Tony Roberts Joins Kerry Butler in Cast of Xanadu

Tony Roberts will play Danny in the Broadway musical Xanadu, which is slated to begin previews at the Helen Hayes Theater on May 23 and to open officially on June 26. As previously announced, Kerry Butler will play the lead role of Kira. Additional casting will be announced shortly.

The show will be directed by Christopher Ashley, with choreography by Dan Knechtges. The creative team also includes Tony Award winners David Gallo (sets) and Howell Binkley (lighting).

With a script by Douglas Carter Beane, Xanadu is based on the 1980 film of the same title. It focuses on a mysterious woman named Kira who inspires an artist named Sonny and a former band leader named Danny to build a big roller disco. The show’s score will incorporate songs from the film, which were written by John Farrar and Jeff Lynne.

Roberts is a two-time Tony nominee for How Now, Dow Jones and Play It Again, Sam. His many other Broadway credits include The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, They’re Playing Our Song, Cabaret, and both the original production and the revival of Barefoot in the Park.

Butler played Kira in the first reading of Xanadu. She has appeared in such Broadway shows as Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, and Beauty and the Beast; her other stage credits include The Opposite of Sex and Bat Boy: The Musical. Most recently, she played the role of Claudia Reston on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live.