Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Xanadu, the seemingly vapid but deceptively shrewd entertainment turning the Drury Lane Water Tower into a campy, winter blues-busting roller disco, is one of those rare, clever Broadway shows that anticipates every criticism and turns it into an asset. Assets that I suspect a motley crew of tourists, Mag Mile shoppers, 1980s freaks, “Mamma Mia” alumnae, bachelorette parties, fans of Electric Light Orchestra and gay-pride celebrants will now be enjoying in Chicago for many months (and if you ain’t somewhere on that list, and you ain’t had several preshow drinks, don’t say I sent you)."
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Chicago Sun Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...once the annoying opening number was out of the way, the charm and talent of several performers proved almost enough to win me over, too, though my threshold for those campy, exhausted Broadway stereotypes (the big, bad black mama and starved-looking party-boy queen) is exceedingly low."
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Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...You don’t need to be gay to dig Xanadu; you need to be gay enough. And despite the film’s long association with a devout queer fan base, in this case “gay enough” means a capacity to receive joy is a prerequisite. Sinister humorist Beane has written a burlesque comedy that, despite a few weak moments of fish-in-a-barrel self-reference, he’s rendered in the studio tradition of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who fashioned prescribed song catalogs into functional stories for MGM musicals."
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Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...Douglas Carter Beane's not-very-witty script settles for obvious jokes, like the one about the heroine's exaggerated Australian accent--a dig at Olivia Newton-John, who starred in the movie. And the old songs by John Farrar ("Magic," "Have You Never Been Mellow") and Jeff Lynne ("Evil Woman," "Strange Magic") are poorly served by the cast's strident, sometimes out-of-tune vocals. But Dan Knechtges's roller-skating choreography is fun, and the pleasure the 90-minute show takes in its own inanity is disarming."
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NewCity Chicago - Not Recommended

"...I don’t know that the stage show offers any experience, let alone anything that might even qualify this as a fun and fabulous guilty pleasure. Clearly, the biggest problem is with Christopher Ashley’s direction. You can’t force camp, and yet every half-assed joke and lame visual pun has been overly telegraphed and repeated to the point of ineffectiveness. I did laugh a few times: Elizabeth Stanley’s breathy delivery of some stupid lines; the thick Australian accent. But overall I found the ninety-minute intermission-less stage experience tedious, dull and uninspired."
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Windy City Times - Recommended

"...the company assembled for this Broadway In Chicago stopover generate enough sparkle to outshine the glo-sticks waved during the finale by the audience ( some seated, Shakespeare-style, on the stage ) . Elizabeth Stanley leads the pantheon as the demigoddess whose sunny smile never falters, even when its wearer is forced to hobble on one skate for an entire scene. And Sharon Wilkins' and Joanna Glushak's take-no-prisoners baddies should soon find followers among lonely post-Wicked orphans. Now where did you put those leg-warmers?"
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Chicago Free Press - Recommended

"...This stage version boasts a new book by Douglas Carter Beane, the writer behind the frothy-fun gay fantasy “Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.” This time around, it’s a mishmash of a pastiche—full of meta-theatrical riffs (often clumsy, occasionally inspired), 1940s nostalgia, 1980s potshots and some “Clash of the Titans” shout-outs. Overall, though too wink-winky by half, the show manages enough good jokes to entertain any game audience."
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EpochTimes - Recommended

"...Directed by Christopher Ashley, this is a sparkling production with some truly talented actors/singers/dancers/skaters: Sharon Wilkins and Joanna Glushak are both fun true comics, Larry Marshall has the right moves and Julius Thomas III dances up a storm- his jump on a desk leading into a smooth tap sequence is one of the magical moments in this theatrical experience."

Copley News Service - Recommended

"...The solid cast is led by Elizabeth Stanley, who looks lusciously like a young Loni Anderson, as Clio of the roller skates and Australian accent. She is first rate but the performance that grabbed me was Max Von Essen as the doofus Sonny. Von Essen can sing and dance and he has a marvelous way with a funny throw away line. Almost every time he spoke, something droll emerged."

Centerstage - Highly Recommended

"...Douglas Carter Beane’s clever script both pays tribute to and unabashedly satirizes the near-forgettable Olivia Newton-John film of the same name, while taking jabs at both modern culture and the current theatrical trend in juke box musicals. The result is a hilarious, energetic and nostalgic trip back to the days of roller disco, mirror balls, glittering spandex, leg warmers and a synthesizer-heavy ELO score."
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HollywoodChicago.com - Recommended

"...Xanadu has once again usurped the throne for musical theatre entertainment and has secured its place among Chicago’s lavish touring and sit-down Broadway productions. We may have lost a witch and a Baby, but what Ashley’s presentation voids in spectacle it makes up for in pure, creative and gluttonous entertainment."
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Edge - Highly Recommended

"...With references to contemporary culture and politics, consistent singing performances and delightful choreography, "Xanadu" is a musical gift in theatre. Chicago is blessed to have a healthy run through mid March. More than just remembering Olivia Newton-John, this production will make you bust out your old leg warmers."
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ChicagoCritic - Somewhat Recommended

"...As a consumer advocate, however, let me state that the audience at the opening night performance found the show to be a hilarious romp filed with bouncy, had-clapping songs filled with 80’s nostalgia. It is a feel-good show long on escapist entertainment and short on plot."
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Steadstyle Chicago - Somewhat Recommended

"...Can you really make a silk purse out of a sow's ear? The opening night audience for "Xanadu" at Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place would seem to answer a rousing yes. Playwright Douglas Carter Beane and Director Christopher Ashley have taken one of the worst movies of all time, whose title alone still inspires a litany of laughs, and turned it into a breezy, feel-good albeit insipid stage show."
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