After enchanting Cape Town with a triumphant season that had audiences spellbound, the fabled Countess has turned her gaze to the City of Gold. Having witnessed the magic firsthand, one thing is certain: nothing quite prepares you for the sheer audacity of it all. Audible gasps ripple through the crowd from the moment the first aerialist leaves the ground and continue until the final bow.
Those who have fallen under the Countess’s spell are known as Zingarians. Since opening at Melrose Arch on 20 June, Johannesburg audiences have been joining their ranks.
Madame Zingara unfolds at Melrose Arch, a fittingly glamorous home for a production that trades in wonder. The chocolate sauce on the beef main course is one of the evening’s most memorable surprises. Rich, decadent, unexpected – much like the show itself. It arrives midway through an evening that feels less like dinner theatre and more like being invited into someone’s impossibly beautiful fever dream.
Richard Griffin conceived this world, Craig Leo directs it, and an ensemble of international and South African talent brings it to life.
Former Cirque du Soleil stars Juan Pablo Palacios and Victoria Perez Iacono perform aerial cradle routines that defy logic. Axel Perez, from Las Vegas, balances on rolling cylinders with the casual grace of someone standing on solid ground. Johannesburg’s own Samantha Kotze reminds us why homegrown talent holds its own on any world stage.
The Clorettes, a Cape Town vocal quartet, provide the soundtrack, their harmonies weaving through the spectacle like a golden thread.
“There is a poetic reply to a world unravelling,” says co-director Valentina Leo. “La Dolce Royal is ours.” It feels like more than that, though. It feels like a gift.
The event takes place at The Arch Pavilion, an event space overlooking the N1 within the Melrose Arch precinct.
Tickets start at R1 260 and include a welcome drink, a four-course feast, and the full show. Bookings are open via Dineplan, zingara.co.za , [email protected], or 021 891 0448.
The velvet curtain has already parted, but there’s still time to step inside.
