Stray Dog Theatre takes note of what its audience likes. Last year, the company’s production of Saturday Night Fever was a hit. Following up on that success, Stray Dog is now presenting Xanadu, another musical based on a film rooted in the disco era.

Early in the Stray Dog staging, two characters share a serving of cotton candy, which is an apt metaphor for the show. Xanadu offers lots to enjoy even though it does not have much substance.

The film Xanadu was released in 1980. It featured Olivia Newton John and Gene Kelly. The movie itself was box office dud, but the soundtrack was a hit. Eventually, the film developed a cult following. The title refers to the place where Kublai Khan built a “stately pleasure-dome,” in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous words.

The stage version opened in 2007 with songs by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. The book by Douglas Carter Beane parodies not only its source but also Clash of the Titans, the 1981 film fantasy based on the myth of Perseus. The gods of Olympus are key characters in Clash of the Titans. The Muses of ancient Greece are key characters in the film Xanadu. Beane brings the Olympians into musical so they interact with the Muses.

In the musical, the person in need of inspiration is Sonny Malone, a Venice Beach chalk artist who has been struggling to create a mural of the Muses. His artistic failure has him at the end of his rope.

The youngest Muse, Clio, urges her sisters to bring their inspiration to Sonny. Muses must disguise themselves when interacting with humans, so Clio adopts the name Kira and refashions herself into a replica of the movie’s Newton John, donning roller skates, leg warmers, and an Australian accent.

The intervention is a success. Sonny is inspired to envision a spectacular entertainment combining arts and athletics. He calls it roller disco. He hopes to create a home for roller disco in an abandoned theater named Xanadu, a word that has a special meaning for Clio/Kira. The theater’s current owner is real estate magnate Danny Maguire. Clio was an inspiration to him years ago, but he turned his back on art to pursue wealth. Partnering with Sonny on the roller disco offers Danny a chance to redeem himself.

Under director Justin Been, the accomplished Stray Dog cast gives campy performances that suit the material. The main actors are Shannon Campbell as Clio/Kira, Phil Leveling as Sonny Malone, and Scott Degitz-Fries as both Danny and Zeus. Most of the supporting perfumers have multiple roles. They are, in alphabetical order:

• Mateo Bluemel as Thalia, Molpe, a Tube, Hermes, and a Satyr
• Sarah Gene Dowling as Calliope, and a Aphrodite
• Lindsey Grojean as Thetis and a young woman with bicycle
• Chelsie Johnston as Melpomene and Medusa
• Madison Mesiti as Hera
• Drew Mizell as Terpsicore, Thelxiepeia, young Danny Maguire, a Tube, and a cyclops
• Katie Orr as Erato, Aglaope, an Andrews sister, and Eros
• Lauren Tenenbaum as Euterpe, Peisonoe, and an Andrews sister

Been’s scenic design keeps clutter to a minimum, but the small stage in the Tower Grove Abbey is still a limiting factor in musical numbers for the ensemble. Perhaps to compensate, Mike Hodges’ choreography features incursions into the aisles where the performers can cut loose on both roller skates and their feet. Degitz-Fries is the skating consultant. The band plays admirably under music director Leah Schultz. Both the disco era and Clash of the Titans are appropriately reflected in Colleen Michelson’s costumes, Sarah Gene Dowling’s hair and makeup, and Tyler Duenow’s lighting.

Xanadu continues through April 27 at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Avenue.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo by John Lamb
The other Muses surround Clio (Shannon Campbell, center), in front of a mural of the Muses.