Teatro ZinZanni is a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

dinner theater Dinner theater (sometimes called dinner and a show) is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. "Dinner and a show" can also refer to a restaurant meal in combination with live concert music, where pat ...

that began in the neighborhood of

Lower Queen Anne Lower Queen Anne (officially known since 2021 as Uptown) is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, at the base of Queen Anne, Seattle, Queen Anne Hill. While its boundaries are not precise, the toponym usually refers to the sho ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. It has since expanded to a site on the waterfront at Pier 29 on The Embarcadero in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

History

Teatro ZinZanni was created by Norman Langill, and was once described as "the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (P ...

meets

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

." The show is a blend of European circus and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

and

American vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

performed in a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

spiegeltent A spiegeltent (Dutch for "mirror tent", from ''spiegel''+''tent'') is a large travelling tent, constructed from wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass, intended as an entertainment venue. Originally built in Belgium during ...

'' (mirror tent). Until mid-2011 the show was produced by the Seattle-based

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

events company, One Reel. Teatro Zinzanni is now an independent company. Teatro ZinZanni began in Seattle in October 1998 for an eight-week run and ended up playing to sold-out houses until it closed on December 31, 1999. Members of the original cast included tap dancer Wayne Doba, also known for being San Francisco Giants mascot the Crazy Crab, Kevin Kent, and

Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

of the rock group Heart. It then moved its operation to San Francisco, opening there in March 2000. In 2002, it reopened a permanent operation in Seattle's Belltown district. The operation has since moved to Seattle's theatre district on Mercer Street across from

Seattle Center Seattle Center is an arts, educational, tourism and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington, United States. Spanning an area of 74 acres (30 ha), it was originally built for the 1962 World's Fair. Its landmark feature is the tall Space Needl ...

. As of 2017, Teatro ZinZanni has moved To Redmond WA, in the Marymoor Park Area. This is said to be a temporary location through April 2018, at which time they will move to a permanent location. Teatro ZinZanni's San Francisco location closed its operation on December 31, 2011, due to the city's preparation for the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

, but has plan to reopen at another location on the Embarcadero after fund-raising is complete. Teatro ZinZanni opened a Chicago location in the downtown theatre district above the

James M. Nederlander Theatre The James M. Nederlander Theatre is a theater located at 24 West Randolph Street in the Loop area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Previously known as the Oriental Theatre, it opened in 1926 as a deluxe movie palace and vaudeville venue. Today the ...

in 2019. The show closed in July 2022. The many performers in Teatro ZinZanni productions have included

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, Andrea Conway, Duffy Bishop, Yamil Borges, Kevin Kent, Martha Davis of the rock group

The Motels The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In ...

, Michael Davis,

El Vez Robert Alan Lopez (born 1960),"El Vez", ''St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture'', Thomson Gale 2005–2006reproduced online at BookRags.comand accessed online 28 April 2007. better known by his stage name El Vez, is an American singer-songwrit ...

Frank Ferrante Frank Vincent Ferrante (born April 26, 1963) is an American stage actor, comedian and director known for his inspired improvisation and audience interactive comedy. His lengthy, acclaimed stage runs as the legendary American comedian Groucho Mar ...

Geoff Hoyle Geoff Hoyle (born 15 April 1945) is an English performer who originated the role of Zazu in the Broadway theatre production of ''The Lion King.'' Hoyle has also performed in vaudeville shows, worked with Bill Irwin in "The Pickle Family Circus", p ...

Sally Kellerman Sally Clare Kellerman (June 2, 1937 – February 24, 2022) was an American actress and singer whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film ''M*A*S*H'' (1970) earned her an Oscar no ...

Liliane Montevecchi Liliane Montevecchi (October 13, 1932 – June 29, 2018) was a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer. Career Montevecchi took her first dance classes at 8 with Pierre Duprez, primo ballerino of the Opera in Paris, France. She entered the Co ...

Maria Muldaur Maria Muldaur (born Maria Grazia Rosa Domenica D'Amato; September 12, 1942) is an American folk and blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s. She recorded the 1973 hit song "Midnight at the Oasis" and has ...

, Melanie Stace, Puddles Pity Party. Although first billed as individual performers Andrea Conway and Wayne Doba later appear in several productions as real life husband and wife tap-dancing vaudeville comedy duo “Dik and Mitzi”. Teatro ZinZanni has produced two CDs: ''The Divas,'' with Baez, Montevecchi, Kellerman,

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy ...

and others, and ''Omnium,'' a collaboration of TZ Maestro Norm Durkee with Martha Davis. In addition to Teatro ZinZanni's evening dinner shows, Teatro ZinZanni has introduced a variety of special projects including brunches, late-night cabarets (Cabaret Lunatique, Mezzo Lunatico), a concert series (Mirror Tent Music), children's/family programming (Big Top Rock, "Zirkus Fantazmo") and offers year-round education opportunities including day camps.

References

External links

*
One Reel website.
{{coord, 37.80495, -122.40253, region:US-CA_type:landmark, display=title Circuses Dinner theatre Restaurants in San Francisco Tourist attractions in San Francisco Restaurants established in 1998 1998 establishments in Washington (state)

History

See also

References

External links