BWW Reviews: MEZZO LUNATICO at Teatro ZinZanni

So which of Santa's lists are you on?  The Naughty or the Nice?  Well for those of you that lean toward the Naughty then I probably saw you last night at the most interesting holiday diversion I've seen in awhile, "Mezzo Lunatico" at Teatro ZinZanni.  Burlesque and Drag acts coupled with irreverent holiday songs and you have a fun evening that'll make you stop thinking about your visiting in-laws for a little while.  And while the show lacked some focus at times, all in all it was a deliciously decadent good time.

Hosted by Seattle's Premiere Fancy Lady Ben DeLaCreme, and Santa of course, this late night holiday offering shows us that Christmas doesn't have to be all sugar plum fairies and candy canes and that there's room for sex, booze and tits at this time of year.  Burlesque performers Iva Handfull and The Heavenly Spies were on hand for the later of those.  I especially liked Iva's ode to Black Friday shopping.  Even DeLaCreme managed to doff her frillies as the naughtiest girl to ever sit on Santa's lap.  Breakdancing crew the Massive Monkees gave us a lesson in dealing with bullies (although I'm still uncertain what that one had to do with the holidays). 

But the highlights of the evening I'd say had to come from the singers.  A Capella singing group, Captain Smartypannts offered us the most interesting rendition of "The 12 Days of Christmas" as well as every Christmas special ever made told in just a few minutes.  And recently thawed from a block of ice 1920's singing duo, The Vaudevillians had us on the floor with their antics and reclaimed song stylings.  And I have to mention host DeLaCreme and her hilarious retelling of the nativity story set to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way". 

So the booze was flowing, the performers as well as the waiters and waitresses were quite scantily clad and the acts kept us hooting for more.  Seriously, if you weren't on the naughty list before the show, you would be after.  So if you're looking for a break from the visiting family, you could do a lot worse than a night of debauchery at Teatro ZinZanni's holiday offering "Mezzo Lunatico".  Or you could bring the in-laws with you.  Either they'll love it as much as you or they'll be so offended they'll never visit again.  Either way, it's win-win.

"Mezzo Lunatico" performs at Teatro ZinZanni December 16^th and 17^th.  For tickets or information on this or future shows, contact the Teatro ZinZanni box office at 206-802-0015 or visit them online at www.dreams.zinzanni.org.

Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Jay has been a theater geek for years. He attends as many shows as he can around the country and loves taking in new exciting works. Jay is also an actor in the local Seattle scene.

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