Madame Zingara’s 15th anniversary show, The Celebration, is set in a new spiegelpaleis called the Queen of Flanders. Theresa Smith reports
The latest Theatre of Dreams production is named The Celebration because it is 15 years since the Bree Street restaurant opened its doors and this new tent marks one extravagant party.
“A celebration of thanks to be tolerated for so many years, having annoyed so many people… But, also to have facilitated the training and development of thousands of staff and to see so many of them heading off into amazing careers and university degrees.
“Last year, we saw 36 staff members come out of full-time bursaries and training facilities, and that, for me, has been the coolest part of it all,” said Richard Griffin, the owner of the Madame Zingara Group.
He had initially thought of designing a “circus-circus” tent and was in Italy last year when he contacted Rik Klessens (the man responsible for designing and building the tent) whom he had met eight years ago.
“I said: ‘Rik, I’m looking at a plastic tent’, and he said: ‘No, come, we do it’.
“It’s fantastic to be part of that legacy that he’s leaving behind. They are an incredible family to be working with.
“Literally, as a family, they do everything,” Griffin described the Belgian tent-makers who have been in the business since 1920.
This tent’s Art Deco style harks back to the time spiegeltents were created, but it is also a personal statement on the part of Klessens, who named The Queen of Flanders in memory of his mother who died last year at 91.
“I always had in my mind to build something really special and she was a really tough lady.
“My dad and mom travelled in a big caravan from fair to fair, and my mom also did the set-ups, like my wife, with nine kids in tow, and all the laundry.
“I always had that name in my head, because my mom was a queen,” said Klessens, whose family are based in the north of Belgium. Back when his grandfather started the business, the spiegeltent was a travelling dance hall with an organ for music – with mirrors providing a discreet way for people to check each other out.
By the time he took over the business from his father in the ’70s, the tents were morphing into entertainment spaces as dance moved into discos and today, what used to be the dance floor is filled with the stage, tables and chairs.
Klessens is the mirror specialist in the family, the one who bevelled every mirror and designed the stained glass, while the rest of the family help run the business of erecting and dismantling the 15 other tents they manage around the world, mostly in Europe.
Once the tent is erected, he, his wife and nephew head back home, but then the fun for Griffin starts as he throws open the doors.
Griffin hopes the “hippy-orientated, though military-styled operation” more commonly known as a kitchen will still be able to maintain their 15-minute record for serving everyone in the 650-seater main tent but really, the main idea is having the most extravagant experience.
“When we look at the tent way back in the beginning, what we fell in love with was that you are part of the show, not separated from it in terms of emotions. You feel like you are living within this fabulous content.
“When we started designing the creative content it was all about the integration of the guest, so that they not only had the same feeling, but that you were increasing the value of that feeling in everything that we did.
“From the hundreds of candelabras, it’s all about the tactile experience, and keeping people involved,” said Griffin.
The Celebration: Tues to Sun at 8.15pm at Montecasino in Fourways, Joburg from tomorrow to Jan 15. Arrival time: 6pm, to be seated by 7.30pm. R450 to R950pp and includes welcome drinks and canapés on arrival and four-course dinner. Corporate and Christmas lunch/dinner packages R1 250 to R1 450. Matinee: R450 to R750. See www.madame zingara.com. Bookings: 0861 623 263 or boxoffice@madame zingara.com. No 16 years and under.