Oh, the jukebox trove some people will raid in the interests of creating drama. Not just any jukebox, mind you, but the cornier cannon of the Electric Light Orchestra. "Magic," anyone? "Evil Woman"? "All Over the World"? Go ahead and sing along. You probably know the words.
If you're in the audience of Xanadu, book writer Douglas Carter Beane and director Christopher Ashley presume we know Jeff Lynne and John Farrar's tunes. And having spent an evening howling over the 1980 movie of the same name helps, too.
An unlikely Broadway hit, Xanadu the musical is a nifty little camp fest that heartily gooses the disco nostalgia it also celebrates. Now at La Jolla Playhouse prior to its national tour, Ashley's version brings back and contextualizes all those sappy songs, breathes joyous new life into a hugely dopey story, and goes after poor Olivia Newton-John with both barrels. We even get a Cliffs Notes-style lesson in Greek mythology.
The daughters of Zeus known as the muses have come to Venice Beach in 1980. It falls to favored Clio (played by Elizabeth Stanley) to assume human form and inspire chalk artist Sonny (Max von Essen) to pursue his dream of opening a roller disco. In so doing, muse and chalk artist fall in love, which is against the rules. Meanwhile, Danny Maguire (Larry Marshall), the chilly-hearted owner of the abandoned theatre-that-will-be-Xanadu thinks he has seen this muse before...back when he was young and inspirable....
Stanley, sporting Farrah hair and on roller skates for the bulk of Xanadu's 90 minutes, is charm personified as Clio. Throwing in strategic bits of dumb blond-ness with an Aussie accent designed to pierce, she's a muse to reckon with. And as naive as her Clio might be, Stanley is nothing compared to the dimbulbery of von Essen's Sonny.
Ashley and Beane keep this endeavor bouncing merrily along, throwing in every '80s and So Cal barb they can grab. David Gallo's set is a prize: Here's betting there's not a single mirror ball to be found between Thousand Oaks and Tijuana.
Presented by and at the La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., La Jolla. Nov. 11-Dec. 31. Tues.-Wed., 7:30 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri. 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 and 7 p.m. (858) 550-1010 or