Xanadu

Xanadu knows its audience. This high camp, glitter bomb of a musical may have a paper thin plot, especially evident when it starts to lag in the second half, and Hayes still hasn't sorted out how to best mic and mix its vocalists in that space. But it's easy to overlook the flaws and get swept up in the bright colours and cheesy '80s soundtrack belonging to this homage to the cult film. And let's not forget the roller skates.

Never mind dancing backward and in high heels, lead actress Jaime Hadwen spends most of the show gliding around the Roman amphitheatre set on those roller skates, and boy does she make it look easy. There's a light, Venice Beach chemistry between Hadwen, who plays muse come-to-life Kira with a hilarious over the top Australian accent, and her leading man Ainsley Melham, the clueless Californian almost-artist Sonny Malone. Behind them, the ensemble members throw themselves into their roles with gusto, outrageous dance moves and ridiculous plotting included. Leah Howard's choreography brings the '80s back almost as much as Sonny's denim shorts, pulled up socks and headband. And with a couple more shows under their belt, cast and crew should be able to tighten up some of the pacing when the action starts to drift on the way to that sparkly, fabulous finish.