Maverick Life

Maverick Life

Review: Madame Zingara’s The Celebration

Review: Madame Zingara’s The Celebration

Our cowboy waiter at Madame Zingara salaciously described the trio of desserts as orgasmic. They were not that good, but they do give you a happy ending. By LESLEY STONES.

Life ought to be more like Madame Zingara’s. Beautiful surroundings, happy people, good food, glitter and music, and spectacular acts to amaze and delight us. That is the magical escapism created for a few wondrous hours at this circus cum cabaret dinner show, which is why it has been packing people in for 15 years.

I’m in awe of Richard Griffin, who had the vision to pull together a show in the most glorious “tent”, attract some of the best circus artists in the world, deliver quality food with meticulous timing, and enlist waiters and roving entertainers to enhance the fantasy land atmosphere. Madame Zingara’s is back for two months in Johannesburg, but Montecasino needs to sort its signage out. It sounds impossible to hide a three-storey tent, but we spent 15 minutes looking for it. It’s a shame it is dark when you arrive, because I would love to admire “The Queen of Flanders” in all her opulent glory. The world’s largest mirrored tent is as spectacular as the performers, with 650 seats at tables around a central stage and more tables on the balcony. It’s a cocoon of shimmering mirrors and glittering lights and a shopping area selling frippery to jazz up your own outfit.

Our waiter was a cowboy others were Napoleonic soldiers, a bunny and a tattooed man, while Tarzan and a gladiator were on duty too.

The current show is The Celebration, with Cathy Specific (Brendan van Rhyn) as the MC. He/she is wickedly funny, and naughtily vulgar, since Zingara’s loves bawdy burlesque and celebrates sauciness and sexiness. It also excels in physical prowess, and mindboggling athleticism. There are several memorable acts, including the baffling Quick Star, when South Africa’s Christine Chapman changes outfits in a flash inside bags or behind screens wiggled around by her partner, Ezequial Sosa. How you emerge in a different dress from amidst a shower of glitter is going to puzzle me for ages.


The best acts are a heady mix of quirkiness and skill, like the ludicrously funny seesaw act by three Canadians. They leap, they fly and they clown around in absolute perfection. There is the obligatory Chinese yoyo throwers, strongmen acts, and the perfectly honed Saulo Godoy from Cirque du Soleil, putting a new twist on pole dancing. A trio of beautiful Ukrainian women, with their seductive contortion act, is another highlight. The lighting, by Mannie Manim, is excellent, and everything is slick and stunning.

Meanwhile there are musical interludes where waiters swarm out to deliver the food, and that is another show worth watching. Some carry large trays holding maybe a dozen dishes on one hand above their heads. Others carry only two, but dance while they do it. The whole atmosphere is an infectious delightful fantasy where anyone can be what they want, and evil, reality and drudgery feel far away.

The Celebration has taken 14 month to put together, and its only weakness is the singing group, “The Specifics”, featuring Idols singer Bianca Le Grange, along with Carmen Maarman, Nichole Makoba and Dorianne Mahlangu. Frankly, they are not up to par, so you are happy to concentrate on the food, and ignore their performance.

Supper includes a choice of starter and main course, with lots of guests plumping for Zingara’s signature dish of beef medallions topped with chocolate chilli sauce. My handmade sweet potato and butternut gnocchi starter was tasty, and a Norwegian salmon was perfectly seared. Our cowboy salaciously described the trio of desserts as orgasmic. They’re not that good, but do they do give you a happy ending. This is pure unadulterated over the top showmanship, and it’s fabulous. DM

Madame Zingara’s is at Montecasino in Johannesburg until 15 January 2016. Tickets from R450 to R950 include drinks and canapés on arrival and dinner. Booking is via 0861-623-263 or [email protected]

www.lesleystones.co.za

Gallery

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

We would like our readers to start paying for Daily Maverick...

…but we are not going to force you to. Over 10 million users come to us each month for the news. We have not put it behind a paywall because the truth should not be a luxury.

Instead we ask our readers who can afford to contribute, even a small amount each month, to do so.

If you appreciate it and want to see us keep going then please consider contributing whatever you can.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options