Teatro ZinZanni
Teatro ZinZanni is an American circus dinner-theater company combining European circus, cabaret, vaudeville, live music, comedy, and multi-course dining in an immersive mirror tent or theatrical venue.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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History
Teatro ZinZanni was created by Norman Langill and began in Seattle as an experimental-style dinner theater built around a Belgian spiegeltent. The first engagement opened in Lower Queen Anne on October 29, 1998, with an intended closing date of January 17, 1999. Demand extended the run, which ultimately continued through December 31, 1999. The original concept combined European circus and cabaret with American vaudeville, placing acrobatic and theatrical entertainment around a dining experience. Early performers included tap dancer Wayne Doba, Kevin Kent, and Ann Wilson of Heart. The company expanded to San Francisco in March 2000, opening at Pier 29 on the Embarcadero. It also re-established a Seattle base, reopening a permanent operation in Belltown in 2002 before later moving to Mercer Street near Seattle Center. During this period, Teatro ZinZanni was produced by One Reel, a Seattle nonprofit events company. By the middle of 2011, the relationship had ended and Teatro ZinZanni was operating independently. The San Francisco venue closed on December 31, 2011, as the city prepared for the America’s Cup. The company indicated that it hoped to return to another Embarcadero location if fundraising could be completed. The Seattle-area operation moved to Redmond’s Marymoor Park area in 2017, reportedly as a temporary location. In 2019, Teatro ZinZanni opened a Chicago venue above the James M. Nederlander Theatre in the downtown theater district. Over time, the company developed programming beyond its core evening dinner shows. Its related formats included brunches, late-night cabarets, concert series, children’s and family performances, and year-round education. Named projects include Cabaret Lunatique, Mezzo Lunatico, Mirror Tent Music, Big Top Rock, and Zirkus Fantazmo. The company also issued two CDs: The Divas and Omnium. Its performance roster included singers, comedians, musicians, circus artists, dancers, and character performers, among them Joan Baez, Frank Ferrante, Geoff Hoyle, Maria Muldaur, Sally Kellerman, Liliane Montevecchi, El Vez, Martha Davis, and Puddles Pity Party. Wayne Doba and Andrea Conway appeared in multiple productions as the tap and comedy duo Dik and Mitzi. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted live entertainment, but the company later resumed production in Seattle and Chicago. Seattle programming at Lotte Hotel Seattle marked the organization’s 25th anniversary in 2024, with further shows including SIZZLE! during 2024 and 2025. Chicago programming continued at the Cambria Hotel in the Loop, including Love, Chaos & Dinner and appearances by artists such as Liv Warfield and Frank Ferrante. The supplied reference material states that productions in both markets were suspended in early 2026 because of financial and operational challenges. It does not establish whether the organization has permanently ceased trading, so its present status is recorded as unknown.
- 2026
Reported production suspension
[1]Reference material reports a suspension of productions in Seattle and Chicago amid financial and operational challenges.
- 2024
25th-anniversary Seattle programming
[1]Seattle productions marking the company’s 25th anniversary were staged at Lotte Hotel Seattle.
- 2019
Chicago opening
[1]The company opened a Chicago location above the James M. Nederlander Theatre.
- 2017
Move to Redmond
[1]Seattle-area productions moved to the Marymoor Park area of Redmond, Washington.
- 2011
Independent operation
[1]By mid-2011, the company was no longer produced by One Reel and operated independently.
- 2011
San Francisco closure
[1]The San Francisco operation closed at the end of the year.
- 2002
Seattle permanent operation
[1]Teatro ZinZanni reopened a permanent Seattle operation in the Belltown district.
- 2000
San Francisco expansion
[1]The company opened at Pier 29 on San Francisco’s Embarcadero in March.
- 1999
Initial Seattle run extended
[1]A run planned to end in January continued to sold-out houses through December 31, 1999.
- 1998
Seattle debut
[1]Teatro ZinZanni opened its first engagement in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood on October 29.
Products and positioning
An immersive premium entertainment experience that combines dinner service with circus, cabaret, comedy, vaudeville, and live music. The brand is positioned as theatrical hospitality rather than a conventional restaurant or a conventional stage show.
Live entertainment · 1998
Dinner theater productions
The core Teatro ZinZanni offering is an immersive evening combining a multi-course meal with circus, cabaret, comedy, live music, dance, and vaudeville-inspired performance. Shows are structured as theatrical events rather than conventional restaurant meals or standalone stage concerts, with audience hospitality and performer interaction forming part of the experience.
Cabaret
Cabaret programs
The company has presented late-night and specialty cabaret formats, including Cabaret Lunatique and Mezzo Lunatico. These programs extend the brand beyond its principal dinner productions and provide a setting for singers, comedians, musicians, and variety performers.
Concert series
Mirror Tent Music
Mirror Tent Music is a concert-oriented programming format associated with Teatro ZinZanni. It applies the company’s distinctive venue and hospitality environment to live music presentations rather than the full circus dinner-show structure.
Family entertainment and education
Family and education programs
Teatro ZinZanni has produced family-oriented projects such as Big Top Rock and Zirkus Fantazmo and has offered year-round educational opportunities, including day camps. These activities broaden the audience from adult dinner-show patrons to children, families, and participants in arts learning.
Music recording
The Divas
The Divas is one of two CDs associated with Teatro ZinZanni. It features singers connected with the company’s productions, including Joan Baez, Liliane Montevecchi, Sally Kellerman, and Thelma Houston.
Music recording
Omnium
Omnium is a recording collaboration involving Teatro ZinZanni maestro Norman Durkee and Martha Davis of The Motels.
Brand decisions
2019
Launch of Chicago operationProduct launchBackground
After operating in Seattle and San Francisco, Teatro ZinZanni pursued an additional market in Chicago’s downtown theater district.
Action taken
A Chicago location opened above the James M. Nederlander Theatre.
Aftermath
Chicago remained one of the company’s two reported production markets after the pandemic, with later shows at the Cambria Hotel in the Loop.
2011
Transition to independent operationStrategyBackground
Teatro ZinZanni had previously been produced by One Reel, a Seattle-based nonprofit events organization.
Action taken
By the middle of 2011, Teatro ZinZanni became an independent company.
Aftermath
The company continued developing its own venues and programming, including later operations in Redmond and Chicago.
2011
Closure of San Francisco operationStrategyBackground
The San Francisco location operated at Pier 29 on the Embarcadero while the city prepared for the America’s Cup.
Action taken
The location closed on December 31, 2011.
Aftermath
A potential return to another Embarcadero location was discussed, subject to fundraising, but no continuing San Francisco operation is established in the supplied material.
Sources1 sources
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