Xanadu on Broadway (Original Broadway Cast Recording 2007)
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CD Details
Composer: John FarrarComposer: Jeff Lynne
Performer: Kerry Butler
Performer: Cheyenne Jackson
Performer: Jackie Hoffman
Performer: Mary Testa
Performer: Tony Roberts
Performer: Curtis Holbrook
Performer: Anika Larsen
Performer: Andre Ward
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Cast Recording
CD Release Date: 2008-01-08
Music Label: P.S. Classics
Soundtracks:
- I m Alive
- Magic
- Evil Woman
- Suddenly
- Whenever You re Away From Me
- Dancin
- Strange Magic
- All Over the World
- Don t Walk Away
- Fool
- The Fall
- Suspended in Time
- Have You Never Been Mellow? 14. Xanadu
Music reviews of Xanadu on Broadway (Original Broadway Cast Recording 2007)
Music Review: Doin' The Xanadu-Rag!
Rating: 5 Stars
As of this review, I haven't seen the Broadway production of XANADU yet, but if this soundtrack gives any indication, there's one word that might lazily describe what's in store for me: insane!
Sure, the movie and its longevity may top off the insane scale, but leave it to Broadway, in it's hyper-active sensibility, to bring the movie to it's main street and napalm that scale.
Okay, I may have exaggerated a bit on that last line, but that's the norm with the production and leading into this CD.
Even though the movie may not be as over the top compared to it's late 70's bad musical brethren like Can't Stop The Music and The Apple, this hasn't stopped the cast and crew to take the sudtle kinks in Xanadu's system and lovingly milk it for it's entertaining worth.
Kerry Butler's performance as Olivia Newton-John/Kira/Clio/whatever is a clear example of this. In tracks like 'Suddenly' and 'Suspended In Time', Butler comically turns ONJ's breathless singing into desperate gasps for air and morphed her accent into Paul Hogan in drag.
Even though Michael Beck's wooden performance might not have worked well in this theatrical format, Cheyenne Jackson's turn as Sonny manages to effectively nails the character's stubborn gumption.
I've also gained a new level of respect for Tony Roberts. Not only for his bravery for taking on this show and filling in Danny McGaguire's shoes, but actually singing some of the ELO songs. Being a fan of the group, I have to joyfully giggle to hear him sing his share of 'All Over The World' & 'Don't Walk Away' (sounding like Louis Armstrong on the former).
Jackie Hoffman (Melpomene) and Mary Testa (Calliope) apply their collective panache to turn ELO's early hit Evil Woman into a real Broadway showstopper. After hearing this track, I thought of checking my calendar to see when the rest of the ELO catalog will have their own turn on stage. If Mr. Blue Sky isn't made and ready for Broadway, I don't know WHAT is...other than that Out Of the Blue spaceship.
Of course, I can rant off about snippets of the brilliant and hilarious dialogue spread through out this CD, but I better pace myself and wait until I see the show in April. I will note here that my favorite line thus far is uttered by Sonny during Suddenly: "You make me feel so invincible, I feel I can go into Downtown LA without a weapon!"
All of this giddiness might sound over barring, but, by appropriately mirroring the movie's almost naked sincerity, the performances are respectful and honest, which gives this whole production needed dramatic weight; 'Don't Walk Away' almost turns into a gospel tune towards the end and 'Whenever You're Away From Me' is just as heartfelt as the original. Kerry skillfully manages to balance the humor of her performance and the drama of the lyrics, especially with 'Suspended In Time'.
The recording production carries it's own surprises. The four-piece band covers all the song's original elaborate arrangements very well and, with tracks like Suspended and Whenever, add a level of intimacy. Not forgetting additional bits of fun with Strange Magic and Have You Never Been Mellow?
Even if you've seen the show a coupe of times (and to the more selective few, many, many, many, MANY times), read all about the show's history and know it ALL by heart, the CD booklet will surprise you, too. Not only are there pictures galore, there's the wonderfully detailed, informative and funny liner notes by the show's scribe himself, Douglas Carter Beane. (Imagine my surprise to learn that one of the original Xanadu screenwriters is an associate producer of this staged production! Good for him, he suffered long enough)
After listening to this a few times to get use to hearing...aw, screw it, sucking in Xanadu being amped up to a Spinal Tap 12, I think I ready for the face to face challenge of actually seeing this movie that I loved since 1980 being lovingly and sincerely mocked to such insane levels.
Thanks to this CD, I can now take it like a man, or a thick skinned fanboy (which you have to be after years of people question you sanity thanks to this Xanadu deal). The only thing I fear now is that while I'm in NYC to see this show, I'll be forced to see The Little Mermaid on stage, too. That Disney dude maybe insane, but he takes himself a little TOO seriously...and nothing kills an insane party than a moody drunk."
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Description of Xanadu on Broadway (Original Broadway Cast Recording 2007)
The first smash hit of the 2007-2008 Broadway season turned out to be one of the biggest surprises in Broadway history: XANADU, which roller-skated its way into the hearts of critics and audiences alike. A hilariously reinvented send-up of the 1980's Olivia Newton-John film flop, this irreverent musical adventure, about following your dreams when others say you shouldn't, spins along to the addictive original hit film score by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. XANADU follows the beautiful Greek muse Kira as she visits Venice Beach, CA in 1980 to induce an uninspired artist, Sonny, to build the first roller disco (yes!). When she accidentally falls in love with him, much to her jealous sister muses' dismay, chaos and fun abound, skate wheels turn and disco balls twirl. The updated script by Douglas Carter Beane takes the plot and dialogue to knee-slapping extremes, while the legendary chart-topping tunes get a musical theatre makeover via a stellar company of performers. This original Broadway cast recording will keep XANADU in your head, and heart, forever.At first glance, turning Olivia Newton-John?s 1980 flop musical into a Broadway show looked like a pretty bad idea. Yet the stage version of Xanadu is thrilling and appropriately ridiculous fun. Adapter Douglas Carter Beane went for the camp jugular (thankfully, this CD includes lots of lines from his book), and the cast rises to the occasion, milking every lyric line. Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson bring irrepressible humor and charm to the roles played by Newton-John and Michael Beck, while Mary Testa and Jackie Hoffman provide outsize comic relief as muses. The movie?s songs, penned either by John Farrar or E.L.O.?s Jeff Lynne, are insanely catchy, one sing-along hit after another: "I?m Alive," "Magic," "Suddenly," "All Over the World," "Xanadu." All are huge treats, but the craziest track may well be "Evil Woman," which doesn't appear in the movie, but during which Testa and Hoffman let loose shamelessly over-the-top vocal effects. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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