On the Air

It was with a degree of sadness that I entered Teatro ZinZanni for the opening night of their new show "On the Air", last Thursday. That's because their latest is also their last -- at least at their current location at Pier 29 on San Francisco's Embarcadero.

With the America's Cup coming to the city, the prime real estate Teatro ZinZanni currently occupies is up for redevelopment and the nonprofit theater company is being shoved out at the end of this year.

And it's all a terrible shame because Teatro ZinZanni is simply one of the best shows in town -- a unique m�lange of comedy, circus and cabaret. The fact that all this takes place in a 100-year-old Spiegel tent that was originally built in Belgium as a traveling dance hall makes the experience even more memorable.

It's a venue that evokes something of a cross between a traveling circus and a vaudeville palace. When you take your seat at one of the tables surrounding the stage in the center, you feel like you've stepped back in time. So it's more than apt that a delicious nostalgia is woven throughout most of Teatro ZinZanni's shows.

"On the Air" puts a new spin on this nostalgia. Set at a local radio station struggling to remain on the air, it integrates old radio jingles and a '40s-era feel. In doing so, it riffs on Teatro ZinZanni's own struggle to remain in business in the face of eviction, and provides a memorable finale to the company's 11 years on the Embarcadero.

Although, as in most Zinzanni shows, the story narrative of "On the Air" is weak to say the least, that's of little importance. This is because it provides an adequate frame for an array of performances that stand on their own merits. Appearing as an over-the-hill comedian and a Scottish fishwife, comic actor Geoff Hoyle has the audience in stitches, and manages to get several of them on stage to join in his antics.

Later, blues singer Duffy Bishop blasts most of the audience out of their chairs and onto the dance floor with a voice that is rich, resonant, and powerful beyond belief.

Mat Plendl does things with the hula-hoop that you could never even imagine, while the gorgeous and terrifically sexy Christopher Phi attains balancing feats that you might have seen before on television, but never just a few feet from your dinner table.

Andrea Conway Doba and Wayne Doba provide some delightful physical comedy and a fabulous tap dancing number. And while Elena Gatilova mesmerizes with her elegant acrobatics on a hoop hanging from the roof of the Spiegeltent, Bernard Hazens defies gravity and the limits of human dexterity with his combination of juggling and Rola Bola.

To top all this off, you get to listen to lyric soprano, Kristin Clayton. Even if you're not a fan of opera, you'll be amazed at her vocal acrobatics and the drop-dead beauty of her voice.

All this is woven together with frenetic fun and energy, punctuated by the flamboyant delivery of the several courses of a truly delicious meal. Musical accompaniment is provided by the excellent Teatro ZinZanni Orchestra, led by phenomenal guitarist Chris Carlson.

Since I had such a terrific time at "On the Air", I left beaming, but still feeling sad that Teatro ZinZanni's being forced out.

Norman Langill, Teatro ZinZanni's President and Artistic Director, promises that the company will resurrect itself. But in order to do so, they need to raise about $4,000,000. That's a tall order in this economy. I sincerely hope they are able to meet that goal. If they fail, it will be a real loss to San Francisco.

So, just in case, get yourself over to "On the Air" before it closes. You'll be sorry if you don't.