Thelma Houston Returns To Teatro 9/25

 Disco diva and Grammy Award winner, Thelma Houston, will once again grace the Teatro ZinZanni fabled spiegeltent as the legendary hostess from September 25 through January 11, 2009.  Also returning are two fan favorites: the incomparable El Vez, the Mexican Elvis, and the outrageous Christine Deaver in her own phenomenal version of the Chef.

Best known for her 1977 smash hit classic "Don't Leave Me This Way," Mississippi-born Thelma Houston got her start singing gospel in the late 1960s.  Her emotive style and passionate vocal delivery caught the attention of industry moguls and she soon launched a pop and R&B recording career of her own.  Mainstream recognition and international acceptance came in the early '70s when she signed with Motown Records, and became the first female artist to win a Grammy for "Best R&B Female Vocal Performance."  Her hits include "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning," "I Can't Go on Living Without Your Love," "I'm Here Again," and "If You Feel It." She has  performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in pop and R&B, including Aretha Franklin, Mary Wilson, Phoebe Snow, Chaka Kahn, Patti LaBelle, Cher, Lou Rawls, The Temptations, and The Four Tops, to name a few, and continues to tour worldwide, averaging 175 shows per year.   

Robert Lopez may be his name, but he's better known as El Vez, the Mexican Elvis -- El Rey de Rock 'n' Roll, and the only "impersonator" ever sanctioned to perform by the notoriously tough Elvis Presley Enterprises.  El Vez first appeared in the San Francisco tent four years ago, and went on to a lengthy and highly successful engagement in Seattle.  He has been taking care of business and preaching Elvis love and Chicano power since he was old enough to dress himself in gold lame. Audiences around the world swoon for his Latino renditions of Presley classics like "En el Barrio," "Está Bien, Mamacita," and "Viva La Raza." El Vez has numerous recordings under his studded white belt, including "Graciasland" and "G.I. Ay, Ay! Blues."

Actor, singer, director, and writer Christine Deaver makes a welcome return as the only female chef ever to grace the ZinZanni tent.  A Los Angeles native, she has been the nominee and recipient of numerous Garland, Ovation and L.A. Weekly Awards for her work in theater, and as a company member of Zoo District Theatre Company.  
 
Teatro ZinZanni welcomes back several other performers who have made their mark in the tent. They are the glamorous aerial acrobat/comedian Bianca Sapetto, who also serves as choreographer for the show; the one-and-only multi-media performer Mat Plendl with his magical hula hoop; and Andrew & Erika, who fuse the daring strength of aerial acrobatics with passionate sensuality of dance.

Two debuts
Making his North American debut in the San Francisco tent is the sensational award-winning Russian juggler, Semen Krachinov, who has been appearing in France and Germany since 2005 to the highest critical acclaim.   

Soprano Rachel DeShon, who made her Teatro ZinZanni debut in the Seattle production, joins this   cast for her San Francisco debut as The Diva.  A former beauty queen, she has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, and in a variety of musical theater productions including Candide, The Mikado and Nunsense II.

The regular weekly schedule for Teatro ZinZanni is Wednesday through Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.  Tickets priced from $116 - $190 are available at the on-site Box Office at Pier 29 on the Embarcadero weekdays from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and weekends from noon - 6 p.m., or by phone at 415/438-2668. For Groups, call 415/438-2669 Ext. 204. For more information, visit www.zinzanni.org <http://www.zinzanni.org/> .