Feast for the senses with a dash of magic

Do you fancy some fun? Then step into the tent, says Christina Kennedy

JOHANNESBURG

CIRCUS/CABARET

Madame Zingara's Theatre of Dreams

Where: Montecasino outdoor events arena, FourwaysUntil: August 31

IT'S a little bit cabaret, a little bit burlesque, a little bit supper-theatre and a little bit circus. It's baroque meets bohemian; it's disco meets drag. It's Madame Zingara, and it's unlike any entertainment spectacle South Africans have ever seen.

The famous antique mirror tent has returned to Montecasino to cast its Gypsy spell on Joburg audiences, who pack in night after night to be mesmerised by a succession of carnivalesque acts.

But it's not merely about the visual and vocal acrobatics unfolding on the elevated, revolving stage: this is a complete 360-degree experience from the moment you venture into the exotic confines of the vintage big top tent, complete with stained-glass motifs, bevelled mirrors and plush velvet drapes - which reportedly dates back 100 years.

You almost feel like Alice, stepping into a fantasy wonderland populated by otherworldly creatures in avant-garde costumes and masks, who could have walked straight out of a David Lynch movie. There's even a zany Mad Hatter doing the rounds, and it wouldn't be surprising to see a caterpillar smoking a hookah emerge at any instant.

An air of decadence, mystery and anticipation lies suspended in the tent like a mist, as the audience fills the tables and awaits a decadent four-course culinary feast (including the signature chocolate chilli fillet steak, as well as the usual delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes) alongside what's rumoured to be a spellbinding banquet of entertainment.

As the evening unfolds, it's easy to see why Madame Zingara has become a nationwide phenomenon since originating as a restaurant with a difference in Cape Town more a decade ago. After a fire destroyed it in 2006, Madame Zingara, like a true adventurous Romany, hit the road as a travelling "theatre of dreams". Today, its reputation is such that thousands of eager patrons are more than willing to fork out between R410 and R495 for a meal and show, excluding drinks, and let the recession be damned. The reason is simple: this is truly a unique experience.

However, it is only unique in the way it cleverly brings together different theatrical devices and show-business elements into a single, intoxicating whole. Most of these acts can be seen on South Africa's stages at any given time.

Saucy air hostess Cathy Specific (aka Brendan van Rhyn), who stars here with his two buxom "trolley dollies", is a fairly regular sight in our theatres with his cabaret drag frolics; and we often spot similar contortionists, acrobats, foot-jugglers and strength/balancing acts (many hailing from Eastern Europe and Asia) in shows such as Le Grand Cirque and Cirque du Soleil.

The difference is that in the space of this majestic and character-filled tent, the performances are up close and very, very personal, with the audience becoming an intimate part of the action. And much of it is quite breathtakingly stunning: like the two aerialists that open the show, ice-white and coldly beautiful as they perform their airborne ballet from a structure that resembles a giant frosted lampshade: true poetry in motion.

Also on the menu is a trio of rope-skippers from Khayelitsha, dressed in luminous skeleton suits with Elizabethan ruffs, the super-sassy Three Tons of Fun divas, and a rather erotic bathtub routine by a gold-clad nymphette that recalls renowned international burlesque artist Dita von Teese's famous bubble-bath striptease. Sporting more than a splash of naughty humour, this spectacle is definitely not for prudes - or children.

Having said that: given the hype, one could be forgiven for expecting even more dark glamour and hedonism, evoking 1930s Berlin and the smoky allure of Dietrich and Garbo. Perhaps it has been toned down to be more audience-friendly and accessible.

Nonetheless, Madame Zingara is an exhilarating night out, and is undoubtedly revolutionising theatre in South Africa. It's complete and near-immaculate entertainment - and will transport you into a sensual, sensory parallel world of desire and drama where anything is possible.