Photograph by Marty Sohl.Thelma Houston stars as Mme. ZinZanni. March 2010ZinZanni Sets Hearts on FireBy Lori HigaOriginally hailing from Seattle and celebrating its 10th year in San Francisco, the sublime Teatro ZinZanni (TZ) presents a new version of its mythical, sensual show Hearts on Fire. The performance features disco diva and Grammy Award winner Thelma Houston, reprising her legendary role as the mistress with the mostest in the fabled spiegeltent at Pier 29. Houston is just one of an ensemble cast of world-class virtuosos in an only-in-San Francisco circus-cabaret-dinner theater spectacle. TZ consists of a series of wickedly entertaining, bawdy sketches fulsome with song, witty repartee, and audience participation. In addition to Houston, the show features the infamous Mexican Elvis, El Vez (Robert Lopez), a sensual aerial ballet by a partnered couple, a breathtaking Ukrainian contortionist-hula hoopist, Marx Brotherian trio of Parisian-born comic-acrobats, opera soprano, zaftig Beach Blanket Babylonesque singer-comedienne and, in the orchestra pit, a tight covey of players whose sure-fingered musicianship shows off an encyclopedic command of styles spanning at least a half century. Houston emcees the marvelous mayhem while singing her greatest hits with a voice that’s only gotten more magnificent with age, shimmying about in costumes that blind you with glitter, sequins, and feathery things. Everything about TZ, from the interior visual and sound design and sets to the banquette seating, including the five-course gourmet meal with free-range and vegetarian choices and impressive wine pairings, is over-the-top. While not cheap, it’s worth the splurge. It’s an once-in-a-lifetime experience not to be missed. The show runs through May 16, with performances Wednesdays to Saturdays at 6 p.m.; Sunday at 5 p.m., with a Brevé performance Saturdays at 11:30 am. Tickets: $117 to $145; Brevé: $63 - $78. For more information: 438.2668; www.zinzanni.org.
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