Zanna, Don't
| Zanna Don't! | |
|---|---|
| A Musical Fairy Tale | |
| Music | Tim Acito |
| Lyrics | Tim Acito Alexander Dinelaris |
| Book |
Tim Acito Alexander Dinelaris |
| Productions | 2003 Off-Broadway 2009 London 2013 New Zealand |
Zanna Don't! (subtitled "A Musical Fairy Tale") is a musical written by Tim Acito and with additional lyrics and material by Alexander Dinelaris. It has played in regional theatres, Off-Broadway and off west end. The story is set in a parallel universe where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuality is a taboo. Set in mid-west America, "Zanna" takes place at heterophobic Heartsville High. Zanna is the school's matchmaker, bringing together happy couples until the football team's quarterback and the captain of the Girls' Intramural Mechanical Bull-Riding Team begin to discover their feelings for each other.
Zanna, Don't! had a developmental run Off-Broadway at the Rodney Kirk Theatre from October 17, 2002, to November 3, 2002. It had a second off-Broadway run beginning on March 20, 2003 at the John Houseman Theater. The run closed after three months, playing 17 previews and 119 performances. Devanand Janki directed and choreographed, with a cast that featured Jai Rodriguez as the "Magical Matchmaker" Zanna in the 2003 production. It was produced off-Broadway by Jack M. Dalgleish in association with Stephanie A. Joel. A Broadway production was planned for 2005, but was cancelled. The title of the musical would have been changed from Zanna, Don't! to simply Zanna!. After workshops with Avenue Q star John Tartaglia, revamping of the script and score, the run was postponed. The title of the show was originally inspired by the film Xanadu, because Acito originally envisioned the lead character on roller skates, and Acito wanted to pay homage to the film. But, the roller-skating idea was soon dropped. Nevertheless, "Zanna, Don't is a loving tribute to pop culture, and I thought a reference to Xanadu would be appropriate. It sort of represents the best and – many would argue – the worst of pop culture."
Zanna, Don't! has been performed numerous times throughout the United States, for example at Bailiwick Repertory, Chicago, Illinois in 2007, the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco, California in 2008,Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2009, and Rochester, NY as an official event in the Gay Pride celebration in July, 2009. It debuted in Europe on August 1, 2008 at George Square Theatre, Edinburgh, by students of the RSAMD, where it ran until 24 August.
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