Summer Camp at the Plaza Theatre: Xanadu
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
There are Twinkies with more depth. There were probably better ways for Gene Kelly to finish off a big-screen career. There was never an opportunity for Olivia Newton-John to show off leg warmers.
But there’s no denying the musical power of the soundtrack to 1980’s Xanadu, which screens tonight at 9:30 p.m. as part of the Plaza Theatre’s Summer Camp series. Directed by (believe it or not) Robert Greenwald — more recently known for his politically charged documentaries such as Outfoxed and Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price — Xanadu sluggishly tells the story of a frustrated artist, Sonny Malone (Michael Beck) who inadvertently summons a roller-skating muse, Kira (Newton-John), just as his befriending an aging Hollywood hoofer (Kelly) leads to a partnership in a nightclub.
