A 1980s Roller Disco? “Xanadu” Is Heaven On Earth At Beck Center Beck Center Opens 2012/2013 Season

Beck Center for the Arts kicks off its 2012/2013 Professional Theater season with the first locally produced production of Xanadu, the award-winning Broadway hit musical based on the Universal Pictures cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. Xanadu runs on the Mackey Main Stage Sept. 14 through Oct. 14. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are now on sale.

Winner of the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Musical, Xanadu tells the story of Kira, a beautiful Greek muse, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California on a quest to inspire a struggling artist named Sonny Malone to build his greatest artistic creation of all time – the first ROLLER DISCO. (Hey, it’s 1980!) But when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation and chaos abounds.

Directed by Beck Center’s Artistic Director, Scott Spence, with musical direction by Larry Goodpaster and choreography by Martín Céspedes, Xanadu stars Kathleen Rooney as Kira and Sam Wolf as Sonny Malone. Greg Violand portrays the hard-hearted Danny Maguire who sells out Sonny when Kira’s evil sisters tempt him to strike it rich by building condos in place of the roller disco. Rooney and Violand appear courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the union of actors and stage managers.

It's hilarity on wheels for dreamers of all ages. Broadway’s master storyteller, Douglas Carter Beane, weaves an electrifying tale of endless fun that will make you laugh out loud while the chart-topping tunes lift you out of your seat. The original hit score composed by pop-rock legends Jeff Lynne and John Farrar includes memorable songs like “Magic,” “All Over The World,” "Evil Woman,” "Have You Never Been Mellow," and, of course the title song, “Xanadu.” You'll want to keep the music in your head, and Xanadu in your heart, forever.

Tickets for Xanadu are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors (65 and older), $17 for students (with valid ID), and $10 for children (12 and under). An additional $3 service fee per ticket is applied at the time of purchase. Preview Night on Thursday, Sept. 13, is $10 with general admission seating. Group discounts are available for parties of 13 or more. Purchase tickets online at beckcenter.org or call Customer Services at 216.521.2540, ext. 10. Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood. Free onsite parking is available.

Beck Center’s production of Xanadu is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and is sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council, and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for special needs students, and gallery exhibits featuring regional artists.