Washington Post
- Recommended
"... For “Xanadu” falls into one of those odd theatrical subgenres. It’s an attempt to make a good stage musical out of a bad movie musical. No, not just bad, actually; one of those minor fiascoes for the ages. The 1980 “Xanadu,” starring Olivia Newton-John (whose film career never recovered from the fallout) and Gene Kelly (Gene Kelly?), told of a destitute album cover-painter played by Michael Beck, obsessed with a young woman (Newton-John) who turns out to be — wait for it — one of the nine Muses from Greek myth, sprung to life from a beach-side mural. The synopsis is the sort that leaves you wondering what they were smoking at the pitch meeting."
Washington Examiner
- Highly Recommended
"...The goofy commentary of the plot is really just an excuse for some extraordinary songs which, unlike the plot, are sincere and moving. Director-choreographer Matthew Gardiner has exaggerated the musical and physical aspects of the production so there is not one uninteresting moment in the show, visually or vocally. "
Baltimore Sun
- Highly Recommended
"...Matthew Gardiner's direction is consistently imaginative and superbly paced; there is not a sagging moment, even when the musical itself is at its weakest (a 1940s flashback). Visual shtick that could land with a thud in the wrong hands sails here, including bits with a phone cord and a slow descent on a staircase."
MetroWeekly
- Recommended
"...Director-choreographer Matthew Gardiner sets the perfect tone of sexiness and silliness called for in the tale of Sonny (hunky, hunky Charlie Brady, whose tube-socks-and-denim-cutoffs-clad legs deserve their own billing), a sweet stoner artist in Los Angeles who creates a sidewalk chalk mural that becomes an Earthly portal for the daughters of Zeus, the nine muses (Erin Weaver, Sherri L. Edelen, Nova Y. Payton, Mark Chandler, Jamie Eacker, Kellee Knighten Hough and Nickolas Vaughan) who personify creative inspiration."
Talkin Broadway
- Recommended
"...Watching the production of Xanadu now at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, makes the conversion of a notoriously bad movie musical into a blissful 90 minutes of musical theater seem like an easy task. Don't be fooled; only professionals (led by book writer Douglas Carter Beane) will get this kind of results."
Washington City Paper
- Recommended
"... At Signature Theatre, Gardiner's muse is Erin Weaver, who's done sharp work locally in shows as cerebral as Arcadia and as sprightly as The Comedy of Errors, and who turns out to be ridiculously charming as a feather-headed immortal in leg-warmers. (Remember leg-warmers?) Sings winningly, too, in numbers as indestructibly poppy as "Suddenly" and "I'm Alive" and "Suspended in Time." (Remember, skeptics, that as terrible as Xanadu the movie's story is, it's got a rock-solid songlist, augmented here by additional tracks from the catalog of Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne.) And for once, a smaller band is an asset: The two synths in the Signature orchestra loft impart precisely the right whiff of cheese to the material, with a drummer and a guitarist providing an infectious pop-rock drive."
Washingtonian
- Recommended
"...What was painful on film is sheer pleasure in this camp stage adaptation, which was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Musical in 2008. Signature Theatre associate artistic director Matthew Gardiner knows how to take a joke, cover it with glitter, dress it in high heels, and send it skittering across the stage with glee. This production is a delight because of his deft touch."
Washington Blade
- Highly Recommended
"...The show shines most brightly, however, when Nora V. Payton takes center stage as Melpomene, the evil Muse of tragedy. She gets the best material in the script and she delivers with zest and finesse. Payton (who inspired audiences as Motormouth Maybelle in “Hairspray” and will no doubt thrill audiences as Effie in next season’s “Dreamgirls”) lights up the stage with her wicked sense of style, an incredible vocal presence and her gleeful delivery of verbal and physical zingers. She is given great comic and vocal support from her evil henchwoman Calliope (played by Sherri L. Edelen who also shines in a giddy cameo as a Francophile Aphrodite, goddess of love). Their duet of the rock classic “Evil Woman” is a highlight of the evening."
Alexandria Times
- Highly Recommended
"...it’s the electrifying, feel-good musical score by composers Jeff Lynne and John Farrar that provides the Krazy Glue that holds it all together when mythical gods and goddesses conspire and partyers in silver Lurex and platform heels camp it up on a stage designed to send skaters sailing straight through the aisles. In Misha Kachman’s set, complete with soaring catwalk and palm trees silhouetted against an amber sunset, there’s a bigger-than-life backdrop to this eponymously titled send-up of the 1980 cult classic film."
MD Theatre Guide
- Recommended
"... Xanadu is certainly not the most awe-inspiring musical Signature has brought to the stage, although it is definitely being staged at the right time as we move into the summer season. It’s harmless summer fun and features some exhilarating musical comedy talent and solid direction by Gardiner."
DCTheatreScene
- Recommended
Douglas Carter Beane's re-imagined Xanadu is told with a snigger and a sneer, a horselaughing backward glance at the eighties, a double-pointed needle, aimed both at musical comedy and at love itself.
BroadwayWorld
- Recommended
"...You will walk away from Xanadu feeling as if you've just traveled into a completely different realm of sanity. But then again, theater isn't meant for those who always play it safe. While the dip into this other world was a bit much for me, take the plunge and give Xanadu a shot. If nothing else, your stories will be the hit of any cocktail party."
DC Theater Arts
- Highly Recommended
"... Gaudy? Maybe.Silly? Perhaps…but that being said, I have not had so much fun at the theatre in a long time (and as someone that frequents the theatre, that’s saying something!) Put Xanadu down on your list of guilty pleasures and pick up a ticket today. Thisis one that you should not miss!"
