“In Xanadu, did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree…”
So sayeth Olivia Newton-John in one of my all-time favorite movies: Xanadu.
I love this 1980 film that was billed as, “A Fantasy, A Musical, A Place Where Dreams Come True.” I love its music, storyline, the roller-skating, and its abundant cheesiness. And I love how it takes me back to my childhood.
I’ll admit it: The summer my parents first got cable television at our house, I watched Xanadu 21 times.
Every time I laced up my skates that summer I pretended to be ONJ’s character, Kyra. The purple ribbons barretted in my hair flowed in the breeze as I skated around my driveway and belted out the soundtrack highlighted by classic lines such as, “Have to believe we are magic …” and “A place, where nobody dared to go …”
So it should come as no surprise that I had tears in my eyes when Olivia Newton-John took the stage at Kewadin Casino’s DreamMakers Theater in Sault Ste. Marie on Nov. 11. What an amazing birthday gift it was. Dan really outdid himself this year.
Olivia looked beautiful, her voice was strong, and she was as charming and adorable as I thought she’d be. She sang all of her classics, from “Physical” to favorites from “Grease” and of course, “Xanadu,” complete with neon lights shining. We had such a wonderful time!
Funny, Dan saw Springsteen for his 40th birthday. And I saw ONJ when I turned 38. Both concerts and celebrations were fantastic, but Dan’s trip to Chicago just seemed a little umm… more memorable but perhaps for the wrong reason.
So much so that I recently wrote about our 2:30 a.m. fire alarm and pending third-floor escape – in spite of my wheelchair – for HealthCentral.com. You can read all about it here.