“I don’t want to lose the staff, and I don’t want to start over.”

“I don’t want to lose the staff, and I don’t want to start over.” ALAN ALABASTRO

Teatro ZinZanni is a very successful operation. The quirky combo of modern cirque, cabaret, and five-course dinner service has been in Seattle for 18 years. According to their promotional literature, the organization has generated nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars in “economic activity” in that time, and draws an annual average of 60,000 patrons. And that’s not including the San Francisco branch of ZinZanni, which opened on April Fools’ Day, 2000.

But despite this success, the circus cabaret is on the brink of folding its tent. Barring the intervention of an angel investor, ZinZanni will have to shutter its Seattle operation in March, which will result in the loss of over 100 jobs, including waitstaff, administration, and performers.

Rich Smith is The Stranger's former News Editor. He writes about politics, books, and performance. You can read his poems at www.richsmithpoetry.com