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 uni ...

dinner theater that began in the neighborhood of Lower Queen Anne in

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 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 ...

." 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 dinin ...

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 compositio ...

performed in a Belgian ''

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 du ...

'' (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 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. 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 ...

, 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 ...

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 Duffy Bishop is an American electric blues singer and songwriter. She is in the Cascade Blues Association and Washington Blues Society Halls of Fame, and has been given a Lifetime Achievement Award by both bodies. In a career spanning over for ...

, 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. I ...

, Michael Davis, El Vez,

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 Marx ...

, Geoff Hoyle, Sally Kellerman, Liliane Montevecchi, Maria Muldaur, Melanie Stace,

Puddles Pity Party Michael Geier (born March 12, 1965), known as Big Mike Geier, is a singer, actor, and entertainer based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Geier has garnered international fame through his most critically acclaimed act: a Pagliacci-type clown alter ego n ...

. 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 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