Reworked Zanna! Gets Ready for Spring Broadway Bow

Plans are moving ahead to bring Zanna!, a revised version of the off-Broadway musical Zanna, Don't!, to Broadway in the spring. While Devanand Janki directed and choreographed the previous New York mountings of the show, Broadway.com has learned that Eric Schaeffer whose only previous Broadway credit is Putting it Together will helm the new production.

Zanna! is a musical fairytale in which an androgynous teen turns relationships upside-down at a magical high school. The show features a book, music and lyrics by Tim Acito. Alexander Dinelaris contributed additional book and lyrics.

Zanna, Don't! opened at the Kirk Theatre on October 17, 2002. After a short engagement at that small space, it reopened at the larger John Houseman Theatre on March 20, 2003 and ran there through June 29, 2003, playing a total of 17 previews and 118 regular performances. When the show closed off-Broadway, producer Jack M. Dalgleish declared his interest in a Broadway engagement.

At the Houseman, the musical starred Jai Rodriguez who has since found fame as one of the stars of the Bravo reality series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy as Zanna, Anika Larsen as Roberta, Darius Nichols as Buck, Amanda Ryan Paige as Candy, Enrico Rodriguez as Mike, Robb Sapp as Tank, Shelley Thomas as Kate and Jared Zeus as Steve. In September, Schaeffer directed a reading of the revised version with John Tartaglia as Zanna and Larsen, Paige and Sapp reprising their roles. Also featured in the reading were Ta'Rea Campbell, Chester Gregory II, Serge Kushnier and Telly Leung.

Casting for the Broadway production will get underway later this month.