BAXTER THEATRE CENTRE, FLIPSIDE

by Jaime Uranovsky - April 14, 2024

While there are three mini-operas within the SHORTS programme, this reviews centres around two of them: LA VOIX HUMANE and THE IMPRESARIO. Over the last couple of years, I have been lucky enough to attend various operas staged in Cape Town. They are magnificent: grand and opulent....

by Jaime Uranovsky - April 13, 2024

Shakespeare’s OTHELLO, written in the early 1600s, predates traditional notions of decoloniality and, arguably, colonialism itself. Nonetheless, it is a text that, some contend, contains a built-in decolonial perspective or, at the very least, lends itself to be staged through this lens....

by Michelle B Lewis - April 09, 2024

At its core, SPRING AWAKENING is a coming-of-age tale that resonates across generations. The play follows a group of teenagers as they navigate the turbulence of adolescence, longing for knowledge about the mysteries of womanhood, the trauma of abuse and the challenges of societal norms. This produc...

by Faeron Wheeler - April 01, 2024

I am so glad I got to catch MAMMA MIA here in Cape Town. This cast is brilliant - you will have an ABBA-solutely fantastic time, you will want to get up and be the Dancing Queen, and you will certainly be saying 'thank you for the music' by the end of the show....

by Jaime Uranovsky - March 24, 2024

During my adolescence, the annual one-act play festival held at my high school was the highlight of my academic year. So, whenever I hear that a one-play festival is being staged, I am filled with excitement and nostalgia. For the first time, the Masque Theatre has introduced what will become its an...

by Jaime Uranovsky - March 12, 2024

I knew going into THE GOOD DAD that this production was not going to make for easy watching. And it doesn’t. The subject matter is rough and audience members should know that sexual abuse and rape are prominent topics in this piece of theatre. That being said, the piece is superb and should not be m...

by Jaime Uranovsky - February 18, 2024

Cape Town Opera presents a Puccini double-bill of operas: SUOR ANGELICA and GIANNI SCHICCHI. Each opera runs for just under an hour, with an interval in between. The two operas are vastly different – SUOR ANGELICA, despite containing comedic moments, is ultimately tragic....

by Faeron Wheeler - February 17, 2024

EXPELLED is a brand-new play from Rosalind Butler, and it deals with just how damaging social media can be for all ages. The characters in the play and the story feel incredibly relatable as many of us spend time questioning how much we live our lives through social media....

by Faeron Wheeler - February 17, 2024

Duncan MacMillan’s play LUNGS has been described as 'off-kilter' and 'brutally honest' - and that's exactly what you get with this production. It races forward at a gallop as the pair on stage move through their relationship. There's an element of a runaway train to the pace, but it's a train I want...

by Jaime Uranovsky - February 13, 2024

It is always gratifying to witness performers staging highly technical artforms, like ballet, and giving them fresh, local twists. THE GOLD RHINO OF MAPUNGUBWE BALLET is such an example. The show tells the story of Van Graan, a white man in the 1930s who embarks on a journey to discover the treasure...