Well-known Madame Zingara, a theatre restaurant which captured the imagination of Capetonians over the past 10 years, before it closed due to the recession early last year, is set to re-open next month, reports the Weekend Argus.

Owner Richard Griffin is a star showmaster and was a highly successful restaurateur, until his original restaurant on Loop Street burnt down.  He set up his Theatre of Dreams vaudeville supper club underneath the highway near the Cape Town harbour, and moved the show to London due to its success.  Here a backer dropped him, and Griffin’s company was liquidated.   He has been back in operation “undercover” as the operator of the Bombay Bicycle Club at the top of Kloof Street.

According to the report, Griffin said: “We have taken our time in hiatus to develop some truly breathtaking new acts. Everything will be bigger, better, more dramatic.   We’ve let our imagination run wild and come up with some acts that I haven’t seen or heard of anywhere else in the wrold”.

Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams is set to be located at Century City, according to the report, and her ‘2010 Love Magic Tour’ will commence in Cape Town, and thereafter will tour to Durban and Johannesburg.

It will be interesting to see how the re-opening of Madame Zingara will affect Vaudeville, if at all, as most of Madame Zingara’s waitering staff as well as performing stars went to Vaudeville when  it opened in Cape Town late last year.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com