Like the movie that inspired it (so I gather; I've never had the "pleasure"), the musical is a disco-drenched, campy, over-the-top romp. With roller skates. Unlike the movie (so I've heard), the play is self-aware about its campiness, planting its tongue firmly in cheek to deliver comedy that makes you laugh (and occasionally groan).
The play is, quite honestly, fairly stupid. But it's also disarming and, when you give in to its charms, rather fun. There's a lot of interplay with the audience, which works especially well in the smaller space. There's a lot of very familiar music, including many hits from Olivia Newton-John and ELO (some of which came from the original film). I've had "Magic" and "Evil Woman" stuck in my head on and off for a week.
In this particular production, there's some clever scene design, some fun costumes, and great prop work. A visit to Mount Olympus brings us a hilarious vision of Zeus (paying off a gag that runs all through the show). And the "pegasus" ridden by the main character Clio is one of the best sight gags I've seen in a theater.
The performers were a bit hit and miss, though. Anchoring the show, Lauren Shealy makes a great Clio, alternately singing quite like Olivia Newton-John and deliberately butchering an Australian accent for comedic effect. Unfortunately, she's much stronger than the rest of the cast, particularly the romantic lead she plays opposite. Marco Robinson was not only stiff in the role of Sonny and outmatched as a singer, he couldn't be heard after his microphone went out late in the performance we attended. (He awkwardly used a handheld mic for the final minutes, apparently unable to project even in the not so large theater.)
Xanadu runs for about another month here in Denver if you're in town and interested in checking it out. Go ready for silliness, and you'll probably find fun. I give the show a B.
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