Still More Theater Saturday - Encounter: A Space Cabaret and A Shout Out to Christmas in Dikanka

We were given complimentary tickets to Encounter: A Space Cabaret for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Encounter: A Space Cabaret 

Where: The Duplex

             61 Christopher Street

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 15 and Up

When: Through June 14, 2025

Encounter: A Space Cabaret is Zena Wood's show in every sense of the word. She not only stars in the show,  and wrote the book, music, and lyrics, but also produced it. The show is about a space weather girl who encounters a space alien. 

Ms. Wood's portrayal is bubbly and vivacious, perhaps even too perky at times. The songs are fun, but mostly not memorable. The best song in the show, "Five Ways to Die on Mars," was actually not written by Woods but rather by composer Kit Goldstein Grant. For more on her, see below. The story, or what there is of one, is not very interesting and seems to move around in circles. The highlight of the piece is the surprise soft shoe tap dance number that comes near the end.  The show, however, is in previews and is still a work in progress on its way to a run at the Edinburgh Festival.

The show is paired with a stage concert reading of the new musical Christmas Eve in Dikanka, with a book, music, and lyrics by the aforementioned Kit Goldstein Grant. As the show is a work in progress, they are not currently open to reviews. However, we did want to say that the show is a unique delight and you won't want to miss it! We hope to have the opportunity to cover a full production someday.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image,  contact us here, and we will look into the matter.