To close its 47th season of theatre under the stars, the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre is excited to present “Xanadu,” an outlandishly enjoyable stage spoof of the outrageously odd Universal Pictures’ cult classic film from 1980 starring Olivia Newton-John. The show runs Thursdays-Sundays at 8:30pm from August 9th through September 2nd. Tickets are $20 and are on sale now.
“Xanadu” follows the journey of a magical Greek muse named Clio who descends from Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California to inspire struggling artist Sonny Malone to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first roller disco. But when Clio, disguised as an Australian roller girl named Kira, falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds. Silly, sure. Hilarious, you bet. And yes, you can expect singing, dancing, and roller skating in the production.
The musical adventure rolls along to the original hit score, recognizable to anyone who owned a radio in 1980. Composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, the score includes new arrangements by Eric Stern of “I’m Alive,” “Magic,” and “Suddenly” as well as two classic Electric Light Orchestra songs – “Strange Magic” and “Evil Woman”.
“Xanadu” opened on Broadway in 2007 and earned an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, a Drama Desk Award for Best Book, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical. The ASGT production stars Carol Anne Drescher, a Musical Theatre major at James Madison University, as Clio/Kira and Key School graduate Jeffrey Walter as Sonny Malone.
Director Melissa Huston and Music Director Ken Kimble last partnered on ASGT’s sell-out production of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” in August 2010. The show is choreographed by Felicity Stiverson, a professional New York dancer who grew up in the Annapolis area.
Tickets are $20 each and may be reserved by calling 410-268-9212. You may purchase online at www.summergarden.com. A $2 discount is available through the Eats & Seats restaurant program (details on the ASGT website). ASGT is an all-volunteer, non-profit community theatre at the City Dock in downtown Annapolis. Connect with ASGT throughout the year on Facebook or Twitter.