Review: AND THE GIRLS IN THEIR SUNDAY DRESSES is full of heart at the Baxter

Watching AND THE GIRLS IN THEIR SUNDAY DRESSES at the Baxter, I was reminded in many ways of WAITING FOR GODOT. However, this production - written by the incredible Zakes Mda - is so much more, in my opinion. The absurdity of the situation that the two characters find themselves in is grounded in reality, which really brings the crux of the story home. AND THE GIRLS IN THEIR SUNDAY DRESSES is on until 7 March, and is well worth seeing.

This play made it's debut in the late 1980s - a very different world in South Africa - and is still so relevant to an audience in 2026. Director Mdu Kweyama must be applauded for finding a way to make the staging of the piece feel both current and set in the past. It felt to me like it could've been any decade from about the 1960s onward. The plight of two people living in poverty, waiting for the government to assist with food aid is relevant almost throughout history. I felt unsettled (and loved it) because I wasn't sure if this piece was in the past or if it was happening right now in the centre of town.

AND THE GIRLS IN THEIR SUNDAY DRESSES is also a beautiful vehicle for women's stories. The characters of The Woman and The Lady were wonderfully portrayed by Awethu Hleli and Tamzin Daniels (respectively). As the two strangers waited in line and slowly found themselves opening up to each other, I was completely invested. They balanced the pain of their past and current reality with a delightful humour and warmth. These two characters had been knocked down by life again and again, and yet they have strength in them still. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them fight to discover their true worth as individuals.

The overall design of the piece by Leopold Senekal is spot on. The play is all shades of beige and brown - stark, lifeless and foreboding. The big wall and door that spreads across the back of stage dwarfs the characters, giving that foreboding feel that the government does not care about the individuals waiting in line outside the building. The only splash of colour comes from your imagination. Every time the workers in the building arrive or leave, the two characters on stage describe the men in their suits and the women in their Sunday dresses - which I imagined to be bright and vibrant.

AND THE GIRLS IN THEIR SUNDAY DRESSES is full of heart and a very strong piece of theatre. Catch it at the Baxter Studio until 7 March. Tickets are available on Webtickets.

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