A little dream of food and wonder

June 12th, 2010 by

A little dream of food and wonder June 8, 2010

Madame Zingara

Until: the end of August

DETAILS: 8pm. R300 to R450 (includes entry and a four-course meal)

Contact: 021 001 3366 or see madamezingara.com

Madame Zingara returns after a year abroad with a Love Magic tour aiming to transport one into a land of dreams and that is exactly what it does.

Located in a field opposite Canal Walk in Century City, I am amazed at the long queue of people which looks far too large for the tent that is meant to host them. Outside a tie-dyed male-fairy dances with a women on stilts. There is a garden with pumpkins and underwear strung on a line.

Upon arrival most people get drinks at the shebeen where jazz musicians perform. Some have even made the effort to dress up in feather boas and masks. There are several makeshift chill-out areas around. Already, there is a vibe going, even though it’s fairly cold outside, something the organisers will have to deal with as winter approaches.

The famous Zingara Theatre of Dreams’s Victoria Spiegelpaleis 25m mirror tent is exquisitely made up of rich red velvet, stained glass, ornate booths, mirrored columns and wooden windows.

Upon entering, we’re handed a drink, before being ushered into the tent. A costume store and an indoor bar line the entrance. It is minimally decorated, besides a few fairy lights and a gigantic heart made out of pink roses hanging in the centre of the tent.

Circular tables, located in the centre of the tent, are arranged to host people, each with a view of the stage. Though the tent can seat about 420 people, tonight there are close to 500 folk cosily stashed inside.

Each waiter is dressed up. There are pirates, gypsies and harlots all around. A DJ playing cabaret, swing and Balkan beats gets the mood going. We are served by a mysterious female gypsy-pirate.

What follows is an immense four-course meal, consisting of starters, middle, main and desert, with the signature Chocolate Chilli Fillet on offer, which everyone at the table goes for, along with a decadent wine selection.

A hostess welcomes the audience and so begins the first act. Each act is interspersed with meals. Though people are not really there solely for the performances, it helps that there are some mind-blowing acts.

Without giving too much away, there is an incredible Hoolahoop girl who creates a slinky with 20 hoops around her, burlesque acts, dancers, acrobats, circus artists and performers from Russia and Ukraine, accompanied by a cellist.

As the night progresses, the room becomes smokey, the atmosphere jovial and it gives one a glimpse of what early 19th-century vaudeville parties might have been like. It’s hard to imagine what a challenge it must be serving more than 400 tables all at once, but the handful of waiters handle this with the utmost professionalism.

[Email this story...] [Easy Print...]

A little dream of food and wonder