Customer Reviews

Zanna, Don't! - A Musical Fairy Tale (2003 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you didn't get to see "Zanna, Don't!" in its all-too-brief off-Broadway run, you missed out on something very special. It was a wonderful show: It was funny, it was fun, and it had a lot of heart. Naturally, at the heart of it all was the music. Tim Acito, the songwriter, is extremely talented, and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from him in the future. The cast was also wonderful. Obviously Jai Rodriguez rose to prominence very shortly after the show closed with "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy." However, every other cast member was just as talented. I look forward to following their careers in the future; I have no doubt they will all go on to big things. Although "Zanna, Don't!" did have some serious monents, on the whole, the music rivals that of "Hairspray" for pure fun. After just one or two listens, you'll find that you won't be able to get the songs out of your head, but that's OK because you won't want to. Oh, and if you didn't see the show, don't let that keep you from giving the cast album a try. There are some cast albums, such as the one for "Urinetown," where I feel like if I didn't know the story, the songs don't make any sense. Most if not all songs on the "Zanna, Don't!" CD work just fine out of context. Enjoy!

Like the reviewers below, I came out of the Off-Broadway production of "Zanna, Don't!" floating on a cloud. Twice, in fact. The energy and talent of the young cast, the simple but incredibly inventive staging, and the truly wonderful Tim Acito score impressed me like no other new musical had all season. But I'm reviewing the CD here, and not the show, and I have to say I'm extremely disappointed in the technical aspects of this recording. The sound mix is, in a word, dreadful. There's an art to adapting stage performances to CD, and whoever was in charge here needs to go back to the drawing board. The vocals are grating and oversung (which they weren't onstage); anytime more than one performer is singing simultaneously (which is often), Acinto's lyrics become completely indecipherable; and the excellent band is pushed so far to the back as to be almost unhearable ("Blow Winds," a faux-disco highlight on stage, is a true disaster here). For now, this is our only recording of this wonderful show, so it will have to do. But everyone involved - creators and listeners both - deserved better.

So Zanna,Don't! will never be a "great" musical. It probably shouldnt be considered one either. Nonetheless, its a great listen. After the first month or two, it didnt inspire the same excitement as it used to but I would be lying if I said that I didn't fall utterly in "love" with it. As a matter of fact, I couldn't stop listening to it and even recommended it to several friends (despite their lack of interest in musicals). Almost half a year later, I still find myself listening to it when I'm in the mood. So don't be too bothered by the excessive use of the word love in this show because whats wrong with a little "extra love"? Buy it! It's worth the while.

Ok, I saw this show in March of 2003 and left the theater with so much energy and happiness. I really think that the heteros of the world should be exposed to this show to see all the things that they take for granted. The music is great which makes the message so enjoyable to receive. This recording is fantastic. The cast is great, especially two people in particular, Anika Larsen and Robb Sapp. Such awesome voices and I guarantee we will be hearing more from them. If you like fun, catchy musicals then you MUST buy the Zanna, Don't CD. I think anyone who picks it up could not be unhappy.

When faced with a dull moment, all I need is this CD to vanquish it. The cute, warm and poppy songs on this album will have everyone smiling. Almost every song on the album has the word "love" in it, and each song evokes the feeling, whether it be through heartbreak (as in the wonderful "Do You Know What It's Like" and "I Could Write Books") or through the elation of new prospects ("Sometime Do You Think We Could Fall In Love?" or "I Think We've Got Love"). The show's "if the whole world was gay" setting allows for great same-sex love duets, something we don't see often. "Don't You Wish We Could Be In Love" and "Who's Got Extra Love" are more highlights, while "Fast" and "Blow Winds" are skipable. Every voice on the CD is talented and exuberant. Worth the money and then some!

When I saw this Off-Broadway, I fell in love with this musical fairy tale. When we heard it was closing, my family bought tickets to see it again, before it disappeared. We were slightly worried that, having seen it so recently, we wouldn't enjoy it as much the second time, but it was just as good, if not better the second time 'round. Of course we ordered the cd, but, again, worried that the show, which was so amazing, would not translate to recording well. Once again, Zanna Don't prevailed. The cd is wonderful and captures the essence of the show that we all loved so much in the theatre.

It is the right mixture of camp, cliche, humanity and truth. It is a fun show that goes right to your heart. It will make you cry, but it will also make you laugh, because you know that everything will turn out fine in the end. The characters are all extremely real, and the music and lyrics can move anyone, gay, straight, lesbian. These are human emotions, and they are translated so well in this fabulous musical.

Ever since I saw this show in May, I have been counting down and checking websites weekly to see when this CD would be out and finally IT'S HERE!

This show does something new for musical theater... it's more than a regular musical, it's got so much depth, meaning, and at the same time SO MUCH FUN! I don't believe I've ever enjoyed a show as much as I did this one! The music carries it and if there's one CD to buy on this website... it's ZANNA, DON'T!

I didn't get to see this show while it was open, but I heard such wonderful things about it that I was eagerly awaiting the CD. And when it came ot I snatched it up as soon as I could and am I glad I did! This show is AMAZING! And the cast recording is wonderful. It's so much fun I havent been able to stop listening to it since I bought it a week ago. Imagine a musical all about what the world would be like if it were all gay! Its fun, funky, fresh, funny, and all out fabulous!!! Get this CD right now and it will never leave your cd player!!!

Definitely a good cd to have in your Broadway collection. If RENT was rock on the stage, ZANNA is pop on stage. Sometimes it is too campy, but it seems to mock its own craziness. Loved the message of the show and it comes across on the cd. Jai Rodriguez sounds nice on "Someday You Might Love Me" and Anika Larson has a killer belt. You know that this cd is contagious and silly as soon as you see its bubble gum pink cover.

This is a fantastic album! I am itching for a copy of the script, maybe to direct locally. The message is great, the humour is smart and it's just a fantastic piece!! Anyone who loved "Hairspray" or "RENT" will fall head over heels with extra love for "Zanna, Don't"!