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 unicy ...

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

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. It has since expanded its operations to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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 (Par ...

meets

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

." 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, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

and American vaudeville performed in a Belgian '' spiegeltent'' (mirror tent). Until mid-2011 the show was produced by the Seattle-based

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

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 at Pier 29 on The Embarcadero. 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 The Seattle Center is an entertainment, education, tourism and performing arts center located in the Lower Queen Anne, Seattle, Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Constructed for the Century 21 Exposition, 1962 W ...

. As of 2017, Teatro ZinZanni has moved to

Redmond, Washington Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America. The city h ...

, 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 is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

, 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. It opened in 1926, named the Oriental Theater, as a deluxe movie palace and vaudeville venue. Today the Nederla ...

in 2019. 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 mo ...

, 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. ...

, Michael Davis, El Vez,

Frank Ferrante Frank Vincent Ferrante (born April 26, 1963) is an American stage actor, comedian and director known for his improvisation and audience interactive comedy. He has performed as Groucho Marx in the Arthur Marx/ Robert Fisher play '' Groucho: A Lif ...

, Geoff Hoyle,

Sally Kellerman Sally Clare Kellerman (June 2, 1937 – February 24, 2022) was an American actress whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as List of M*A*S*H characters#Margaret Houlihan, Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film ''M*A*S ...

, Liliane Montevecchi,

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 h ...

, Melanie Stace, and 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, 1943) is an American singer and actress. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy for ...

and others, and ''Omnium,'' a collaboration of TZ Maestro Norman 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.
{{Restaurants in San Francisco American circuses Dinner theatre Restaurants in San Francisco Tourist attractions in San Francisco Restaurants established in 1998 1998 establishments in Washington (state) Restaurants in Seattle

History

See also

References

External links