Xanadu

The story of Xanadu

Set in the 1980s, Xanadu follows Kira, a Greek muse who descends to earth on roller skates to inspire a struggling artist to open a roller disco, all while grappling with her own forbidden feelings for a mortal. The show leans fully into the neon-soaked, larger-than-life aesthetic of its era, treating its own absurd premise with a wink rather than total seriousness.

The plot borrows loosely from Greek mythology, filtering ancient gods and muses through the lens of glittery 1980s pop culture, resulting in a story that is as much about embracing joyful silliness as it is about following any particular character's arc.

The music and the makers

Xanadu is a jukebox musical built around songs by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, drawn from the soundtrack of the original film and its associated hits. The score is steeped in the sound of the era, featuring driving synth-pop and soft rock numbers that audiences already knew and loved before the show ever reached the stage.

Because it is a jukebox show, the songs were not written for the story in the traditional sense, and the stage adaptation leans into that gap with playful, self-aware humor, using the familiar hits as the backbone for a knowingly campy theatrical experience.

Xanadu on Broadway

Xanadu opened on Broadway in 2007, arriving with a cheeky, tongue-in-cheek tone that distinguished it from more earnest jukebox musicals of the period. Rather than trying to disguise the source film's reputation as a cult flop, the stage version embraced it, turning that history into part of the joke.

Its appeal comes from its unapologetic silliness, roller skates and all, offering audiences a lighthearted, high-energy escape built entirely around nostalgia for 1980s pop music. It stands as a reminder that Broadway has plenty of room for shows that simply want to have fun.

Frequently asked