Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"... Happily, director Rachel Rockwell's all-new production has the great benefit of Gina Milo in the lead role (played by Kerry Butler on Broadway). Milo, who showed up in "Spamalot" at Drury Lane, is a formidable comic actress with a big voice. If you're a fan of this music, she won't disappoint. Indeed, she finds a lot of new gags in the role, adding a certain Pythonesque parody to the breathy vocal stylings associated with the ballads of Newton-John, while still legitimately warbling the entire shebang. She's supported by male lead-beefcake Chris Critelli, who is amusing and appealing, if less vocally certain in the second act."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"... Never one to talk down to her audience, Rockwell has found the smart, arty heart in this goofy, time-warped comedy which was adapted by Douglas Carter Beane from the pop culture joke of a movie, and features a genre-spanning score by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. She has packed her Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre cast with an assortment of performers bearing power voices, winningly campy neo-vaudeville instincts, and a willingness to test their roller skating skills. And, as usual, she has gotten superb assistance from socko music director Roberta Duchak, conductor-keyboardist Ben Johnson (who shares the orchestra pit with a rocking trio comprised of Evan Rea, Tom Logan and Rich Trelease), and from set designer Kevin Depinet and his projection design cohort, Mike Tutaj."
Chicago Reader - Not Recommended
"...But Douglas Carter Beane's smarmy, anything-for-a-laugh book sinks the whole mess. Beane never misses a chance to show us he feels superior to his source. Rather than create characters we can care about, he shoehorns in pointless complications and unnecessary material cadged from another kitschy movie of the early 80s, Clash of the Titans."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...Some movies almost beg to be satirized. For example, "Xanadu," the 1980 cult favorite that starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. But for sheer joy and escapism, Drury Lane’s high voltage production of Broadway’s 2007 surprise sensation hits all the right notes."
Chicago Stage Review - Recommended
"...Director/Choreographer Rachel Rockwell invites us to indulge in a guilty pleasure without shame. She creates a success out of a potentially epic catastrophe by infusing the madcap nonsense with sophisticated humor. As the character Calliope prophetically and truthfully declares, "This is like children's theater for 40-year-old gay people!" Drury Lane Theatre's delightful production delivers a colorful extravaganza of silly escapism, and is the best thing that has ever happened to XANADU."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...in Xanadu did Carter Beane a greatly clever foam set free. Resistance to its frothy, lightweight charms proves futile. One might wish the playwright were more generous with the male lead, underwritten himbo Sonny (played here by the game and talented Chris Critelli), yet Xanadu the musical charts plenty of shallow but unexpected pleasures."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"... Rachel Rockwell is the director and choreographer, which normally guarantees an inventive production. The dancing is certainly enthusiastic but the sass and offbeat comedy need some amping up. There isn’t much chemistry between Critelli and Milo as the young lovers, though this isn’t a show that tries to cut very deep emotionally. The orchestra under Roberta Duchak’s direction certainly does its part with the high decibel but tuneful rock score by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. There are a few nifty special effects, notably stage smoke that was pretty funny except for those unfortunates in the front rows who were engulfed by the billowing clouds."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"... If you want to feel young again and remember the days when love offered all possibilities, or you are young and believe in all possibilities, Xanadu is for you. While the over-the-top antics may seem superficial, they conclude with an underlying message about love that warms ones heart"
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"... This is truly an all-star cast that while small in numbers is large and powerful in talent. Sonny, the artists who feel sthat his dream cannot come true is played by Chris Criteelli, who started off a little slow, but as we learned more about his charcater, he truly shines in this role. He has a powerful voice, moves well and has just the right amount of charisma."
