Xanadu: Musical revival in Sydney promises to be a thrilling, scary ride for actors
IT’S not the singing or the acting. It’s dancing on roller-skates that has the stars of the latest Xanadu stage revival in a spin.
IT’S not the singing or the acting. It’s dancing on roller-skates that has the stars of the latest Xanadu stage revival in a spin.
After three years in Hi-5, Ainsley Melham is rolling into his first big musical theatre role, with Jaime Hadwen playing his love interest in the role made famous in the movie by Olivia Newton-John.
Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph, Melham said that while he’d loved the past three years it was time to move on, with Xanadu opening at the Hayes Theatre Co in May.
“I was lucky enough when I came out of university to land a job with Hi-5 and that was an incredible experience but now it’s time to transition back into theatre where my roots are,” he said.
But Melham said his time with the demanding Hi-5 schedule and its adoring young audience was good training for the rigours of musical theatre — plus the flouro-colour flavour of a stage show based on the cult 1980s roller-skating musical would suit him well.
“I think I’ll feel very at home after coming from Hi-5, colour has been my life for the past three years so I don’t think Xanadu will be foreign at all, and I welcome colour back into the theatre,” he said.
It won’t be Melham’s first appearance in Xanadu. He was involved in a student show and learned to skate then.
“I don’t think it’s like riding a bike, I think there’ll be a bit of work involved,” he said.
“You have to be able to fall a lot to be able to stand, and there were a lot of bruises back then, so I’m hoping that this time things will be a little bit better, and I’ll have those basic skills down.”
The role Newton-John made famous three decades ago is Hadwen’s first big professional hitout.
“I grew up watching Olivia Newton-John, mainly in Grease, but watching another story with this beautiful Australian was just wonderful,” she said.
“And I was in Grease at high school playing Sandy so it has been a bit of a goal doing as much Olivia as possible,” she said.
Hadwen admits she’s nervous and excited about the skating.
“It’s going to be thrilling, but I’m absolutely terrified because it has to be second nature to this character so I’m starting rehearsals really early,” she said.
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