Stuart Lightbody's UNIQUE WONDERS closes today after a dream season at the Alexander Bar, Theatre and Cafe. The popular Capetonian sleight of hand artist and psychological illusionist's newest show has been a sold-out smash success, with bookings filling up far in advance of the nightly performances... (more...)
Watching KING KONG, the Fugard Theatre's latest musical theatre production, is as complex an experience as it is a thrilling one. The first revival of a legendary South African jazz opera, as it was called when first performed in 1959, KING KONG is at once a historical document, a contemporary reima... (more...)
South Africa, says the note in the programme of STATE FRACTURE, is 'a country that keeps on giving as far as satirical material is concerned.' What a pity, then, that the humour in STATE FRACTURE never transcends the comic to become satire.... (more...)
Imagine a late-night German television programme like MANN, SIEBER! filtered through the pop culture aesthetic of an American variety show like SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, and you might know what to expect from IN WHOREFISH BLOOMERS: THE WAITRESSES' LAMENT, which is more a 'kabarett' than what South Africa... (more...)
THINGPHONY takes as its theme the philosophical question of whether order is intrinsic in the universe, or whether it is human beings that give order to the phenomena they experience. Performer Philip Southey discusses a wide array of topics in the show, including colour, physics, music and sex.... (more...)
For as long as prejudice exists in the world, people will tell stories of star-crossed lovers. The plot of CHEERS TO SARAJEVO places a Serbian Romeo opposite a Bosnian Juliet, but this iteration of the archetypal story makes them live through the conflict in which they find themselves.... (more...)
The Market Theatre production of Paul Slabolepszy's SUDDENLY THE STORM is currently in the middle of its Cape Town season at the Baxter Theatre. Having opened just two days after the Naledi Theatre Awards presented the play and its production with three awards, SUDDENLY THE STORM arrived in Cape Tow... (more...)
People often forget is that hubris walks hand-in-hand with nemesis, and Louis Viljoen shines a spotlight on this particularly damning walk of shame in his latest play, THE EULOGISTS, which features a top-notch performance by Emily Child.... (more...)
There is something indescribable about returning to Gate69, the glitzy dinner theatre venue that opened less than a year ago in central Cape Town. It is that ineffable feeling of coming home, of belonging. CATHY AND THE TROLLEY DOLLIES, one of the venue's current offerings, is a blast for everyone -... (more...)
HEMELRUIM is a deeply personal and moving piece of theatre. The Afrikaans translation of Nick Payne's CONSTELLATIONS, created through the theatrical mastery of Nico Scheepers, is performed by Tinarie van Wyk Loots and Paul du Toit.... (more...)
The Fugard's first new musical production of 2017 puts FUNNY GIRL on South African stages, and the results are delightful - with a powerhouse performance from Ashleigh Harvey as Fanny Brice, the stage, radio and film personality around whom everyone and everything in the show revolves.... (more...)
Although it is about the process of creating art, SCENES FROM AN EXECUTION will appeal to audiences wider that those with direct links to the arts. We all love a good intrigue, and we all love a good behind-the-scenes expose.... (more...)
There is an almost overwhelming sense of humanity in Lebogang Mogashoa's THE REAL DIRT, which is currently enjoying a week-long season at the Alexander Bar's cosy Upstairs Theatre. David Fick reviews the show, which he says is proof that theatre can heal what many other things cannot.... (more...)
David Fick reviews The Stephan Fourie Theatre Company production of RENT at the Artscape Arena, a production filled with passion - but which leaves a great deal to be desired. SPOILER ALERT: There is a spoiler about the plot of RENT in the first paragraph of this review.... (more...)
Following the South African premiere of Florian Zeller's THE FATHER last year, the same playwright's companion piece, THE MOTHER, made its bow last week at The Fugard Studio. David Fick reviews.... (more...)
This return season of BAD JEWS comes hot on the heels of the announcement of "post-truth" as Oxford's word of the year, giving audiences a moment to pause and reflect on the way we handle our lives in a post-truth society and us to consider what we destroy in our quest to be right.... (more...)
Louis Viljoen's OH BABY, I'M A WILD ONE is a character study of a first-year teacher trying to sift through the psychological debris that a confluence of key events has bulldozed into her life. It is theatre that offers some food for thought about how society constructs morality and how individuals ... (more...)
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at Gate69 not only celebrates its queerness but also reminds us that we have our own Hedwigs to celebrate and our own Berlin Walls to conquer. It is the perfect choice to open this stylish new venue in the Mother City.... (more...)
Richard Kaplan's debut as a produced playwright with THE FINKELSTEINS ARE COMING FOR DINNER offers an evening of solid entertainment. For its pivotal love scene alone, it is worth going to see what is being cooked up for the Finkelsteins' visit.... (more...)
DE-APART-HATE will mean a lot to everyone who is trying to engage with what is going on in our country at the moment. Because the mystery of what will rise once what must fall has fallen, what lies beyond decolonisation is what is at the heart of this piece, and Nyamza's recognition of that makes he... (more...)
HOLY CONTRACT ends with a brief but powerful statement that compels us to reflect on our personal, social, political or artistic narratives. Sometimes it is essential to remember that we can stop, be present and decide whether we want to swim upstream or not, and HOLY CONTRACT is a potent reminder o... (more...)
SONGS FOR KHWEZI is theatre that one hopes to see grow in its reach. It is theatre that says important things in an original way. It is theatre that speaks truths that women know and that men need to hear. It is theatre that can disrupt. It is theatre that can heal.... (more...)
WOZA ALBERT! remains an incredibly powerful play. That it can withstand mediocre productions and still, more or less, manage to resonate with an audience is a testament to what Ngema, Mtwa and Simon achieved 35 years ago. When the real WOZA ALBERT! stands up, it takes no prisoners. It is a play that... (more...)
TERMITE! TALL TALES FOR BIG PEOPLE is a dynamic performance piece in which two actors tell a trio contemporary tales that blend izinganekwane with physical theatre . Mentioning 'big people' in the title is a super tactic to attract the 'tween' audience to which this production will appeal most, alth... (more...)
LA RÊVE DU LUCIE brings children and their guardians together like few theatre pieces for young audiences manage to do. The play is a gentle and tender story about the power of our imaginations in helping us overcome our greatest challenges.... (more...)
BWW Review: Stuart Lightbody Himself is the Most Magical of His UNIQUE WONDERS
BWW Review: Revival of KING KONG at The Fugard Theatre as Complex as it is Thrilling
BWW Review: Remarkable Richards Lands Skilful Comedy in STATE FRACTURE at the Baxter - But Is It Satire?
BWW Review: IN WHOREFISH BLOOMERS Has the Potential to Be the Battle Cry it Sets Out to Be
BWW Review: Derivative Meme-style Show THINGPHONY Needs a Directorial Hand
BWW Review: Aimée Goldsmith the Heart of Passionate War Drama CHEERS TO SARAJEVO
BWW Review: Thunder Rumbles in Paul Slabolepszy's SUDDENLY THE STORM at the Baxter Theatre
BWW Review: Viljoen Places Observers and the Media In Camera in Philosophical THE EULOGISTS at The Fugard
BWW Review: CATHY AND THE TROLLEY DOLLIES a Blast for Both Frequent Flyers and First-Timers at Gate69
BWW Review: Beautifully profound, HEMELRUIM is a Soul-stirring Journey through the Heavens and Humanity
BWW Review: The Fugard's FUNNY GIRL - with Ashleigh Harvey as a Powerhouse Fanny Brice - a Valentine to Gentler and Jollier Times
BWW Review: Steyn, Hopkins and Rebelo Riveting in Howard Barker's Fascinating SCENES FROM AN EXECUTION
BWW Review: Lebogang Mogashoa's THE REAL DIRT Filled with Humanity and Compassion
BWW Review: This RENT is Spent, and Passion is Not Enough to Pay the Piper at the Artscape Arena
BWW Review: Pinteresque THE MOTHER an Utterly Arresting Ordeal on The Fugard Studio Stage
BWW Review: Return Season of BAD JEWS at The Fugard a Timely Warning of the Dangers of a Post-Truth Society
BWW Review: OH BABY, I'M A WILD ONE Offers a Deeply Cynical View of Contemporary Morality at the Alexander Upstairs
BWW Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH a Perfect Opener for Mother City's Stylish Gate69
BWW Review: THE FINKELSTEINS ARE COMING FOR DINNER – and There is Sweet Love and Comic Domesticity on the Menu
BWW Review: Mamela Nyamza's DE-APART-HATE is First Rate Dance Theatre from a Visionary Artist
BWW Review: Powerful HOLY CONTRACT Reminds Us That We Can Stop, Even as It Encourages Us to Go
BWW Review: Powerful Choreopoem SONGS FOR KHWEZI is Theatre That Can Disrupt and Heal
BWW Review: Will the Real WOZA ALBERT! Please Stand Up?
BWW Review: Energetic Performances from Zondi and Nzimande Make TERMITE a Romp for the Tween Set
BWW Review: LA RÊVE DU LUCIE a Highlight for Young Audiences at the Cape Town Fringe
LaChanze, DeBose & Lever to Take on Title Role in Donna Summer Musical
Ladies Will Be Lunching in London! Patti LuPone to Lead COMPANY in the West End
