BWW Reviews: Superheroes Save Our Fun and Our Beer in Teatro ZinZanni's RETURN OF CHAOS

NEWS FLASH: The evil Hoard of Four under the command of the Eric the Evil Overlord is out to steal the special beer that has crash landed from outer space. Who can the Mayor call in to rescue us all? The Jet City Superheroes of course! Yes Teatro ZinZanni has dusted off their spandex and capes to thrill us with a superhero adventure with "The Return of Chaos" and the thrills, humor and fun must have been hit with some gamma radiation because it's all at the level of The Hulk (but with better grammar).

Ace reporter Nellie Nance (Rachel Nehmer of Duo Madrona) has reported that the Mayor of Seattle (Ben Wendel of Duo Madrona) has called on the aid of Seattle's favorite heroes, the Jet City Superheroes. There's MonoMan (Joel Salom), Tap Man (Mickael Bajazet) Captain Canada (Joe De Paul), The Space Needler (Domitil Ailott) and their leader Sparkle Danger (Anki Albertsson). And they're here to keep us and our beer safe especially from the Hoard of Four with the likes of Twin Sister Evil Dog Groomers Ulla and Lulla (Vita Radionova and Kevin Kent) and the evil monks Doom and Gloom (The Collins Brothers).

Of course the story is merely a backdrop for the daring and hilarious antics of the performers. But this time around the story works fairly well and is incorporated nicely into the narrative they've concocted. But whether or not it completely holds up, who cares?!? We're here for the delicious dinner and the incredible acts and those are in full force. Chanteuse Albertsson with her killer pipes kept the music flowing including a beautiful rendition of "The Winner Takes It All" in its native Swedish. The Collins Brothers managed to infuse their high flying trapeze work with hilarity. And speaking of hilarious, the comedy of Joe De Paul is always some of my favorites. Salom kept the crowd engaged and laughing with his humor and his juggling as he acted as a kind of narrator or emcee for the story but still wowed as he juggled many things including his clothes while he was wearing them. And Bajazet turned in a thrilling and acrobatic tap number that amazed.

But of course we all have our favorites. Duo Madrona are always stunning with their aerial and trapeze work and last night was no exception. Vita Radionova is a master or contorting and working her body and her hula hoops while comedian Kevin Kent is a master or contorting and working the audience. And Ailott with his daring pole stunts had the audience gasping time and time again as he seemed to defy gravity as he effortlessly traveled up and down the center pole. And special kudos to Ailott and Radionova who have seemed to incorporate a bit more choreography into their routines making them even more theatrical.

The superhero antics and death defying routines seem to know no bounds with the folks at Teatro ZinZanni and so I must, of course, give them a heroic YAY with my three letter rating system. But then if they ever got anything less I'd be surprised. ZinZanni is always a great time!

"The Return of Chaos" performs at Teatro ZinZanni through September 13th. For tickets or information contact the Teatro ZinZanni box office at 206-802-0015 or visit them online at http://bit.ly/ReturnOfChaos.

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