Xanadu is a 1980 American musical fantasy film written by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald.

The title is a reference to the nightclub in the film, which takes its name from Xanadu, the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty in China.

Despite the film's lackluster performance, the soundtrack album became commercially successful worldwide and was certified double platinum in the United States.

The film has since become a cult classic for its mixture of 1980s music and culture, creative choreography, and special effects that were innovative for the time.

[3] Sonny Malone is a struggling freelance artist in Los Angeles who has failed to find passion in his art.

After appearing in person, Sonny tracks her across town to the same auditorium, where she introduces herself as Kira but refuses to reveal anything else about herself or her background.

Sonny also meets and befriends Danny McGuire, a former big-band clarinet player and later orchestra leader turned construction mogul.

The two befriend each other, with Danny detailing his romantic involvement in the 1940s with a singer who resembled Kira; her departure resulted in his own loss of creative passion.

Sonny is initially saddened by their departure, but after Danny orders a cocktail for him, he notices that the waitress who served him resembles Kira and begins a conversation with her.

The Muses Members of the Tubes Originally conceived as a relatively low-budget roller-disco picture, a number of prominent performers joined the production, which evolved into a much larger project.

However, continual rewrites and editing during production caused this plot point to be abandoned, except for one line spoken by Sonny as he laments his failure as a freelance artist: "I paint his van...

The website's consensus reads: "Not even spandex and over-the-top musical numbers can save Xanadu from questionable acting, unimpressive effects, and a story unencumbered by logic.

"[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 31 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

[7] A $5 million Broadway musical adaptation of the same name began previews on May 23, 2007, and opened (with Newton-John and songwriter Farrar in attendance) on July 10, 2007, starring Kerry Butler as Kira, Cheyenne Jackson as Sonny, and Tony Roberts as Danny.

Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa co-starred (in a plot twist new to the Broadway version) as evil Muse sisters.

The show, which humorously parodied the plot of the film, was a surprise hit, receiving praise for its satirical approach, and was nominated for several Tony Awards.