Theatre Review: Teatro Zinzanni Chicago: A Spirited Collision of Cirque, Cabaret, and Culinary Delight

Oct 20, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Musical Theatre, Reviews 0

By Kelly Clausen

There’s dinner theater — and then there’s Teatro Zinzanni, a full-throttle sensory explosion that turns a night out into an all-encompassing fever dream of acrobatics, music, comedy, and cuisine. The long-running production, dazzling audiences in Chicago since 2019, proves that the city’s theater scene has room for one more kind of spectacle: part circus, part concert, part cabaret, and entirely unforgettable.

Located in the heart of the downtown theatre district on Randolph, the instant guests enter the velvet-draped spiegeltent, they’re transported into a world that feels both fantastical and familiar — a miniature society where music, motion, and mayhem collide. Beneath the glitter and laughter, Teatro Zinzanni pulses with an undercurrent of humanity, subtly echoing the complexities of our own times: the tension between classes, the resilience of the working people, and the shared longing for belonging in a divided world. The experience unfolds around the audience — literally — as performers swing, juggle, and croon mere feet from diners’ tables.

At the heart of the show is an extraordinary cast whose international makeup adds richness and unpredictability to every act. American Spencer Androli, a three-time world juggling champion, brings his craft to mesmerizing precision, turning ordinary objects into streaks of kinetic poetry.

Brazilian aerialist Danila Bim defies gravity with ethereal grace, while Boston-born gymnast Lindsay Culbert-Olds blends athleticism and artistry with a theatrical flair that feels almost balletic.

There’s plenty of laughter to balance the awe. Canadian comic and lounge act crooner, Joe De Paul (king KONG) anchors the evening with his sharp timing and effortless charm, playing perfectly off the quirky physical comedy of Tokyo’s Mariko Iswasa, whose expressive movements and elastic face make every moment delightfully unpredictable.

Aerial Emery, the hula hoop virtuoso from Minneapolis, dazzles with hypnotic rhythm and speed, and Kyran Walton, the traditional circus performer hailing from St. Louis, brings a dose of classic big-top magic to the modern mix as well as authenticity and groundedness, linking the spectacle to the working-class roots of the circus tradition itself.

And at the heart of it all is LiV Warfield — a force of nature whose voice anchors the show in soulful truth. Her performances feel like sermons and protests rolled into one, a mix of power, vulnerability, and righteous fire. She doesn’t just sing; she testifies — about love, pain, struggle, and joy. Warfield gives Teatro Zinzanni its conscience as much as its soundtrack.

The live band — tight, groovy, and fiercely in sync — is led by Theodis Rodgers, Jr., a renowned Chicago jazz pianist whose touch adds both sophistication and swagger. He’s joined by fellow Chicagoans Rafe Bradford on bass and Larry Brown Jr. on guitar, Seattle-based drummer Jose D. Martinez, and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan J. Golko, born and raised in the city’s northern suburbs. Together, they fuel the show with a pulsing heartbeat that drives every stunt and song.

As patrons dine on exquisite food and sip cocktails between acts, they become part of the show — workers, dreamers, rebels, and romantics all sharing the same table. That’s the quiet brilliance of Teatro Zinzanni: beneath its shimmer and humor lies a reflection of who we are. The immigrant experience, the divide between classes, the tension between escapism and reality — it’s all there, wrapped in sequins and spotlights.

Teatro Zinzanni isn’t just a night of entertainment; it’s an invitation to abandon restraint and revel in spectacle. In a city celebrated for its theater, comedy, and dining scenes, this production manages to unite them all under one glittering tent. By the time the final note fades and the last plate is cleared, Teatro Zinzanni has done more than entertain. It’s held up a mirror — and what it reflects is messy, hopeful, and gloriously human.

Chicago may be known for its deep-dish pizza and blues bars, but with Teatro Zinzanni, it’s also home to one of the most exhilarating dinner parties on Earth. A city that thrives on diversity, hustle, and heart, Teatro Zinzanni Chicago feels perfectly at home — a living, breathing cabaret of our times, served with laughter, grace, and a generous pour of soul.

For more on Teatro Zinzanni, click here