Andrew Luzwick is a veteran performer in musicals staged by HOTT Productions, NFP, which is based in Schaumburg and collaborates with the Hoffman Estates Park District. But starring as Sonny Malone, in the company’s upcoming production of Xanadu, well, that proved to be challenging.
(Clockwise from L-R) Jackie Podgorny, Erica Patricca, Terry Prusnick, Grace Corwine, Kimmi Armando and Jamie Podgorny. Standing In background, Paul Davis and Anthony Luzwick (Photo Credit: Dominic Luzwick)
Catch all the fun at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 and 27, and at 2 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg. Purchase tickets, here.
As Sonny, Luzwick plays the leading man, who dreams of opening a disco roller rink, but therein lies the problem. He was a rookie on skates, says producer Chris Seminaro, and he’s not the only one. There definitely was a learning curve for most of the cast, she says.
“Some actors were eager to learn, some were excited to try again, after not skating since childhood,” Seminaro says, “and a rare few were proficient from the start. The success experienced varied.”
Luckily, Luzwick’s costar, Grace Corwine — whom he has performed with since their years together at Hoffman Estates High School — is a proficient rollerblader and she helped him come up to speed.
Together, they lead a cast that brings to life this Tony Award-winning musical, complete with its Olivia Newton John pop hits and multiple dance scenes, all done on skates. Hits include Magic, Have You Never Been Mellow and You’re the One That I Want, to name a few.
Stars of Xanadu in Schaumburg’s Septemberfest parade
The whimsical musical follows the journey of the magical Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980. Her quest is to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first roller disco.
But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation, and chaos abounds.
“Xanadu is a campy, ridiculous, fun show that truly has you smiling from the very first number and not stopping until the final notes of the show,” Seminaro says. “The music is really phenomenal. It’s fun and it feels good to reminisce. That is why we chose it. honestly.”
Grace Corwine as the muse, Kira
Providing quality musical theatre to the Northwest suburbs has been the driving mission of HOTT Productions since its start. The acronym, HOTT, stands for Helping Others Through Theatre, and since its inception the theatre company has donated more than $150,000 to local charities.
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