With a handful of audience members sitting onstage adding to the ambience of the simple set, a small band which included a synth-keyboard (that was played to perfection), a cast of performers taking on two to four characters, 80s pop references that make your head spin, a lead with long flowing blonde locks that is not afraid to use them, a pair of tiny cut off denim shorts worn by the male lead, and way too many awkward battements, fan-kicks, arabesques, and “Toyota” jumps (all the official dance moves of the 80s) to count paired with a good sense of humor and an imagination really leaves me with no room to write anything ill about Xanadu The Musical now at OCPAC Dec. 15-27^th.

I just want you to close your eyes and imagine all things previously listed.  Yes, it is that ridiculous and yes it is that amazing.  Sadly I neglected to mention the roller-skating and the plethora of accents that are so bad they are endearing.  So, if you couldn’t get a clear picture of the surprise hit musical, now you can.

This clear picture you have made for yourself is still probably not as great as the experience you will have watching this show.  Xanadu is not a big show stopping musical, it’s an experience that breaks the fourth wall in the first few seconds and continues to keep you smiling and tapping your toes the whole intermission-less show.

As a big fan of the cinematic genius of the 80s, including the blockbuster film Xanadu, for which the much better musical was loosely based on, it is so easy to fall in love with the portrayal of the character Clio or later renamed Kira performed by Elizabeth Stanley.  Stanley’s loveable muse character that becomes the object of the vacuous Sonny’s affection, excellently played by Max Von Essen, goes through 3 accents, a pair of roller skates, and so much drama you are reminded of the not so subtleties of the 80s onscreen heroine.

The small cast takes on each of their roles with so much energy and vigor you are drawn to each of them.  Luckily each of the hard working cast has a few characters so that you can keep your eye on the same dynamic performers throughout the show.

This is the only time the national tour of Xanadu is performing in Southern California so make sure you don’t let this great show whirl right past you.

The wonderful performers in Xanadu The Musical can be seen at the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Segerstrom Hall December 15-27, 2009 with show times Tuesday-Friday at 7:30PM, Saturdays at 2 and 7:30PM, and Sundays at 1 and 6:30PM. Tickets start at $20.  Check out www.ocpac.org for additional information and call 714.556.2787 for more information as well.

Photos taken by Carol Rosegg

Well Broadway’s new musical and eight-time Tony-Award winning show has come to the OC, playing at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, with musical score by playwright Steven Sater and singer/songwriter, Duncan Sheik.

“Come with an open mind.” That’s what Sarah Hunt, the cast member I interviewed, told me. I consider myself pretty open-minded–I read up on the musical, I knew of the sex, the masturbation, and all the other taboos that were to come. So when I went to see the musical opening night I wasn’t shocked nor was I surprised by what was to come–yet it still moved me. Days after I was thinking about what exactly all happened on that stage, what the songs were really about, what I was supposed to walk away from it with. Basically I was feeling all the confusion, the mixed emotions the teenagers in Spring Awakening felt.

Feelings what every generation of teenagers feel–from 1891 when the play was originally written, to the 2009 production I saw, and before and after all of this, teenagers have and will still feel all this angst. You can call it cliche, you can call it timeless, but whatever you call it, it’s going to be there. It’s part of growing up. And the actors capture it exquisitely. It helps that most of the cast are teenagers themselves, or just recently coming out of those teenage years, giving them an understanding, yet also still that innocence–they themselves are at that awkward stage between naivete and experience. When they sing Duncan Sheik’s score, they sing it with all their heart and soul–you feel it down in your bones.

And although the songs are rock, and catchy enough you’ll hum some of them days later (for me it’s been The Bitch of Living–although I might be biased since the phrase “looks so nasty in those khakis” just was a real selling point for me), there is still a shadow of sadness accompanying every song. Which is fitting, because I feel more then being open to sexuality, one should be prepared for a dark musical–this isn’t Mary Poppins or Music Man–this is reality, sometimes worst case scenario, so don’t expect Spring Awakening to show the world through rose-colored glasses. The weight of it all didn’t hit me until it was all over. It’s a different from many musicals in the sense that it makes you think–most have you check your brain at the door, which isn’t a bad thing, sometimes it’s nice to just sit and watch fluff, but let it be known this isn’t that–this is a night where you’re going to look back at your own teenage years, whether that was yesterday or 40 years ago, whether it be fond remembrance or relief that they’re over with.

It’s been recommended for parents to go with their teenagers, and that can be a great idea, but be ready to talk after. If those years are far behind you, this will be a reminder of that youth and that you need to be prepared and prepare your teenager of what’s to come, but if you just came out of those years or maybe are smack in the middle of them, this will have a haunting effect, a warning if you will, that yes, enjoy the times, enjoy your innocence (and loss thereof) but with every decision, there’s consequences.

For me what remains the most shocking part is that fact that this musical is based on a 1891 play written by Frank Wedekind–and most of the the taboo topics were all there in the original. It was banned in Germany when it first was produced, not being performed until 1906. Why hadn’t I heard of this play sooner and why isn’t it in my bookshelf?

Whether you’ll enjoy it really depends on you–but if you’re open to a night of great rock songs that also have a deeper message, want an honest portrayal of teenage sex (you know, that everyone is thinking about it, and it happens, but it’s not like the movies) and are prepared to mull things over afterward, then you’ll appreciate Spring Awakening. Warning: The Duncan Sheik song, Barely Breathing will not be heard…whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is also up to you.