Reviews of our San Diego production
“[A]n evening of glitzy, ditsy fun. . . . At the center is charming and adorable Shaun Tuazon as Zanna, an irresistible performer . . . Pitch-perfect backup is provided by the candy-colored mobile set pieces and costumes, and the ace onstage band. . . . THE BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET ”
—Pat Launer, San Diego News Network, April 29, 2009 [Full Review]
“So it’s a lot of fun. If you wanna come down, you’ll enjoy it—I promise.”
—Joe Lizura, KUSI TV, April 27, 2009 [YouTube]
“[O]ne of the most delightful, ingenious and entertaining musicals around. . . . Shaun Tuazon is the perfect Zanna, actor and role merge wonderfully. He is adorable, charismatic, oozing cuteness from every pore highlighted by his megawatt smile. . . . [Zachary] Bryant is a great mixture of deadpan humor and vulnerability, . . . [Ritchie Diego] Valenzuela is funny, touching and endearing. . . . Whitney Shay is hilarious and lovable. . . .
“Zanna Don’t! is seamlessly directed by Ira Spector, the dance numbers are just wonderful, young and vibrant. The acting, dancing, and singing scenes flow with an overload of creativity. Amy Dalton and Patrick Marion do an outstanding job as musical directors.”
—Paola Hornbuckle, sdtheatrescene.com, April 25, 2009 [Full Review]
“[Director Ira] Spector, who played Zanna in the Chicago production, does a grand job of drawing their best performances from his youthful actors, many of whom have been seen locally but were never more enjoyed. This includes the unstoppable, consistently marvelous Cashaé Monya, . . . she performs three small roles with cunning dexterity. Others include adorable Shaun Tuazon as Zanna.”
Spector and Ritchie Diego Valenzuela . . . join forces to create bubbly and sometimes sexy choreography. Best dancer of all is Valenzuela, but Trevor Bowles can really shake his booty. . . . [T]he verve and sincere efforts of the talent capture the imagination and sweep one into a world where magic is possible. . . .
—Charlene Baldridge, sdtheatrescene.com, April 25, 2009 [Full Review]
“[Ira Spector] brings his insights into what makes this piece of fluff so enjoyable to Ariel’s production at the Roosevelt Theatre. . . . [Playwright Tim] Acito’s music reflects the bouncy buoyancy of the book, and his songs contain enough pop hooks to keep audiences moving along with the beat. Amy Dalton and Patrick Marrion’s music direction keeps things moving as well, and the choral parts shine. . . . Let’s hope that ‘Zanna’ is the big hit it deserves to be and that we’ll see more from this company.”
—Bill Eadie, sandiego.com, April 18, 2009 [Full Review]
Reviews of the original 2003 Off-Broadway production
“Something about its pure, sugary hopefulness satisfies a sweet tooth that many of us may have forgotten we have. . . . Few shows have the appeal of ‘Zanna, Don’t!’ as a Saturday night date, and that may well turn it into an unlikely hit.”
—Bruce Weber, The New York Times, March 21, 2003 [Full Review]
“. . . [T]he show is as entertaining as ever, and in a word, better. . . Admirably, the winning score has both variety and a contemporary feel, perhaps permitting it to find a cross-generational appeal.”
—Brad Bradley, CurtainUp, March 16, 2003 [Full Review]
“In fall 2002, the musical comedy that created its own unique universe, complete with quirky specialty songs about the nature of love, became a talked-about sell-out in its brief Off-Off-Broadway tryout run.”
—Kenneth Jones, Playbill, March 20, 2003 [Full Review]
