Update: Xanadu postponed! Doogie to skate to the rescue?

Does that headline sound like I'm unduly disturbed by this news? Well, THAT'S BECAUSE I AM. Yes, the long-awaited Broadway adaptation of the classic musical roller-disco flop Xanadu has had its premiere date pushed back indefinitely due to an injury (its lead actor, James Carpinello, hurt his foot during rehearsal). Considering that the two leads spend much of the show on rollerskates, this isn't entirely surprising.

I actually saw Xanadu last week in previews (with Carpinello and his cutoff short-shorts intact), and I have to say that it is easily the gayest thing I have ever seen on stage -- and yes, I am counting both parts of Angels in America. With a script by Douglas Carter Beane (The Little Dog Laughed, To Wong Foo...) and direction by Christopher Ashley (the film adaptation of Jeffrey), this camp explosion is entirely aware of how preposterous it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else. At one point, Jackie Hoffman (Garden State, A Dirty Shame) remarks that the show is "like children's theatre for 40-year-old gay men". And it is.

We'll have a full review of the play running in a few weeks from someone who has theatre criticism credentials beyond "OHMYGODISAWXANADU300TIMESANDILOVEIT", which is the extent of my knowledge base. But in the meantime, I wish Carpinello a speedy recovery so the show can find its footing (er ... wheeling?) and find the audience it deserves. (In the meantime, understudy Andre Ward will fill his skates.)

UPDATE UPDATE: Jackson has indeed taken the role. Yay!

UPDATE: Some Cheyenne Jackson enthusiasts (other than us, that is) are throwing his name around as a replacement, but as he passed on the role when the show was first launched, that doesn't seem terribly likely. Others report that Neil Patrick Harris has been approached by the producers (Harris did wow 'em in the Assassins revival -- but can he skate?). Remember what I said above about the whole "gayest show ever" thing? Double that.

After the jump, check out the fabulous final scene of the original movie (which of course starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly). I dare you not to dance.