Special Thanks to:
Corner Canyon High School, Northridge High School, and the Stansbury High School Administration-Gailynn Warr, Kalem Norton and Andy Carlson.
From The Director:
Have I told you how much I love 1980’s musicals? Seriously, where else do you find such classics as The Pirate Movie, Grease 2, Victor Victoria, Fame and the list goes on and on. The best thing about them is their heart, forget about the part that most of them are just awful; they all come out from the beginning with such earnestness that you can just help but love them.
When I decided on this years season I knew I wanted to do Beauty and The Beast, but what to pair with it, and then I saw all the theatres in Utah that were doing Xanadu, and I went to see a production of it. From the minute the curtain opened I was instantly transported back to the first time I saw the movie, and knew this was a show I wanted to do with my students.
Xanadu, the musical, started its life on Broadway in 2007, and was a surprise hit that ran for over 500 Performances. It earned an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Best Book. It was also nominated for Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book. The musical was such a hit because the writer Douglas Carter Bean pokes good-natured fun at the original movie (and it’s earnestness) throughout the show.
My students have embraced the silliness of this show, you have to admit, the main plotline is “A muse from Mount Olympus comes to earth to help a man achieve his dream, to open a roller disco.” They have loved adding little touches to this show and most of all mastering their Skating Skills.
I have loved working on this show with them because I am a child of the 1980’s; I remember the hair, the outfits, and the music. I also love the theme of this show, follow your dreams, regardless of where they take you, with hope you can achieve anything.
Enjoy the show, sit back and let the ridiculousness of this story take you away from the cares of the world today. Forget about everything for a couple of hours and let us transport you back to the 1980’s. Also remember the arts are important, they keep kids in school, and allow some students to thrive where they might have struggled before. So thank you for coming to our show, go see one of the shows at the other high schools or take in a dance concert, or choir or band concert. But most of all support the local high school’s performing arts!
“In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran through caverns measureless to man down to a sunless sea. “
Enjoy…
Glen Carpenter
Drama Director
