XANADU
PopMusicMogul Rating:
**** ½ out of 5.
As a young
gay man, I’ve had quite a few disco-fueled fantasies very similar to the events
of the probably the cheesiest and most campy musical ever, and Northern State
University’s latest effort, Xanadu. The shining glittering disco balls, the glorious
neon “Madonnaesque” costuming, the incredible “rockpopdisco” fused soundtrack
with precise choreography. Sort of like a dreamy fantasy finally illuminated
onto the stage. It’s all very glorious, the way these things fashion into a
stunning gay and spectacular musical taking nod from probably the cheesiest
movie ever produced, and let me tell you, the cast and crew of Xanadu certainly
do not disappoint.
The plot is
pretty simple. A desperate artist, Sonny Malone, played by Ben Villa, is in
desperate need of muse, Kira, played by Larissa Buchholz, and a tragic and hilarious
love story ensues.
Villa does a
rather fine job as Sonny Malone, and his most glorious moment is during the
gospel-pop thumping “Don’t Walk Away” where he desperately begs for his love to
not walk out on him. You can tell that plea is filled with real and actual emotion.
He feeds his lines with incredible cheesiness, sometimes; spot on, and at other
times, a little off.
Buccholz is
absolutely astounding as the Grecian muse, Kira. The way she delivers the faux accent is comically
incredible. The deliverance of her lines, near perfect, and her flawless
rock-pop voice helps her deliver the songs with unbelievable soul and feeling. The chemistry between her and Villa is certainly
charming. Better than Newton-John, and just as illuminating as Kerry Butler,
who was the first to star as Kira in the Broadway run.
The
supporting cast, filled with such talents as the wonderfully hilarious Emily
Susannah Davis, whose voice is wonderfully beautiful and the comedy she infuses
into the play is spectacular. Natalie Allcock and Eli Corbett are just as
fantastic, too.
The
performance was with some small flaws. The orchestra sometimes overpowered the
performance. It was, at times, extremely hard to hear lines. A few of the muses
found it hard to reach vocal point, and sometimes, the lines felt a little
rushed from a few. But everything was
stitched together well. The audience certainly enjoyed it, and it is almost
hard not to. The cast is just that loveable.
