SOUTH AFRICA THEATER REVIEWS

What did our critic think of SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR at Theatre On The Bay? Sometimes you just need a really good laugh - and that's exactly what SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR delivers. It's a joyous production with excellent comic timing from the two actors and some beautiful nuances layered in by director Ch...

THE WAITING GAME, a new show set to music and dance, is currently showing at the Masque Theatre, after its debut at the Wave Theatre in Cape Town. The production, which has a large cast (18 people), tells a new story while using songs from existing musicals (and changing the lyrics where necessary)...

There are few who can claim to know South African goings-on like veteran investigative journalist, columnist, author, satirist, stand-up comedian, and Associate Editor of the Daily Maverick, Marianne Thamm does. There are even fewer who can remain optimistic while knowing what they know....

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What did our critic think of THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE at Pam Golding Theatre At The Baxter?...

“If music be the food of love, play on” –  and Bonny White does: her beautiful soiree of songs, involving nine knock-out performers and a fabulous accompanist, is a feast to experience. What makes ON THE TABLE so great is that most of the songs are not well known – they are not the ‘befor...

It can be challenging to go to the theatre on cold winter evenings. Between dark roads caused by load shedding and the come-hither look of a cosy bed, it’s hard to venture out these days. However, there are some shows that will warm you up with their comedy, and DUDE! WA’S MY BAKKIE? is a tough ...

What did our critic think of AUNT ZELDA'S PAINTING at Milnerton Playhouse? AUNT ZELDA'S PAINTING is a one-act romp with aspects of farce and a whole lot of heart. It's presented by Milnerton Players at the Playhouse, and runs until Saturday 5 August....

TWELFTH NIGHT is, without a doubt, my favourite of all Shakespeare’s plays. It is, probably for this reason, also the Shakespeare play I have had the honour of watching the most times. Despite this, I have never emerged from this play feeling like I have seen a repeat of the same production....

EDUCATING RITA is one of my all-time favourite plays. Willy Russel’s rich script is a lush playground for the two actors lucky enough to inhabit his words. The story is not unlike PIGMALION or MY FAIR LADY in some ways: Rita, a young Liverpudlian woman, working as a hairdresser in the 1980s, seek...

Everyone has been acquainted with the story of CINDERELLA in some way, shape or form. What not everyone has experienced is this timeless tale told through a mixture of opera, ballet and acting. Indeed, this self-aware adaptation of Pauline Viardot’s chamber opera CINDERELLA (CENDRILLON), presented...

Whenever I have the privilege of attending a LAMTA show, I just know that I am going to be blown away – it is inevitably the highlight of that week for me and for whichever lucky friend or family member has successfully vied for the plus-one ticket....

No story about abuse is easy to watch or engage with, and writer-director Louis Viljoen doesn't shy away from true depravity of the situation in THE VISIGOTHS. It's a disturbing and chilling dive into how humans can break each other, shatter our psyches into little jagged pieces....

Pieter-Dirk Uys knows just how to tap into our fears and our challenges, and make us laugh at them. SELL-By-DATE does exactly that....

Cape Town Opera’s production of Bizet’s THE PEARL FISHERS is a feast for the senses. The staging is minimal yet ethereal and allows the audience to float gently along the azure waters suggested onstage....

If South Africans know how to do one thing, it is to laugh – especially at ourselves. Award-winning playwright, Mike van Graan, has harnessed this famous South African humour and penned and directed a satirical revue that will be performed throughout 2023/24 in the build-up to the 2024 national el...

It is near impossible to pinpoint what exactly the essence of ‘British music’ is. It is far too varied to be distilled into a single type or genre. Indeed, it spans centuries....

FIREFLY was absolutely delightful, beautiful and charming. I suppose, how could it not be when you put two actors like Sylvaine Strike and Andrew Buckland together on stage?...

What did our critic think of CRUISE at Homecoming Centre?CRUISE, originally written and performed by Jack Holden, was one of the first plays to open after the COVID-19 lockdown in London, after which it moved to the West End, garnering an Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play....

Have you ever seen a piece of theatre that crawls into your heart and you’re happy for it to just stay there? This is how I feel after seeing THE KING OF BROKEN THINGS....

In the world of theatre, the attitude towards children's theatre is not always positive. Sometimes regarded as the lesser-than-stepchild, you'll often hear people say: 'It was good, for a children's production'. To me, children's theatre is vital and important work, and should be treated as such. Ou...

SUEÑOS, which translates to ‘dreams’ is an ode to Andalucía in Spain and is the third collaboration between internationally acclaimed and 2020 SAMA-winning guitarist James Grace, and leading choreographer and principal dancer of South Africa’s foremost Spanish dance company, Compañía Sophi...

At its heart, JAKOB is a simple story. A bit of magical realism that tells the story of a boy who is different, and the way people react to someone who is different. What makes JAKOB remarkable is the way this story is told....

DIE MOEDER needs no introduction. After a highly acclaimed run at the TOYOTA US WOORDFEES last year and another successful run at this year's KKNK, DIE MOEDER graces The Baxter's Flipside theatre stage for a limited run. Starring a stellar cast with Sandra Prinsloo at the helm, DIE MOEDER marks Chri...

IKRELE LE CHIZA…THE SERMON, presented by the Baxter in collaboration with the Magnet Theatre, is a difficult to put into words – largely because of how experiential it is. Choreography and movement-heavy, this play is aptly described as ‘dream theatre’ by Director, Mandla Mbothwe....