LA DOLCE ROYAL: THE ROYAL COUNTESS ZINGARA. Artistic Directors: Craig Leo and Valentina Leo. Creative director: Richard Griffin. With aerial artists, singers, contortionists, jugglers, dancers, and more. Pictures: Daniel Manners. Het Spiegelpaleis, Century City.
KAREN RUTTER reviews
The circus is back in town! But it’s not what you might expect. Because The Royal Countess Zingara is not a canvas-and-popcorn kind of experience. Oh no – we’re talking about gourmet meals served in a fantastical marquee while theatrical magic takes place. We’re talking about an experience sprinkled with fairy dust. Curated with flair. With efficient bar service.
Yup, the Zingara adventure is not your run of the mill evening out. And it never has been. Zingara founder and creative director Richard Griffin, alongside visionary (and often mischievous) artistic directors Craig Leo and Valentina Leo, have resurrected the gigantic Spiegelpaleis where so many previous Zingara productions have taken place, and pitched their tent at Century City with a programme of pure fun, frivolity and fantasy. Not to mention jaw-dropping acrobatic displays, crazy stunts, and a hot vocal quartet. La Dolce Royal adds up to over three hours of entertainment, including a four-course meal – kind of like a cabaret show, in terms of comfortable dining and a cool setting, but on steroids. It’s the Zingara formula, which has been going for over two decades – but it’s also so much more.
Global crew of quirky pros
With MC Andile Magxaki setting the tone for the evening, things get swiftly underway from 8pm (although you can come early and enjoy drinks in the funky bar area). The serving staff largely look like Afrika Burn volunteers, except they’re getting paid for this gig and they do it with much style and enthusiasm. As do the performers themselves, who are a global crew of quirky pros from South Africa, Ukraine, Russia, Argentina and Las Vegas. And the stuff they do!
Who thought a feather balancing on a bed of sticks could be so beguiling? (Tatiana Babiy). Or that the human body could turn itself inside out? (Nokulunga Buthulezi). And then there are twin brothers Mykola and Andrii Pysiura, studies in symmetry and almost impossibly balanced in their elegant hand balance act, returning later to soar in a mesmerising strap routine that seemed to defy anatomy as much as gravity. Jenny le Roux brings grace and grit to her multicord rope act, her aerial dance equal parts silk and steel. Axel Perez, ever the showman, kept us teetering with delight on his Rola Bola, layering humour over heart-stopping precision.
From Zip Zap, Jason Barnard and Jacobus Claassen prove that juggling can be theatre in motion – slick, funny, and musically tight. And closing the evening, Juan Pablo Palacios and Victoria Perez Iacono deliver an aerial cradle act that is pure partnership: strength, trust, and flight woven into one breathtaking finale.
Surprised, enchanted and delighted
And there are The Clorettes (yes, that is their name): singers Andrea Anthony, Edith Plaatjies, Brandon Jonathan and Nazneen Abrahams, who handle everything from an Abba medley to a Freshlyground classic with utter panache. Plus opera diva, Megan Spencer, rocking a Meredith-Monk-meets-Callas vibe.
There is also a more serious side introduced by the Oracle and The Weeping Woman, “created to acknowledge the world’s pain while celebrating humanity’s enduring capacity for love and joy”. Which is all very lovely.
Yup, it’s an evening, folks. Roll up. You may be surprised, enchanted and delighted, not to mention very full. You won’t be disappointed.
What: The Royal Countess Zingara: La Dolce Royal
Where and when: Het Spiegelpaleis – Tuesdays to Sundays from 11 October 2025 at Century City. Grounds open at 6pm, doors open at 7pm and the show begins at 8pm.
Zingara La Dolce Royal Tickets: Costing from R1150 per person include a welcome drink, a four-course dinner and the performance. Booking is open with online reservations through www.zingara.co.za.
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