The actress, according to the show's spokesperson, is scheduled to return to the company for the July 5 performance. Miller will be singing back-up vocals until she recovers fully; her role is temporarily being played by Patti Murin.
Xanadu, which began previews May 23, will officially open July 10.
Xanadu made headlines in June when James Carpinello, who has been playing the role of Sonny opposite Kerry Butler's Kira, was injured during rehearsals of musical that features actors on roller skates. Carpinello's injury forced him to temporarily withdraw from the production. Cheyenne Jackson succeeded Carpinello in the role of Sonny June 21 and will play the part until further notice.
Kenita Miller has been seen on the New York stage in The Color Purple, Dessa Rose and Best of Both Worlds as well as in the tours of Civil War and Ragtime. Her regional credits include Once on This Island and Smokey Joe's Café.
* Xanadu also features Tony Roberts as Danny Maguire/Zeus, Curtis Holbrook as Thalia, Anika Larsen as Euterpe, Mary Testa as Melpomene/Medusa, Jackie Hoffman as Calliope/Aphrodite, André Ward as Terpsicore and Marty Thomas as a Featured Skater.
Directed by Christopher Ashley, Xanadu features choreography by Dan Knechtges and musical direction and arrangements by Eric Stern. The design team includes David Gallo (scenic design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), David Zinn (costume design), T. Richard Fitzgerald and Carl Casella (sound design), Zachary Borovay (projections design) and Charles LePoint (wig and hair design). John Miller is music coordinator.
Xanadu boasts a book by Little Dog Laughed playwright Douglas Carter Beane — a 2007 Tony Award nominee — and utilizes songs from John Farrar and Jeff Lynne's film soundtrack. The musical, according to press notes, "tells the story of one of the nine muses of ancient Greece who comes to earth to inspire the greatest of artistic achievements – a roller disco. Along the way she falls in love, bumps into an old acquaintance and for the first time, feels the desire to create herself."
Xanadu, which is performed without an intermission, features the songs "I'm Alive," "Magic," "Evil Woman," "Suddenly," "Whenever You're Away From Me," "Dancin'," "Strange Music," "All Over the World," "Don't Walk Away," "Fool," "The Fall," "Suspended in Time," "Have You Never Been Mellow?" and "Xanadu."
The 1980 film "Xanadu" was written by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel and was directed by Robert Greenwald.
The performance schedule is Tuesday-Saturday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM.
The Helen Hayes Theatre is located in Manhattan at 240 West 44th Street.
