New Xanadu Musical to Skate Off-Bway in the Fall?

The new musical version of the cult film Xanadu may soon be turning an Off-Broadway theatre into a disco palace, according to Michael Riedel of The New York Post.  

Featuring songs from the 1980 movie (written by John Farrar and Jeff Lynne) that starred Olivia Newton-John, Xanadu recently received a starry backers' audition that featured Jane Krakowski as Kira, a reincarnation of one of the Greek muses who encourages two friends to build a roller disco.  Also in the reading were such Broadway luminaries as Cheyenne Jackson, Mary Testa, Ben Vereen and Annie Golden.  Christopher Ashley (All Shook Up) directed the reading of the musical, which features a book by Douglas Carter Beane (The Little Dog Laughed).

Riedel writes that although the movie upon which it was based was famously savaged by critics, the reading of the campy new musical was not unenthusiastically received.  "'You've got to like camp, but if you do, it's fun,' said a person who attended the workshop."

Producers are currently trying to raise $2 million to bring the show Off-Broadway in the fall. 

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