Xanadu

Can a musical be simultaneously indefensible and irresistible? Why, yes it can. Witness Xanadu, the outlandishly enjoyable stage spoof of the outrageously bad movie from 1980 about a painter and his muse who find love at a roller disco in Los Angeles. The plot, for those unfamiliar with the film, concerns Clio, the Muse of History and leader of the muses who comes down to earth in 1980, abetted by her six raucous sister Muses, to inspire an artistic achievement, a roller disco. An artist has drawn a mural of the Muses that conveniently serves as their gateway to earth. Clio meets this good-looking guy with the paint brush who is looking for his muse and… you don't need to know more than that.

Bonnie Fawcett, as the Greek demi-goddess Clio who also roams Venice Beach as the Australian mortal Kira, is simply heaven on eight little polyurethane wheels. Or heaven in leg warmers. Actually, she’s both. Two muses of myth, Melpomene (Shelley Scott) and Calliope (Laura Baker), deliver the bulk of the funny repartee with perfect comedic timing and on-stage sisterly chemistry. Sonny, the loveable and suicidal artist, is played with charm by Anthony Jacobsen – providing the perfect amount of ‘doe-eyed-love’ for Clio to make you want to fight alongside them against Zeus. Ian Moore, as roller-rink entrepreneur Danny & inevitably Zeus (spoiler), stuns the audience with his deep and rich vocals, bringing some perfect harmony to the sweet sound of Fawcett’s Clio. It is not every day that we see people singing, dancing, acting and making us laugh, all at once, and on roller-skates no less.

The biggest highlight here would be the cohesive energy of the cast – with everyone matching the energy on the stage and really enjoying themselves. It’s rare to find every performer on the same page in terms of production value but this cast does it with ease and charisma. Clio’s fellow muses and sisters Erato (Molly Campbell), Euterpe (Bethany Warnes-Jones), Thalia (Michael McNish) and Terpsichore (Beau Wharton) are brilliant in being able to take the spotlight when it’s needed and dimming their shine to let Clio’s moments come through.

It's hard to resist the charm and energy of the production, but those looking for a serious night of theatre will be sorely disappointed. The show works best when you let yourself be won over by the infectious energy, bubble-gum score and constantly surprising production values, which are surprisingly high and match previous musicals at Phoenix Ensemble. Director Justin Tubb-Hearne rises to the challenge of bringing a tenacious and flamboyant vibrancy to the work, never missing a beat with his show’s unrelenting hammy humour. Always engaging and always in jest, every weakness of the 1980 film is turned into a knowing joke, as are the few effective poignancies from the original.

Mel Bobbermien