The CultureMap Interview

Xanadu star romps on roller skates, plays in "pageant closet" and channels Olivia Newton John

In a decade at Stages Repertory Theatre, Holland Vavra has portrayed a stripper, an agoraphobic housewife, a 1940s pinup girl, a Steel Magnolia and a Wonderette, among other roles. But nothing has compared to the attention she is getting for her current turn as the roller-skating star in Xanadu — a part made famous by Olivia Newton John in the '80s cult film.

"It's just a big party — and it's on roller skates."

The musical has become a big summer hit for Stages, which has extended performances through July 20. The production, a wild romp that improbably combines rollers skaters in legwarmers with muses in Greek togas and some of the decade's most iconic tunes, draws a cadre of excited Houston theatergoers who have already seen the production seven or eight times, mouthing the lyrics to such songs as "Suddenly" and "I'm Alive" along with the cast.

"They're our super fans," says the show's star, who everyone calls Holland (in a one-name tribute kind of like Cher). "It's fabulous."

CultureMap caught up with the 31-year-old actress to find out more.

CultureMap: You've done a lot of different roles at Stages. How does this compare to the ones you've done in the past?

Holland Vavra: Oh gosh, this is the first one I can say I am legitimately starring in. This is my 14th show at Stages and I've been very, very blessed by the people there. But this one is different. It's just a wonderful show to do. There's nothing sad or upsetting about it. It's just a big party — and it's on roller skates.

CM: Did you have to learn to roller skate for this role?

HV: Oh, no. I have been skating as long as I can remember actually. I am very comfortable on roller skates — it just so happens there is an entire musical on roller skates and thankfully I am able to do it.

CM: Has it improved your roller skating skills?

HV: It's made me more comfortable on them. My turning is really good now. I can turn really fast. It's a new element to be on roller skates in a small space.

CM: Why is Xanadu so beloved?

HV: The '80s was such a great time for people. I'm a child of the '80s. I was young (born in 1982), but I do remember this music. People can hear the first notes of a tune and remember where they were the first time they heard it.

"You find your niche, your theater family and you just stay with them."

CM: How hard is it to make a living as an actress in Houston?

HV: I have been really blessed with the people at Stages. I started working there when I was 21. I've gone on to TUTS and done other things here and there, but I always come back to Stages. I am union and it's difficult to work constantly in Houston as union. But I think we have a wonderful theater community in Houston. You find your niche, your theater family and you just stay with them.

CM: On Twitter, you once said, "I want to be Carol Burnett." Does that still stand?

HV: I do love her. And Madeline Kahn. The humor those women could produce was way beyond what was happening at the time. Oddly enough, in the show, towards the end of the second act, there are four of us on stage and we crack each other up so hard that we have to figure something to say on the spot. We jokingly say it's The Carol Burnett Show.

CM: Is Holland a family name?

HV: No, it's not. Both of my parents were in theater and just wanted me to have an interesting name, maybe crossing their fingers that their little girl would be an actress. I guess they got what they wanted.

CM: You were in the Miss Texas pageant. What do you feel about pageants now, looking back?

HV: There is a great deal of humor and satire in pageants, but the best part is the women are real, they are funny and talented and smart. I enjoyed my three years (in competition). It's fun to play dress-up every day. And I won the talent (portion) when I was there so I got a lot of my tuition paid.

I currently have what most of friends, particularly Mitchell Greco, the director, and Mark Ivy, who is also in the show, refer to it as my "pageant closet." It is fun to come play in the pageant closet when you come over.

Xanadu continues Wednesdays through Sundays at Stages, 3201 Allen Parkway, through July 20. Tickets are $19 - $65.

Holland Vavra, right, with friends in file photo.

News_Ross Chitwood_Larry Horton_Holland Vavra

Photo by Jenny Antill

Holland Vavra, right, with friends in file photo.

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Movie Review

Avatar: Fire and Ash returns to Pandora with big action and bold visuals

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Oona Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

For a series whose first two films made over $5 billion combined worldwide, Avatar has a curious lack of widespread cultural impact. The films seem to exist in a sort of vacuum, popping up for their run in theaters and then almost as quickly disappearing from the larger movie landscape. The third of five planned movies, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is finally being released three years after its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The new film finds the main duo, human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his native Na’vi wife, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña), still living with the water-loving Metkayina clan led by Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). While Jake and Neytiri still play a big part, the focus shifts significantly to their two surviving children, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), as well as two they’ve essentially adopted, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Spider (Jack Champion).

Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who lives on in a fabricated Na’vi body, is still looking for revenge on Jake, and he finds help in the form of the Mangkwan Clan (aka the Ash People), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). Quaritch’s access to human weapons and the Mangkwan’s desire for more power on the moon known as Pandora make them a nice match, and they team up to try to dominate the other tribes.

Aside from the story, the main point of making the films for writer/director James Cameron is showing off his considerable technical filmmaking prowess, and that is on full display right from the start. The characters zoom around both the air and sea on various creatures with which they’ve bonded, providing Cameron and his team with plenty of opportunities to put the audience right there with them. Cameron’s preferred viewing method of 3D makes the experience even more immersive, even if the high frame rate he uses makes some scenes look too realistic for their own good.

The story, as it has been in the first two films, is a mixed bag. Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver start off well, having Jake, Neytiri, and their kids continue mourning the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the previous film. The struggle for power provides an interesting setup, but Cameron and his team seem to drag out the conflict for much too long. This is the longest Avatar film yet, and you really start to feel it in the back half as the filmmakers add on a bunch of unnecessary elements.

Worse than the elongated story, though, is the hackneyed dialogue that Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver have come up with. Almost every main character is forced to spout lines that diminish the importance of the events around them. The writers seemingly couldn’t resist trying to throw in jokes despite them clashing with the tone of the scenes in which they’re said. Combined with the somewhat goofy nature of the Na’vi themselves (not to mention talking whales), the eye-rolling words detract from any excitement or emotion the story builds up.

A pre-movie behind-the-scenes short film shows how the actors act out every scene in performance capture suits, lending an authenticity to their performances. Still, some performers are better than others, with Saldaña, Worthington, and Lang standing out. It’s more than a little weird having Weaver play a 14-year-old girl, but it works relatively well. Those who actually get to show their real faces are collectively fine, but none of them elevate the film overall.

There are undoubtedly some Avatar superfans for which Fire and Ash will move the larger story forward in significant ways. For anyone else, though, the film is a demonstration of both the good and bad sides of Cameron. As he’s proven for 40 years, his visuals are (almost) beyond reproach, but the lack of a story that sticks with you long after you’ve left the theater keeps the film from being truly memorable.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19.

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