By Gabrielle Nomura
With acrobats flying above audience members’ heads, and magic seeming to happen at every turn throughout the duration of a five-course meal, it would have been easy to conclude that Seattle’s Teatro ZinZanni had already pulled out all the stops in creating memorable experiences.
After a radiant, show-stopping performance of the radio-broadcast themed “On The Air,” it’s clear that the dinner-theater’s gorgeous Moulin Rouge servers, acrobats, drag-queens and versatile funnymen are capable of taking patrons even deeper down the rabbit hole.
Highlights included a sensual, gitter-lipped contortionist, Vita Radionova, who wowed the crowd doing acrobatics in stiletto heels; a cheeky Australian, Joel Salom, who defied the art of juggling: three bowling pins seemed to literally hover in the air as he somehow managed to take off his coat and put on his pants.
And, of course, the ultimate “queen” of the circus tent: gender-bending drag and improvisational performer Kevin Kent never fails to disappoint.
Kent’s personas in the show ranged from a southern salesman spreading the gospel of a magic tonic; to a petulant, and pompous queen of hearts; to a German undercover spy complete with lederhosen.
A new menu from Chef Erik Carlson features an entrée selection of all-natural flank steak, Dungeness Crab and fresh herb stuff Scallops, or a delicious vegetarian option of flakey filo sheets with roasted sweet corn. ZinZanni is famous for it’s audience participation, but never fear, it’s impossible not to have fun under this vintage tent, especially with a few glasses of wine or champagne.
This dinner-theater will always appeal to newcomers and returners alike, but this energized ZinZanni performance was truly something special. At points, visually stunning and at other times just downright silly in the best way possible – even the critics and in the house were raising a ruckus. “On The Air” runs at Teatro ZinZanni (222 Mercer St., Seattle) from now until June 1 (and is totally worth the $100+ ticket splurge).
Gabrielle Nomura is a former staff writer for the Bellevue Reporter.
