'The water brings an extra element of danger': Zingara adds spectacular bathtub aerial act

People who have been to a Zingara show already know that the minute you walk into that original Spiegelpaleis tent you are transported into a magical world.

The original Madame Zingara, now reimagined as The Royal Countess Zingara, has achieved legendary status in South Africa's theatre world, providing an experience which melds superb food and cabaret-style performance.

The Royal Countess Zingara has returned for a new season with La Dolce Royal - its "tent of dreams" is currently stationed at Century City in Cape Town, before moving on to Johannesburg for its winter season in June.

The show is renowned for its spectacular acrobatics acts, with three sets taking place between the four dinner courses.

New to the cast are Jonny Grundy from the UK and Manuel Artino from Italy, who debuted their bathtub aerial straps act earlier this month.

As a bedazzled Sara-Jayne Makwala King puts it, the duo's performance is beautiful, breathtaking, and very sexy.

The two acrobats came to the circus from the world of dance, meeting while both were performing on a cruise liner in the Caribbean.

In fact, their partnership worked so well that they got married four-and-half years ago.

This must contribute to the level of trust required when you're performing up to seven metres above the ground, with only a bathtub below you?

As Jonny quips, it really helps to have a freestanding bath "to break your spine on the way down!".

He explains that the concept comes from the world of burlesque, where it became popular because it looked glamorous and also segued into a striptease act.

"Then in the 90s there was this guy who did an aerial act solo in a bathtub for a famous show in Edinburgh, and since then it's ballooned in the circus world - lots of people take this concept and do their own thing with it."

"We were asked to do it a few years ago and had a lot of fun making our own version - it offers so many possibilities and it also gets the audience involved. You all get a little wet as you watch!"

As Manuel points out, the water adds an extra element of danger because they have to hold each other while their bodies are slippery.

They emphasize that they don't do anything on stage in front of an audience that they haven't practiced hundreds of times.

"And our two wonderful directors make sure that the show runs in a way where the acts all complement each other and the thread of the show carries you through the evening."

La Dolce Royal is on till 17 May in Cape Town and tickets are available on Dineplan.

You can subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with info on the Johannesburg run, which opens in June.

To listen to Jonny Grundy and Manuel Artino in conversation with Sara-Jayne Makwala King on CapeTalk's Weekend Breakfast, click on the audio link below: