Roller Disco Musical in the land of fantasy - Tutto Musica E Spettacolo

Translation from Italian:

The musical puts on its skates. Sings and dances to the rhythms of the Electric Light Orchestra and lets Olivia Newton-John's voice lull you into song.

Broadway theaters have been replaced by mega-discos. The most dazzling, colorful, and noisy one is called Xanadu, after Kublai Khan's fantastic palace. The story of Kira, an unexpected muse from Greek mythology, and Sonny, a penniless young painter. Among the performers is Gene Kelly, a dancer of many generations.

By Simona Morini

In America, Xanadu arrived in theaters "cold," without promotional campaigns, without publicity, without indiscreet and stimulating reports. Not only that, but at the last minute, Universal, the film's producer, canceled several press previews, thus confirming the rumors that were circulating: the film was a flop and therefore absolutely not worth covering.

Universal was undoubtedly carried away by pessimism. Xanadu is an innocent, sparkling fairy tale, full of delightful magical effects. These qualities impressed critics, even those who were forced to pay for the ticket out of their own pockets.

Most simply used the pinprick of good-natured mockery, as befits a harmless, iridescent butterfly like Xanadu. But Olivia's fans, who are numerous and enthusiastic, generally ignore the newspaper reviews. They will certainly like Xanadu without reservation. At most, they will regret a little the absence of John Travolta, who has gone to ride the mechanical bull in Urban Cowboy.

Travolta dances decidedly better than Michael Beck, Olivia's new partner. Beck, on the other hand, in the role of Sonny Malone, has to sing, dance, and look in love, balancing on skates. We'd say that all in all, he does quite well. For example, he's very cute when, with the help of Mrs. Juno, a moody but kind-hearted woman, she begs Papa Jupiter to... but let's proceed in order.

Olivia is Kira, a very young Muse, painted in bright colors on a wall in Santa Monica, which is not in Greece, but in California on the shores of the Pacific.

With her are her eight sisters. (The tenth Muse, the one of cinema, strangely does not appear in the fresco.)... Suddenly the painted figures light up like neon signs and start singing and darting around with electronic grace.

At the end of this mural number, the Muses fade away, except Kira, who comes down from the fresco to inspire Sonny, a penniless young painter forced to design record covers to make ends meet.

But Kira, a sensitive Muse, doesn't want Sonny to be frightened by her divine nature and temporarily gives up the orange halo that surrounds her. She doesn't, however, give up her hairstyle. After all, in California, if a girl walks around dressed as an Arcadian shepherdess, with pink wool anklets and roller skates, no one pays attention!

In turn, Sonny befriends Danny (Gene Kelly), a billionaire real estate developer who, as a young man, played the clarinet alongside famous guys like Benny Goodman and Glen Miller.

It seems that in 1945, he too had relied on the same Muse. But since she was wearing the uniform of a US Army auxiliary at the time, Danny, although he has never forgotten her, struggles to recognise her.

Danny dreams of opening a nightclub, a traditional one. Sonny thinks the idea is excellent, although he personally prefers a rock disco. After long discussions, the two reach a compromise: they will open a roller disco together, that is, a huge disco with a large skating rink.

The Muse approves and suggests calling it Xanadu, like Kublai Khan's legendary Pleasure Palace.

She also promises to come to the opening but then, alarmed by Sonny's slightly too human love, she changes her mind, hastily puts the magical halo back on and re-enters the fresco.

Madly in love, Sonny dives into the wall himself and finds himself at the foot of Olympus. The thundering voice of Jupiter, father of Kira and the other Muses, fills him with holy terror. But his anger is quickly calmed by Juno's intervention.

In the end, everything works out for the best. Sonny is allowed to take Olivia Newton-John to the roller disco. Danny's millions have been well spent. Xanadu shines brighter than Fiorucci, Xenon, and the defunct Studio 54 combined.

On its immense dance floor, two groups of dancers, some dressed in punk, the others, in Danny's honor, in 1940s style, skate whirlingly to the beat of the Electric Light Orchestra.

Olivia sings dozens of songs, changing costumes each time, each more dazzling than the last. Suddenly, the Muse disappears. Sonny is distraught, but quickly cheers up when he notices that one of the waitresses at Xanadu bears an uncanny resemblance to Kira.

Seeing each other and kissing is one and the same. And the inevitable "happy ending" is assured.

Come to think of it, though, the nine official Muses are: Calliope, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, and Urania. Where did they get this Kira? And yet, the screenwriters, unsure of the audience's cultural level, send Sonny to consult a dictionary at the beginning of the film.

But come on, let's not be picky: Kira is the Muse of roller disco!

The Electric Light Orchestra

ELO used to be called Move. It was 1971 when Wood, Bevan, and Lynne decided to form the Electric Light Orchestra. Then Wood left, Lynne and Bevan formed a classical section with Mick Kaminski on violin, Melvyn Gale, and Hugh McDowell on cello.

E.L.O. pioneered a style that blends Beatles-inspired, classical, and rock music into a delightful blend. To date, they've recorded A New World Record, Face The Music, On The 3rd Day, Eldorado and Symphony, Out Of Blue, Discovery, and their latest, Xanadu.

On the Discovery LP, E.L.O. give a nod to disco. But their sound doesn't lose any credibility.

Olivia: From Australia with Love

She was born in Cambridge, England, but grew up in Australia; she began her singing career in England in the late 1960s, but made her breakthrough in America, where she sold millions of LPs and has lived permanently since 1976.

She is Olivia Newton-John, 31, very blonde, with a dazzling smile and bright eyes on a fresh, fresh-faced girl next door.

In 1976, she was judged the best singer in the country-western genre, refuting criticism that an Australian couldn't grasp the linguistic and musical nuances of the American singing tradition.

In 1978-79, she rose to world fame as John Travolta's partner in the film Grease, one of the most extraordinary commercial (and social) phenomena of our time.

Today, after distancing herself from country music with the album Tomorrow and starring in the disappointing film Toomorrow, she's back on top as the lead singer of Xanadu, a musical fairytale that sees her alongside a legendary American musical, Gene Kelly, and a promising new actor, Michael Beck.

While the film hasn't exactly received rave reviews in America, the soundtrack, performed by Olivia and the Electric Light Orchestra, is at the top of the charts in the US and abroad. The song Magic topped the 45 rpm charts. A remarkable achievement, no doubt, for the blonde Australian.