Teatro zinzanni woodinville

Teatro ZinZanni, the iconic neo-cirque dinner theater known for its multicolored spiegeltent and its elaborate shows, will abandon plans for a permanent facility at the old Redhook Brewery in Woodinville and suspend operations until the pandemic is over.

Co-owners Norm and Jane Langill, who announced the news on Friday, said COVID-19 has killed the market for live performance and forced the couple to rethink a costly new venue at the 20-acre site that was supposed to open in time for the holidays.

But Norm Langill, who founded Teatro ZinZanni in 1998 near the Seattle Center, acknowledged that the company was struggling financially before the pandemic. That was due mainly to problems at an upscale stand-alone restaurant, known as the Wheelhouse, which the Langills opened last year in the old Redhook pub.

The Teatro ZinZanni “show was running just fine, but the restaurant had just start