The Cast

Thelma Houston

Disco diva Thelma Houston makes a welcome return to the tent in this production While perhaps best known for her 1977 smash hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” a dance-floor-filling rendition of the Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes classic, Thelma Houston got her start singing gospel in the late ‘60s. Her emotive style and passionate vocal delivery caught the attention of industry moguls and soon Thelma launched a recording career all her own. In 1972 she was the first artist signed to Motown’s new MoWest label and recorded several top-20 R&B hits before striking Grammy® gold in ‘77. She has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in pop and R&B, including Aretha Franklin, Mary Wilson, Niles Rogers, Phoebe Snow, Chaka Kahn, Mavis Staples, CeCe Peniston, Patti LaBelle, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lou Rawls, Smokey Robinson, Jermaine Jackson, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Thelma recently released her first album in 17 years – “A Woman’s Touch,” which she will sign in the ZinZanni lobby after the show. This summer she was excited to performed internationally in Greece, and Canada in Toronto and Montreal.

Thelma Houston

Semion Krachinov

Sensational Russian juggler Semion Krachinov makes his Teatro ZinZanni debut in this production. For the past four years he has been appearing with the most renowned circus and variety groups in his native Russia, in Germany, France and Italy, winning awards such as the Bronze at Festival Circus De Demain in Paris, and Gold with the Moscow Circus and Festival Latina in Italy. On television he has been seen on Kultura TV in Moscow, Circo Massimo in Italy, and Patrick Sebastiane’s Magic TV in Paris. Most recently he appeared in Germany’s TigerPalast.

Christine Deaver

Originally born, raised and educated in Seattle, Christine Deaver now lives and works as an actor, singer, writer, director and voiceover artist in Los Angeles. She has worked extensively in theatre, film, and television in L.A. and abroad. She is a nominee and recipient of numerous Garland, Ovation and L. A. Weekly awards for her work in the theatre and as a member of the Zoo District Theatre Company. She has written and performed several one-woman shows including Ah, Families, Leave it to Deaver, and Bodacious, and toured them throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Recently, Christine was seen as the formidable Russian spy in the 60s spy homage The Defenders, as the power hungry fire inspector in Empire Hotel, and as Grand Dame Vivian Beaumont for Teatro ZinZanni in “The Beaumont and Caswell Show” which she co-wrote and co-starred in with Kevin Kent.

Bianca Sapetto
as Assoc. Director / Choreographer / Performer

Bianca Sapetto embarked on her life long passion for the performing arts competing as a rhythmic gymnast, claiming five U.S. National Champion gold medals and a position on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team. She launched her professional career performing and choreographing on tour with Cirque du Soleil for 1001 shows. Shortly thereafter, mentor and Emmy Award winner Debra Brown, cast her in “Apogee” where she collaborated on the merging of circus and extreme modern dance. Bianca soon became a performer at Teatro Zinzanni and is now also a choreographer and associate director for the company. Her choreography and performance has been received on five continents on stage, film and television for productions including Led Zeppelin, the Grammy Awards, the Tonight Show, Good Morning America, Rush Hour 2, Matrix Reloaded, Disney, Paramount Studios, Camerata Tango and the Astor Piazzola Foundation, and the 2004 Olympic Gymnastics Tour of Champions.

El Vez

Sweeping through the crowd with the grace of a 1959 Coupe de Ville, Teatro ZinZanni’s glittering crooner is the legendary Mexican Elvis, El Vez. Born the love child of Charo and the true King, El Vez 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.” His very first recording (with ’70s punk sensations, The Zeros) is on display at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, where he was an original ZinZanni Seattle cast member in 2002.

Andrew Adams & Erika Gilfether

Fusing the daring strength of aerial acrobatics with the passionate sensuality of dance, Andrew Adams and Erika Gilfether have been taking their love story to the air since 1999 when they first performed together with The Midnight Circus in Chicago. Andrew, a graduate of the theatre program at Bates College, trained with Vermont's Circus Smirkus, touring New England for seven summers. Erika graduated from N.Y.U.'S Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in dance and performed professionally with dance companies in New York and Chicago. Internationally they have performed at the Moers Jazz Festival in Germany, Gourmet Circus with David Dimitri in Rapperswill, Switzerland and the Austrian National Circus in Salzburg, Austria. Other highlights include the 2007 season of Circus Flora, Wagner's Ring Cycle with The Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Pendulum Aerial Dance Theater in Portland, Oregon.

Mat Plendl
as Mr. Chou Chou

Teatro Zinzanni welcomes the return of multi-media performance artist Mat Plendl, who brings his own form of magic to the tent in the form of a hula-hoop! Combining elements of mime, dance, physical comedy and virtuoso theremin playing, he’s created a theatrical showcase that’s won acclaim worldwide. Mat became the U.S. National Hula Hoop Champion at age 13 on the Dinah Shore Show, and made his professional debut at 24 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Soon he became known as “The World’s Greatest Hula Hoop Artist”, and went on to appear throughout the Americas, Europe and Japan. His TV credits include Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Live with Regis and Kathy Lee, Donny and Marie, Jerry Lewis MDA telethon, Merv Griffin, and many more.

Rachel DeShon

Rachel DeShon was born and raised in Seattle and is a cum laude graduate of Western Illinois University. She won Marvin Hamlisch's Search for a Star competition with the Seattle Symphony and has been a guest artist on his national tour. She has performed in the Charming Vietnam Gala at the Esplanade in Singapore, and with the Boston Pops under the direction of Keith Lockhart. Rachel participated in the Cabaret Conference at Yale University. Awards include first place in the NATS & Pa?e Auditions in Classical and Musical Theatre divisions, Western Illinois University Concerto Competition Winner, Seattle Civic Opera Guild Auditions, and City Opera Company Young Opera Singers Competition. She was crowned the Miss America Organization's 2003 Miss Macomb, IL and was 1st runner up for Miss Seattle 2006. Performance highlights: Cunegonde in Candide, Rusty in Footloose, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Lucille Frank in Parade, Papagena in The Magic Flute. In 2006, she joined the cast of Teatro ZinZanni in Seattle and this marks her San Francisco debut.