ENNIO: THE LIVING PAPER CARTOON Announced At Club Fugazi

The art of living origami meets hilarious theatre magic when Club Fugazi presents Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon, co-produced by Club Fugazi Experiences, Glynis Henderson Productions, and Jonathan Reinis Productions, making its triumphant return to San Francisco after an 11-year absence, with a limited engagement, January 10 through February 5, 2023.

In only 70 minutes original quick-change artist Ennio Marchetto miraculously morphs into parodies of 60 popular characters from the world of music, movies, works of art, and world leaders - from the Mona Lisa to Marilyn Monroe, Adele, Freddie Mercury, Beyoncé, Lizzo, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Diana Ross, Maria Callas, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Justin Bieber, Dolly Parton, Eminem, Bono, James Bond, and many more, using wildly inventive paper costumes.

Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon will be presented January 10 - February 5, 2023 at Club Fugazi, 678 Green St, San Francisco. For more information or to purchase tickets ($35 - $69), the public can visit clubfugazisf.com or call (415) 273-0600. Club Fugazi's current hit production of The 7 Fingers' Dear San Francisco will take a hiatus, returning February 14, 2023.

Ennio has been hailed by The New York Times as "An absolute hoot" and praised by Time Out London as "A sustained hour of heaven from an entertainer touched by genius." The production received kudos from local critics, earning the highest rating (Leaping Man) from the San Francisco Chronicle, which lauded the show with praise such as"It isn't just the number or bewildering variety of characters that Italian super-mime Ennio Marchetto impersonates that make his solo show Ennio so entertaining. Nor is it the astonishing skill he demonstrates in the course of a hilarity-packed hour. What makes Ennio such a unique delight is the way one routine unfolds from another," and further declared "Ennio plays like a one-man Beach Blanket Babylon!"

It wasn't until cabaret artist/comedian/actor Ennio Marchetto met his collaborative partner Sosthen Hennekam, a fashion and costume designer from Holland, that Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon was born. After a wildly successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1990, Ennio became an instant cult hit, booking multiple sell-out tours throughout the United Kingdom, a run in London's West End, and appearances at some of the greatest festivals around the world. For his Off-Broadway run in 1999, Ennio was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. His production came to San Francisco's Theatre on the Square in 2000, produced by Jonathan Reinis, where it enjoyed a sold-out, held-over, four-month engagement. It returned to play the Napa Valley Opera House in 2003 and was presented on three separate occasions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, most recently in 2008. The San Francisco Examiner described the work as "An immensely entertaining, pleasurable, playful evening. A dream of a show." Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon has now been performed in over 70 countries worldwide - from Singapore to China, South Africa, Colombia, the Netherlands, and the United States, among others. In its Los Angeles run, Variety joined the enthusiastic critics, reporting that Ennio "has the audience rolling in the aisles. Clever and inspired silliness," while the Beverly Hills Courier called the work "amazing, inventive and truly out of the ordinary. You must see it." Wrote the Los Angeles Times, "Watching Ennio transform himself into a gallery of celebrities, objects, and historical icons is like being transported to an alternate reality where all things are possible."

Club Fugazi is located in the heart of San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood and was home to the long-running Beach Blanket Babylon. The beautiful Italianate jewel-box theatre offers audiences a menu of cicchetti (small plates) sourced from local purveyors, and a wine and beer selection designed to complement the Club's Italian roots. In 2021, the theatre became home to the hit production Dear San Francisco, created by The 7 Fingers, one of the world's leading contemporary circus arts companies. That show continues to play to enthusiastic audiences, and will take a hiatus in January, returning on February 14, 2023 to resume its run.

Born in 1960 in Venice, Italy, Ennio Marchetto was expected to follow in the footsteps of his father, an espresso machine repair engineer. But inspired by the Disney cartoons he watched in his childhood, the modern choreography of Pina Bausch, and the spectacular Venetian Carnival, Ennio began to explore his talent for creating extravagant costumes and masks, amusing friends and family with visions of Marilyn Monroe dressed in white paper costumes he handmade in his bedroom. Throughout the 1980s, Ennio continued to construct lavish costumes and masks, eventually performing his first professional cabaret and winning the prestigious Golden Lion and Mosquito Awards for comedy. In 1994, Ennio was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment with Granada Television, making a one-hour documentary titled Celebrations, Paper Marilyn about his life and career. A year later, Ennio appeared at the first European MTV Music Awards in Berlin with several stars who were in his repertoire at the time, including Prince, George Michael and Bjork. Ennio also performed with The Spice Girls, Brian Adams, and other artists for HRH Prince Charles at the Royal Variety Show, broadcast for the BBC. His side-splitting performances of best-loved celebrities, paired with his adaptability to different cultures, have been performed in over 70 countries, from Singapore to South Africa to Colombia.

Award winning production company GHP has established a reputation as one of the UK's leading specialists in international entertainment. The company manages and represents a variety of theatre, comedy and music productions from around the world and specializes in introducing unique and exciting work to new audiences globally. Other productions include Life of Pi and STOMP.

Jonathan Reinis has produced theatrical works that have garnered four Tony Awards, seven Tony nominations, two Pulitzer Prizes, and a Drama Desk Award. He has produced 14 shows on Broadway, including David Byrne's American Utopia; Network starring Bryan Cranston; Oh, Hello; Disgraced; Pippin; Lombardi; Wishful Drinking starring Carrie Fisher; Jerry Springer: The Opera; How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical; Kiki and Herb: Alive On Broadway; Dame Edna: The Royal Tour; Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam; Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home; and It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues. Off-Broadway works include Room Service, Marga Gomez's Los Big Names, Josh Kornbluth's Love & Taxes, and Shay Duffin as Brendan Behan. From 1979 to 1985, Reinis ran the Alcatraz Theatre in downtown San Francisco. He also built and operated the 750-seat Theatre on the Square in downtown San Francisco from 1982 to 2003. Reinis is a member of the Broadway League and a retired member of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers. In addition, he ran his own Advertising Agency for 25 years promoting his shows. His wife and partner Hillary Reinis has co-produced all of his productions.

Home of the iconic Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon for most of its 45-year run, Club Fugazi has a long and storied history as the site of important breakthroughs in local, national, and international culture. Originally built as a gift to the Italian community of North Beach, it was a home to visiting artists, orators, politicians, and other cultural innovators from the time it opened in 1914. In 2021, the theatre became home to Dear San Francisco, created by The 7 Fingers, one of the world's leading contemporary circus arts companies. That show continues to play to enthusiastic audiences, and will take a hiatus in January, returning on February 14, 2023 to resume its run. Late-night, and off-night programming features spoken word, live music, and comedy, extending each of those celebrated legacies in the Club Fugazi story. Today, the Club Fugazi experience is one that marries the excitement of live performance with the feel of a nightclub. Curated to match the world-class caliber of the performances, Club Fugazi features a menu of cicchetti (small plates) sourced from local purveyors, and a wine and beer selection designed to complement the Club's Italian roots. Guests are seated at community counters, on comfortable chairs that swivel to take in the full room as the performance swirls around them.

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