Flutterby™! : Teatro Zinzanni

Teatro Zinzanni started out slowly. It felt a little kitschy, a little too much like schtick, and then...

In that small tent, with most of the action taking place in a space that's little more than an aisle between tables, they put on some of the most amazing displays of physical prowess I've seen.

One highlight that you're not likely to experience: At one point the juggler asked for someone from the audience who could juggle. Charlene volunteered me, even though I haven't really thrown for a long time, and I think that someone at my level was roughly what he was looking for. However, a huge group on the side started chanting a name and this older well dressed and coiffed man, "silver" would be a good description, stepped out with the usual "member of the audience caught on stage" manner took the balls and started with the standard three pattern. Then he transitioned into a waterfall and a couple of bounces, went low, did a few other things which showed he had tossed recently. And a lot.

At first I figured that this was some senior partner at a large law firm with a cool hobby, but as the moves progressed I realized I was looking at something else. Turns out the large group was the local Cirque du Soleil troupe out for the evening. Watching the young talent lead the old master through the routine, which both handled with wonderful aplomb, was a blast.

The food was, alas, so-so, the pasta was somewhat lifeless and underinspired, so although the accompanying greens were oversalted go for the steak.

If you added, say, a meal at Millenium to a ticket in the theater district you'd end up with a better meal and cheaper overall evening. This is not inexpensive. But it was a distinctly entertaining evening, and still recommended despite that reservation.