The Off-Broadway musical Zanna, Don’t!, spreads its fairy dust in Wilton Manors

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ZANNA, DONT! PRODUCTIONS

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

OMG, Becky, it was, like, so cute! And the guys were adorable! Especially the super gay one, Zanna—who’s like a genie or a gay Dolly Levi or something—who has a magic wand that makes everyone fall in love. And he’s so great in every scene. Such a princess! All of this fabulousness takes place in a high school where you have to be gay or they throw you out. And so the captain of the football team falls in love with this guy who always wins at chess.

I know it would never happen, but it does, and they’re so perfect together. They even sing a love song to each other. I just wanted to hug both of them, but I stayed in my seat. Zanna, Don’t! is a bit like Grease, with all these catchy songs. Really, it’s the gay cousin of Grease—only better, because it’s so cute. Everybody’s in love in it, until the football captain kisses the girlfriend of a waitress.

The two end up falling in love with each other, and it’s a mess, because the high school says that you have to be gay—but they’re straight for each other! So Zanna, the super gay genie, tries to make it all work out, but the football captain breaks Zanna’s magic wand at the prom, and then everyone who was gay becomes straight. I know, it sounds rather convoluted, but it all made sense with the music. There was even a standing ovation at the end when the entire cast sang the last song.

In the end, I don’t know what Zanna wasn’t supposed to do, but I guess he did it anyway. The show is in super-gay Wilton Manors, and if you want to see it, you should probably get tickets ahead of time, because it’s in a tiny theater. I was practically sitting on the stage. And the best part? The cast was in the lobby when you left the theater—thanking everyone for coming—and I got to talk to Zanna! How cool is that?!

Island City Stage is located at 2304 N. Dixie Hwy., in Wilton Manors, Florida. Zanna, Don’t! runs through February 11.