XANADU is a campy homage to 1980, creative inspiration, and the gods of roller disco and/or Olympus — and SO much fun. This is a fantastic opening to the brand new "Studio 60" performance space in the Auditorium building at MSU. It is "up close and personal" with approximately 75 seats in only three rows on either side of a long room with wonderful projection-art effects at either end (Chris Haug media designer) and a ceiling full of well used lighting equipment (Shannon Schweitzer) — and the disco ball, of course.
Though the movie it was based on was an official "disaster," Xanadu becomes hilarious, occasionally insightful, and magical, on stage. Carter Beane adapted and enhanced the script to include a fun Greek mythology subplot where two fellow muses "curse" the heroine to fall in love with a human. It's a cartoon caricature of itself, but offers witty insights into our human/god-like foibles and the doomed yet lofty desire to "make art." The familiar disco-era hits are infectious; you will be ready to get up and dance at the end.
The leads are double cast. We saw the talented, now blonde, Brittany Nicol (familiar from Riverwalk's Spring Awakening and Peppermint Creek's Bonnie and Clyde) so I'm assuming we also saw the first-listed Brett Kline as a frantically earnest Sonny, and Teriah Fleming and Caitlin Dunlap as the cackling, plotting Melpomene and Calliope. (Jenna Jo Pawlicki, Eric Miller, Mary Dilwarth and Christi Thibodeau are the alternate cast.) Danny/Zeus was well played by Dan Inglese, effectively overcoming his youth to charm us as "the older guy who sacrificed his dream."
Jenise Cook and Jerry Parker are a great warm-up duo, and versatile in many roles. The gang o' muses is a treat, especially Blaine Mizer, dazzling, from ballet dancer to centaur. The make-up, hair and costumes are appropriately wild (costumes Brigitte Bechtel.) The set (Shannon Melick) is simple and clever with the "greek" look and convenient pillars for stowing props and wheeled mini-pillar "scooter" that enhances the choreographic possibilities (choreographer Travis Staton-Marrero) It was all pulled together by the mastermind director Rob Roznowski.
This production is a collaboration with the Lansing Derby Vixens – Lansing’s Female Roller Derby team, who helped with the skating (and perhaps inspired the clever array of roller-derby names attached to each actor? Check your programs.)
I would recommend this for all ages except young children - but warn away any "sound sensitive" folks, because the music/amplification is rock-concert loud and sometimes a bit shrill, occasionally making lyrics hard to discern. The keyboards, guitar and drums were in a separate room down the hall - perhaps sound levels are still being fine-tuned. It runs 90 minutes with no intermission.
Director Pre-Show Discussion November 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Post-Show Discussion November 21, 2013 (following the Performance)
Dates/Times
The is an 11:55 show starting about NOW... so you missed that...;-} The rest of the run includes dates/times below. I would recommend reservations because this is a relatively small space, and once word gets out.... General Admission: $20 Seniors and Faculty: $18 Students: $15 Children 12 and Under: $8Ticket office at Studio 60 opens one hour prior to the show with doors opening 30 minutes prior. Sat, Nov 16, 2013 - 2:00 PM - AND - 8:00 PM Sun, Nov 17, 2013 - 2:00 PM
Tue, Nov 19, 2013 - 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 20, 2013 - 7:30 PM
Thu, Nov 21, 2013 - 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 22, 2013 - 8:00 PM
Sat, Nov 23, 2013 - 2:00 PM - AND - 8:00 PM Sun, Nov 24, 2013 - 2:00 PM
Studio 60 just down the hall from the Arena stage in the basement of MSU's auditorium building. Pick up tickets at the box office on the Farm Lane side, then head downstairs, down the long hall, past the Arena and you're there.
Tickets: http://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/dot-xanadu
Though the movie it was based on was an official "disaster," Xanadu becomes hilarious, occasionally insightful, and magical, on stage. Carter Beane adapted and enhanced the script to include a fun Greek mythology subplot where two fellow muses "curse" the heroine to fall in love with a human. It's a cartoon caricature of itself, but offers witty insights into our human/god-like foibles and the doomed yet lofty desire to "make art." The familiar disco-era hits are infectious; you will be ready to get up and dance at the end.
The leads are double cast. We saw the talented, now blonde, Brittany Nicol (familiar from Riverwalk's Spring Awakening and Peppermint Creek's Bonnie and Clyde) so I'm assuming we also saw the first-listed Brett Kline as a frantically earnest Sonny, and Teriah Fleming and Caitlin Dunlap as the cackling, plotting Melpomene and Calliope. (Jenna Jo Pawlicki, Eric Miller, Mary Dilwarth and Christi Thibodeau are the alternate cast.) Danny/Zeus was well played by Dan Inglese, effectively overcoming his youth to charm us as "the older guy who sacrificed his dream."
Jenise Cook and Jerry Parker are a great warm-up duo, and versatile in many roles. The gang o' muses is a treat, especially Blaine Mizer, dazzling, from ballet dancer to centaur. The make-up, hair and costumes are appropriately wild (costumes Brigitte Bechtel.) The set (Shannon Melick) is simple and clever with the "greek" look and convenient pillars for stowing props and wheeled mini-pillar "scooter" that enhances the choreographic possibilities (choreographer Travis Staton-Marrero) It was all pulled together by the mastermind director Rob Roznowski.
This production is a collaboration with the Lansing Derby Vixens – Lansing’s Female Roller Derby team, who helped with the skating (and perhaps inspired the clever array of roller-derby names attached to each actor? Check your programs.)
I would recommend this for all ages except young children - but warn away any "sound sensitive" folks, because the music/amplification is rock-concert loud and sometimes a bit shrill, occasionally making lyrics hard to discern. The keyboards, guitar and drums were in a separate room down the hall - perhaps sound levels are still being fine-tuned. It runs 90 minutes with no intermission.
Director Pre-Show Discussion November 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Post-Show Discussion November 21, 2013 (following the Performance)
Dates/Times
The is an 11:55 show starting about NOW... so you missed that...;-} The rest of the run includes dates/times below. I would recommend reservations because this is a relatively small space, and once word gets out.... General Admission: $20 Seniors and Faculty: $18 Students: $15 Children 12 and Under: $8Ticket office at Studio 60 opens one hour prior to the show with doors opening 30 minutes prior. Sat, Nov 16, 2013 - 2:00 PM - AND - 8:00 PM Sun, Nov 17, 2013 - 2:00 PM
Tue, Nov 19, 2013 - 7:30 PM
Wed, Nov 20, 2013 - 7:30 PM
Thu, Nov 21, 2013 - 7:30 PM
Fri, Nov 22, 2013 - 8:00 PM
Sat, Nov 23, 2013 - 2:00 PM - AND - 8:00 PM Sun, Nov 24, 2013 - 2:00 PM
Studio 60 just down the hall from the Arena stage in the basement of MSU's auditorium building. Pick up tickets at the box office on the Farm Lane side, then head downstairs, down the long hall, past the Arena and you're there.
Tickets: http://www.whartoncenter.com/events/detail/dot-xanadu
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