Garbage punctuated by art. Isn’t that what life is? Sure feels like it sometimes. If you’re feeling like the garbage part of your life is overwhelming, The Audrey Herman Spotlighters theatre has a magical hall-monitor from a parallel universe ready to wave their magic wand and give you all the wonderful art and zany comedy one could hope for in a musical called Zanna Don’t! This musical fairytale, created by Alexander Dinelaris and Tim Acito, was worlds and generations ahead of its time when it first appeared on the musical theatre scene in 2003. Strikingly appropriate for the present-day world in which we’re currently living, Zanna Don’t! is a politically charged, poignantly phrased musical comedy that has a great deal of heart and an eye-opening lesson for everyone to enjoy. Directed by Stephen Foreman, with Musical Direction by Michael Tan, and Choreography by Rikki Howie Lacewell, this magic musical shows the world that everyone is more than we appear. Deep down inside we are all the same majestic hue, no matter what shade we present on the outside.
Doubling up as the show’s Set Designer, Director Stephen Foreman works with Scenic Artist and painter Andrea Unger to bring a mystical sense of whimsy directly to the stage. The floor is painted in a swirling menagerie of pastels that whirl together to emulate fantasy clouds; the whole show takes place in a fantastical parallel universe and all the magic of sparkles, rainbows, joy, and glee (you know, the type we only find in happy, high-camp-and-kitsch musicals?) and Unger’s painted floor and walls fully draw the audience into that experience. The walls feature pastel ombre designs, again echoing that chimerical sense of magic. One might suspect that Unger and Foreman are also behind the glitter-bomb effect that can be seen all throughout the production’s props. Everything from the flashy rainbow football, whose seamlines are coated in faux rhinestones to the coffee pot in the dinner, which has glitter. This show is glitterageous. And Unger deserves mad props for her super magical gossamer rainbow-faerie-light drop curtains. The effect of their appearance is totally gasp-worthy in the best way possible. And a shoutout to Al Ramer, working the show’s illumination; the magical disco-lights in rainbow hues add that sparkly essence of whimsy that the show possesses at every turn. And what show whose leading character is a magical hall-monitor would be complete without wicked enchanted sound effects? Sound Designer Paul Saar subtly includes all sorts of background effects to enhance the aural soundscape of the show. His finest effects? Using the TARDIS sound, mixed with some other iconic space-time-travel bites, every time Zanna decides to use their wand to teleport.
You cannot have a fabulous show like Zanna Don’t! without equally fabulous outfits. Costume Designer Deana Cruz-Conner is the master fabricator for this production, giving the lead character of Zanna, as well as the rest of the eight-person cast, all the glamour, glitz, and wonder that a show like this deserves. The electric-pink camo fatigues featured during the militant number “Be A Man” are sassy, fierce, and hilarious. Cruz-Conner pays great attention to detail with her sartorial selections as well. The Roberta character may only be wearing plain white keds on her feet for a great many scenes, but those keds have rainbow-studded grommets for the laces and the pride rainbow printed on the soles of the shoe. Cruz-Conner features a full array of costume magic in this production— everything from glittery prom gowns to shiny pink cheerleading outfits, red-gingham cowgirl skirts, and literally everything in-between. There’s no shining glory costume (although that black-and-white-prison-stripe jumper-onesie comes close) because they’re all so fabulous in this production.
Staging any production in the uniquely intimate, in-the-round space of Spotlighters presents challenges to all creative teams. Director Stephen Foreman and Choreographer Rikki Howie Lacewell rise to these challenges and overcome them with ease and flare. Numbers like “Ride ‘Em”, which features a ‘mechanical bull’ and a bunch of kick-step cowgirls doing their thang in square-stride spins all around the stage, and “Be a Man”, which features marching gesture lines and pinwheels, are just a few examples of Lacewell’s keen understanding of how to block dance routines in the intimate space. With eight people in the cast, Lacewell finds a way to keep the routines clean, including some funky-fun two-steps during “Fast” and an overall party-bounce vibe during numbers like “Straight To Heaven” and “Who’s Got Extra Love?” Lacewell’s overall understanding of the musical rhythm and each song’s emotional intention is well reflected in her choreography. Director Stephen Foreman mirrors this understanding of the in-the-round space, carefully blocking scenes (and shoutout to Intimacy Coach Kristen Zwobot who creates a safe, authentic working environment for those deeply intimate moments of kissing and expressing love in a touching, physical sense) so that the audience (who encapsulate the stage on four sides) can see nearly everything. Spotlighters brings its own unique challenge of four load-bearing support columns, directly in the sightlines of the audience, but Foreman and Lacewell find clever ways to incorporate these pillars into the blocking and dancing of the show.
With just eight performers, the vocal quality of the show is extremely noticeable. In the capable and seasoned hands of Musical Director Michael Tan, powerhouse sounds ring out all throughout the performance. The harmonies and blends from group numbers, like “Don’t’ You Wish We Could Be In Love” and “Do You Know What It’s Like?” are sublime. In addition to coaxing gorgeous technical sounds from the company, Tan ensures the right emotional balance is delivered from these performers. “Do You Know What It’s Like?” is a particularly potent number, featuring the quartet of Steve, Mike, Kate, and Roberta, both tonal quality and emotional integrity are at their zenith from the cast in this number. Tan, who also conducts the live orchestra pit (Tan on keyboard, Andrew Young on percussion, Harvey Droke on bass, and John Jeffries on guitar), does a superb job of keeping the show moving. Tan and Foreman work together to deliver a tightly paced show, the down-time between scenes is almost unnoticeable.
Zanna Don’t! isn’t your typical musical by any stretch of the imagination— it has musical numbers, a plot, and singing and dancing but don’t let that fool you into thinking you’re getting an Andrew Lloyd Webber or a Rogers & Hammerstein. The plot is complex, the lyrics are often delivered in hyper-speed patter or recitative, the character and plot arches are a little wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey, and the tongue-in-cheek, politically-charged satire may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s funny, actually witty is the better word here, because the zingers, which are meticulously tempered to diffuse emotional tension when the gravity of situations get too heavy, are sharp and clever. Show Creators Alexander Dinelaris and Tim Acito, having put this musical chimera forward in 2003 were worlds and generations ahead of their time, but it resonates so strongly and so impressively in 2002, infuse the show with all sorts of incredible references— especially nods to things like every Sondheim musical ever and Rocky Horror Picture Show, just to name a few. The problem is that often times— like in the song “Fast”— the lyrics, which are clever and biting and chock full of pop culture references, get lost in the accelerating tempo of the song. And there’s a lot of rushed character exposition in the run-on opening number “Who’s Got Extra Love?” And it’s never really clear which reality the show’s overall plot is actually operating in. But if you suspend your disbelief over some of those minor, structural hiccups, the show is brilliant, thoroughly enjoyable, and extremely well executed in the hands of Stephen Foreman, Michael Tan, and the entire cast and creative team working on this production of Zanna Don’t!
Michael Weiss, who takes on quite a few characters but primarily Arvin, has a stage presence that is just mesmerizing. While the Arvin character percolates mainly in the background for a great many of the scenes, Weiss brings this revitalizing and effervescent life to the character, particularly when it’s time for the character to try and speak-up/out and over the Candy character. Weiss simply slays whenever they are on stage and they do a stellar job of showcasing all of the fashionable costume pieces assigned to their character. Keep a close watch on Weiss during the scenes at the “I’m Okay If You’re Okay Corral”; they play the character ‘Bronco’ and they are a real hoot in these scenes. They basically steal the laughing thunder with their comic punches during the spouting verbal geyser that is “Fast.”
Playing a whole host of characters but specifically the heinous and plastic Candi McAllister, Julia L. Williams is a proper pistol of a performer. First appearing to us as the stereotypically blonde cheerleader Karla, Williams showcases her versatility right from the moment she sets foot on the stage. Embodying all the vapidly narcissistic qualities of a totally tyrannical teenager— you know the type, the real Regina George type who’s perfectly ‘frienemey’ to your face but absolutely abhorrent and vile behind your back— Williams makes the Candi character the perfect antagonizing villainess of sorts. You get a real sense of William’s sweet side when she embodies ‘Loretta’ the barmaid? Saloon owner? The milk-slinger from the ‘I’m Okay If You’re Okay Corral’. With pipes that can’t be beat, Williams really barrels through her verses sounding fantastic in “Fast.”
Matthew Banister, as the omnipresent Tank, is a grounding force for Zanna and really as a narrative tie to the audience. With a hilariously exaggerated ‘radio voice’ (which nods homage to the old radio hosts of yesteryore), Banister is an epic addition to the cast, really giving the character of Tank a focused purpose beyond just being the school radio guy. Banister’s character is imbued with some of the funniest lines in the show. After delivering a devastating blow of information on the school radio channel, he pauses with polished expertise, and then drops the line “and tomorrow’s lunch— grilled cheese.” with the same stentorian severity as the previous announcement. The delightful shocker is Banister’s solo-singing voice! He sings and blends well with the others in the group numbers but the audience is presented with a delightful treat during his solo “Do You Think We Could Fall In Love?’ His voice soars with emotional clarity and rings true the overall sentiment of the show in this penultimate scene of the performance.
Mike Singer (Chris Weaver), chess-club world champion (because in this parallel universe, chess is the school sport that is supported 110% hands down) is quirky and loveable and fabulously flamboyant. Weaver, who is given a solo— “I Could Write Books”— which is a perfect showcase for his vocal capabilities. With emotional clarity and sincerity that really resonates across the audience, Weaver really brings the audience into his character’s experience in this moment. His part in the quartet, “Do You Know What It’s Like?” is quite impressive as well. He plays equally strong against Steve as he does against Roberta, the two characters with which he spends most of his time interacting.
The character of Roberta, played by the vocal wellspring Gabby Dean, is a fascinating one, particularly as she’s the captain of the school’s synchronized mechanical bull-riding team. (What a sport!) Dean has stellar vocal capabilities, which you get to experience multiple times throughout the performance, particularly in “Ride ‘Em”, the hilarious number the features the aforementioned bull-riders, and during “Whatcha Got?”, where she sets a vocal conflagration that’s cause for alarm— burning the stage down with her fiery sound. The stunning moment where Dean gets a chance to showcase her emotional glory is during her part of the quartet, “Do You Know What It’s Like?” This emotionally eviscerating verse gives one the ugly-cry with all the feels.
Steve (Justin Diaz) and Kate (Patricia Anderson) come into and onto the scene as the ‘outsiders’ with the Steve character literally coming in from out of town. (Herein lies the brilliance of the script as gender norms, and high-school popularity norms and acceptability are in polar opposition to the way they are perceived and represented in reality.) Both Diaz and Anderson bring these characters to nuanced life; each has a firm handle on how to create depth and dynamic positioning inside their intertwined character arches. Diaz and Anderson have strong, well-toned and tuned voices that carry striking numbers like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and its reprise with surging emotional fortitude. The way they dance awkwardly all around their ‘feelings’ is decidedly accurate for anyone who has ever found themselves in a “I cannot express my true feelings for you because it is dangerous because society hasn’t caught up with my intrinsic right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” situation. Their pair have amazing stage chemistry, not only with each other, but with their respective early partners, Mike and Roberta (and all of this is safely encouraged and supported by Intimacy Coach Kristen Zwobot), and overall they shine with resilience every time they are on stage.
Hey, Zanna— yo Zanna, Zanna, Zanna, hey. (Yes. They make that JCS reference and joke and it’s theatrical catnip.) If you’re going to see a show called Zanna Don’t! then you’re going to want the titular character of Zanna to be fabulous, radiant, and exponentially larger than life. Geraden Ward in all their resplendent glory, does not disappoint. Personality for miles; panache that doesn’t quit, and vocals that are pretty damn impressive all throughout the performance, Ward is the quintessential enbee, owning both their own and the character’s non-binary existence on the stage. Ward is fierce, funny, perfectly poised to sling some sassy shade and completely in control of the character and all their emotional experiences. Ward gets quite a few solos as Zanna and their musical capabilities showcase a raw and compassionate individual putting their real story out there for everyone to experience. This is particularly true during “’Tis a Far, Far Better Thing I Do.” Owning every moment of their on-stage existence, Ward’s Zanna is undeniably awesome.
So join the army, like they say in the song,— of love! Because they’re going dancing— right to heaven! Zanna Don’t is a whimsical, magical fairytale that will delight the hearts of audiences of all sorts. Don’t miss this summer fantasy escapade full of heart and hilarity— seriously, many of the performances have sold out already, do not wait to get your tickets.
Running Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission
Zanna Don’t! plays through July 24, 2022 at The Audrey Herman Spotlighters Theatre— 817 St. Paul Street in the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore City in Maryland. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-1225 or purchase them online.
