Can musicals be contentious? Zanna Don't! addresses this question by posing another: "If musical theatre doesn't address important political issues, what will?". We're in a made up land where the difficulties of coming out as straight (!) are key in a world where everybody is gay.
Zanna Don't! is an intellectual, well-framed creative statement of a show. By acting like homophobes (but, towards straights!) our gay characters deliver a deft and cavalier style of parody, that both disarms and undercuts old schools of homophobic thought.
We're at Heartsville High, where Zanna - the school matchmaker - falls for Steve (Thomas Doherty). Steve dates Mike (Blair Gibson), but he's also on a journey of straight discovery since he impulsively kissed Kate (Rose Huyton) one night. What follows is a remarkably potent flipping of the coin as Steve and Kate - also in her own gay relationship - are condemned for loving against the grain. They consider fleeing to San Francisco: "there's STRAIGHTS there!"
Brilliantly, it's as fun to look at as its themes are pertinent to hear. Heartsville High looks made from pieces of a Saturday night variety show, the vibrant props flitting about as quickly as the neatly choreographed cast. It's all hugely addictive work from the MGA Academy of Performing Arts. I can't imagine a better Zanna than Jack Nixon's.
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Eventually, the show renounces its magic and relies on real life. Of course, away from Heartsville High, the LGBT community are in the minority and the show is bold in asserting reality upon fantasy. Disruptive and funny, Zanna Don't! is a musical that will endure.
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