bleachers on the stage with selected cast members sitting along with us like the setup in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Spring Awakening. Later, we will be in the center of the action:
Adapted from the 1980 film with Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly and Michael Beck, Xanadu is a fantastical story of a Greek demi-god sent to Earth to be a muse for a struggling artist. In the process she breaks some cardinal rules, including falling in love and getting involved with the creative process itself. Peppered throughout the story are some classic songs from the film including "Magic", "Suddenly", "I'm Alive" and the theme song "Xanadu". None of these songs are pure classics in their own right, but they do really capture some of the delicious elements that make the 80's so fun to wax nostalgic over.
Musically this gives Xanadu a fairly solid base. Like Mama Mia, there's enough of a musical foundation for a fun night of musical theater.
Elizabeth Stanley, who performs the lead role, has a fantastic voice, similar in tone to Olivia Newton-John, with a depth and breadth that truly fills the auditorium. But she so hams it up while singing that it's really difficult to enjoy her genuine talent. Her character tells her sister's I am going to meet the artist and will speak with an Australian accent. The audience erupted with Laughter. What an awesome tribute to Olivia Newton-John!
Stanley's co-star Max Von Esson, who plays Sonny Malone, was utterly eye-candy on stage and we got all the close views from all angles.
I was quite disturbed that the Gene Kelly part of Larry Marshall was portrayed by 'a man of color', but when he got into the role, he was quite good! He seems to be the only one to be able to balance both the humor and the narrative of the musical and both sings and acts wonderfully.
The biggest omission was 'All over the world' because in the film it was the big splashy production number with colorful costumes and dance sequences. Far from the stage version, this one was campy and small.
Being part of the show, enhanced the overall experience and was utterly a once in a lifetime experience.
Yes, the date was successful and will see 'Ryan' again.
Xanadu continues at the Keller auditorium through January 17th!
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