Stansbury High School will flash back to the days of 1980s music and roller discos in its upcoming musical, “Xanadu.”
“Xanadu” was adapted for Broadway from the 1980 film of the same name. The story follows Kira, a Greek muse who descends from Mount Olympus to inspire artist Sonny Malone. The two fall into forbidden love and chaos ensues.
“I love 1980s movie musicals,” said drama director Glen Carpenter. “I adore them because some of them are so completely outlandish. … It’s just two hours of silliness.”
When he first voiced the idea of doing “Xanadu” for the school’s fall musical, Carpenter was amazed by how many people had seen the film.
“People said, ‘Oh I remember that movie. It was terrible,’” he said. “It was a surprise hit on Broadway because the guys who wrote it poked fun at themselves throughout the show, but they also used the music.”
The music has brought SHS choir teacher Eric Mourtgos joy in his role as voice coach for the actors.
“It’s fantastic, it’s ’80s,” he said. “I grew up in the ’80s, so it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I heard this when I was 6.’ And I’m a choir teacher, so it’s usually not in our repertoire to do ’80s dance music. It’s just a blast.”
The 1980s music and comedic storyline aren’t the only things that make the show unique. All of the actors also had to learn to roller skate.
“I think it’s coming together really well,” Carpenter said. “It’s been a hard couple of weeks, but the kids have worked their butts off. Not only did they have to learn the songs and the choreography, they also had to learn to roller skate because everybody is on roller skates at some point in the show.”
SHS dance teacher Alison Bleazard has enjoyed choreographing “Xanadu.”
“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s brought back a lot of memories of growing up,” she said. “The kids are super talented and they work hard and it’s nice to see the rising generation appreciate the storyline.”
Ryan Nielsen, who plays Sonny, describes his character as a sensitive guy with a “surfer dude” vibe who falls in love a little too easily.
“The show’s been so much fun,” he said. “It’s interesting, because you take everything that makes musical theatre difficult and then you put it on roller skates, but it’s just really a lot of fun.”
Between the skates, music and imitating a variety of different accents, it can be a challenge to play Kira, said Jaycee Harris. But she enjoys it all.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s a lot of hard work. I’m on roller skates pretty much the entire show. … I like the Australian accent a lot; I do a Southern accent too and there’s a part where I get to talk like a goddess. It’s a lot of fun.
“The music is way unique, it’s complete ’80s. I love it a lot. It’s very different from what you’d hear in another musical,” she added.
For Kimbel Duffin, the actress who plays Erato (muse of lyrics) and Hera (wife of Zeus), her favorite part of the show is grooving to the music.
“I really love all the ’80s dance moves,” she said. “It [the show] connects more with adults because they lived in the ’80s. … This show would definitely make them want to get up and dance. And you’ll want to buy a pair of roller skates after this. It’s going to be really fun.”
The show opens on Friday. Performances will run on Nov. 11, 12, 14, 18, 19 and 21 at 7:30 p.m., with additional matinee performances on Nov. 12 and 19 at 3 p.m.
Tickets cost $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, and $4 for children under 12 or SHS students with an activity card. Discount tickets are available if purchased in advance on stalliondrama.org.