It was sublime. It was magical. It was…Xanadu!

Monday night about 20 of my close personal friends (alright, I only knew about 9 or 10) went to see Xanadu at the Castro Theater. The night was filled with everything one could hope for when viewing a seminal classic like Xanadu. Yes, all the magic of the film was still there: the tight dancing, the expert roller skating, the leg-warmer clad bird, the phenomenal special effects, and, of course, GENE KELLY!!! Gene really lifted this story of love, loss, love, roller skates, love, electric pink, acrobats, Zeus, scooters "okay", and big album covers to a whole new level and pushed it over the edge. Ahhh, Xanadu-uuu. There you are, a shooting star, indeed!

There were many moments I will treasure from this outing. There were costumes (most of the costumes holdovers from Burning Man), but one costume needs special mention, Tony's. Tony dressed just like my dear Olivia Newton-John in the classic Physical video. Imagine if Olivia was a man in that video and you would know what Tony looked like, a male version of the early 80's icon. The resemblance was uncanny. Never have a pair of Dolphin shorts meant so much too so few. And who could forget Andrew navigating down Castro Street wearing roller skates, and being told he "can't wear roller skates in the theater" and simply ignoring the ticket taker and proceeding to roll/stumble down the aisle to his seat. But there was one moment that will stay with me for a very long time. When Olivia was singing Suspended in Time, a moment of pure enchantment took place. At concerts we have all seen when people hold lighters over their heads during a particularly moving song? Well, this night had a certain 21st century flare to that. One person, rather than holding aloft a lighter, held an Ipod over his head. Ahh, it was magi. Because we all know, you have to believe in magic. Tears welled in my eyes as a moment of pure bliss flowed over me.

Yes, this is an evening I will not soon forget.

Do you believe in magic? I do.