Xanadu: original cast member Jackie Hoffman returns to the role of 'Calliope'

Original cast member Jackie Hoffman returns to the role of 'Calliope' this evening (9 Sep 2008), in the Broadway musical Xanadu.

Hoffman took a leave of absence from 29 Jul - 7 Sep 2008 to promote the release of her album 'Jackie Hoffman Live from Joe's Pub.' Acadamy winning actress Whoopi Goldberg assumed the role of 'Calliope' during Hoffman's absence.

Xanadu opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre on 10 Jul, following previews from 23 May 2007 and is currently selling tickets through to 4 Jan 2009.

The musical opened to mixed, but mostly positive reviews: "Outlandishly enjoyable." (New York Times); "Delightfully inspired." (New York Daily News); "An absolutely ghastly show." (New York Post); "A goofy glitterball of a musical." (Star-Ledger); "Slipshod enterprise." (Hollywood Reporter); "Refreshingly unassuming crowd-pleaser."

In Xanadu, which is based on the mega-flop musical movie of the same name, the Greek muses incarnate themselves on Earth to inspire men to achieve. One of them, incarnated as a girl named Kira, encounters an artist named Sonny Malone.

Directed by Christopher Ashley, with choreography by Dan Knechtges, Xanadu currently features Kerry Butler (Kira), Cheyenne Jackson (Sonny Malone), Tony Roberts (Danny), Jackie Hoffman (Calliope), Mary Testa (Melpomeny), Andre Ward (Terpsicore), Kyle Dean Massey (Thaliar), Kenita R. Miller (Erato) and Patti Murin (Euterpe).

The creative team includes David Gallo (sets), Howell Binkley (lighting) and David Zinn (costumes).

The book for the musical is written by Douglas Carter Beane, based on the screenplay by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel.

The movie musical Xanadu was released in 1980, and starred Olivia Newton-John (Kira), Michael Beck (Sonny Malone), and Gene Kelly (Danny), and was directed by Robert Greenwald.

Through the movie failed badly at the box-office, the film's soundtrack, with music by Olivia Newton-John, Electric Light Orchestra, UK pop idol Cliff Richard, and the San Francisco-based art-rock band The Tubes, went plantinum.

The Broadway musical features many of the film's songs, with extra material provided by the Electic Light Orchestra. Eric Stern is the shows musical director.