BWW Reviews: Magic and Laughs in Teatro ZinZanni's WHEN SPARKS FLY

Teatro ZinZanni shows are always fun and full of magic. But when they add in some real magic and a killer Frankenstein-esque story as they've done with their latest creation, "When Sparks Fly", then that fun gets amped up to a point where anything can happen and does.

It's just another night with the Master (Voronin) as he gathers his creations around him. There's his cat and dog that he's turned human (Elena Gatilova and Joe DePaul), his monster Junior and the monster's mate Belle (Ben Wendel and Kristin Clayton) and of course the Master's old crone of a housekeeper (Dreya Weber). But when innocent Miss Pleasant (Rachel Nehmer) wanders into the manor to evaluate their grant application for the Gates Foundation on the night that the Master is creating a love (Svetlana) for himself, the love throughout the house overflows and who knows who could end up with whom.

The show is just an absolute delight from beginning to end and, unless you have an aversion to smiling, a killer evening out. As I said, some real magic compliments the magic of the Speigeltent as Master Voronin brings in some stunningly hilarious illusions into the show. From his magic remote to his fallback confetti his illusions not only astound but tickle. Weber goes from crone to highflying beauty in a stirring aerial act that went beyond a routine and into telling a lovely story. DePaul is his usual hysterical self with his antics and a movie presentation that will blow you away. Clayton supplies some incredible pipes as she ranges from arias to pop to show tunes and nails them all. Svetlana as the newest doll in the house brings in some wonderful living puppetry and acrobatics. But the stunner for the evening would have to go to Wendel and Nehmer who form Duo Madrona. Yes, they're trapeze routine was jaw dropping as always but the characters they took on within the story were so funny and lovable that they completely made the night for me.

So yeah, always a great show. And if you've never seen one you really should make a point. And you could do much worse than making "When Sparks Fly" your first (or fiftieth) time. With my three letter rating system I give them a magical YAY.

"When Sparks Fly" performs at Teatro ZinZanni through September 21st. For tickets or information contact the Teatro ZinZanni box office at 206-802-0015 or visit them online at www.zinzanni.com.