xanadu - 1980

MUSIC & LYRICS: John Farrar and Jeff Lynne
BOOK: Douglas Carter Beane

XANADU, a super cheesy, camp-fest of a musical movie starring Gene Kelly and Olivia Newton-John was turned into an equally cheesy Broadway show in 2007. Perhaps the Forbidden Broadway spoof of the show sums it up best:
"A show that nobody thought would last
Left all New York aghast, they called it Xanadu
And now we're up there with the best
What a fun retro-fest, how better can you do?"

It tells the story of a Greek muse who comes down to earth to help a down-on-his-luck artist. Together they build the roller-disco that is Xanadu. The show was the surprise Broadway hit of 2007 and ran for more than a year - eventually adding Whoopi Goldberg to its cast, which included Kerry Butler and Cheyenne Jackson.