South Africa Theater Reviews

Review: THE GRASS WIDOW Ensnares and Entertains at The Baxter Theatre
by Klara van Rooyen - February 05, 2023

Watching THE GRASS WIDOW at the Masambe Theatre feels like visiting a well-kept secret. Sitting in the intimate auditorium, elbow-to-elbow with other audience members, the anticipation is palpable for Louis Viljoen's latest production....

Review: HANSARD is Beautifully Crafted Theatre That is a Pleasure to Watch
by Faeron Wheeler - January 31, 2023

The text is superb, the actors accomplished professionals at the top of their game, the direction tight and the package a reminder to us to live without regrets, to keep our loved ones close and that 'I'm sorry' should never be left unsaid....

Review: SONGS OF SHAKESPEARE at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre
by Klara van Rooyen - January 27, 2023

'Gosh, I haven't been here in years,' a fellow audience member uttered with glee at Maynardville's SONGS OF SHAKESPEARE. Shakespeare in the Park is back in Cape Town, and it is a return to form for many local audience members. Sitting between the trees, underneath the starlight, Jose Dias guides the...

Review: CALL ME A FOOL at Studio 3, LAMTA Captures First Love with Earnestness, Comedy and Depth
by Jaime Uranovsky - December 19, 2022

Theatre allows us to escape but it also allows us to recognise parts of ourselves and our (often universal) experiences mirrored in a work – which in turn makes us feel validated and seen. This fresh, new musical does just that. CALL ME A FOOL centres around two twenty-something year old women navig...

Review: STAR+CROSSED: A New South African Musical
by Klara van Rooyen - December 18, 2022

STAR+CROSSED follows the interwoven tale of Billy and Bess. Bess, who is based on Elizabeth Klarer, meets Billy one evening on Flying Saucer Hill in the Natal Midlands. The two children form a connection that spans nine decades, from 1910 until 1994. Billy and Bess' stories are intertwined but also ...

Review: THE SECRET GARDEN Blooms at The Star Theatre
by Klara van Rooyen - December 14, 2022

What did our critic think of THE SECRET GARDEN at The Star Theatre?...

Review: SLEEPING BEAUTY at the Masque Theatre Is a Vibrant and Energetic Retelling of the Classic Story
by Jaime Uranovsky - December 13, 2022

In all honestly, I have never been a fan of the story of SLEEPING BEAUTY. The 1959 Disney film put me off and none of the recent Maleficent-centred adaptations tempted me. But writer and director, Faeron Wheeler’s fresh, 21st-Century take on SLEEPING BEAUTY is nothing like these… and it is great! Re...

Review: THE NUTCRACKER at Artscape Opera House Is an Enchanting, Top-Class Production
by Jaime Uranovsky - December 12, 2022

THE NUTCRACKER, one of the world’s most celebrated ballets, needs little introduction. As a Christmas-time favourite, it has come to be synonymous with the festive season. Now, on the 130th anniversary of the original production’s premier, producer Veronica Paeper and Cape Town City Ballet deliver a...

Review: AUNTY MERLE: THINGS GET REAL at the Baxter Theatre Centre Is Destined to be Another Smash Hit
by Jaime Uranovsky - December 07, 2022

My family and I have been avid fans of the AUNTY MERLE musicals since the first of the three productions graced the Baxter stage in 2017. When AUNTY MERLE: IT’S A GIRL came out in 2019, my brother and I adored it so much that we saw it twice. So, when I heard that there was a third instalment in thi...

Review: A CHRISTMAS CAROL is a festive must-see at Theatre On The Bay
by Faeron Wheeler - December 05, 2022

This beautiful adaptation by the team from VR Theatrical is pretty much just what the doctor ordered for the festive season. It combines song, animation, puppetry, voice overs, beautiful acting and a healthy dose of humour to warm the heart....

Review: Catharsis and Reflection in HE HAD IT COMING
by Klara van Rooyen - December 02, 2022

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Review: LOVE AND MISTLETOE at Milnerton Playhouse Is a Fun Seasonal Comedy with Loads of Laughs
by Jaime Uranovsky - November 28, 2022

Just like that, all the tell-tale signs are here to tell us that the festive season is upon us: terrible Cape Town traffic, warmer temperatures and great opportunities to return to the theatre for seasonal shows! To welcome in the holiday spirit, head on down to see LOVE AND MISTLETOE at the Milner...

Review: BEING STEVE at Theatre On The Bay Crackles with Talent, Energy and Ambition
by Jaime Uranovsky - November 19, 2022

BEING STEVE, featuring the music of Stephen Sondheim, Schwartz and Flaherty is a celebration of some of the most prolific contributors to musical theatre in history – all of whom happen to share a first name. This high-energy revue, performed by the current students of Luitingh Alexander Musical The...

Review: HOLD STILL at the Baxter Flipside Theatre pushes you to ask if you really are a good person
by Faeron Wheeler - November 16, 2022

HOLD STILL holds up a mirror and quite deftly questions whether or not you’re as good a person as you think you are. It’s a jarring question to be faced with and the four characters on stage are left reeling in the wake of getting their answers....

Review: ALCINA at Artscape is a Sumptuous, Atmospheric Spectacle of an Opera
by Jaime Uranovsky - November 13, 2022

It is imperative that I begin this review by admitting that before viewing ALCINA, I was an opera-virgin. Well, this production was the perfect introduction to the genre. Firstly, what a magical experience to be back in the Artscape after a lengthy COVID-induced hiatus. The excitement and anticipat...

Review: DINNER WITH THE 42S at Masambe Theatre is gritty, funny and sharp
by Faeron Wheeler - November 12, 2022

DINNER WITH THE 42S is an absolute treat! It’s gritty, it’s funny, it’s sharp – it’s a production definitely worth watching....

Review: CONSTELLATIONS Promises an Enchanting Experience at Spier Wine Farm
by Faeron Wheeler - November 07, 2022

This is the third year that CONSTELLATIONS is running out at Spier Wine Farm and I’m glad that I finally got to experience it. It’s a magical setting for performances and the whole experience was unlike anything I’d done before....

Review: THE UNLIKELY SECRET AGENT is back on in Cape Town at the Baxter
by Faeron Wheeler - October 24, 2022

This run of THE UNLIKELY SECRET AGENT brings with it some new energy in the form of two new cast members. It’s quite exciting to get to see the same play, which is still fairly fresh in my memory, with new faces and new ideas for characterisation. It must’ve also been a fun challenge for the existin...

Review: British reserve hides broken hearts in BETRAYAL at the Artscape
by Faeron Wheeler - October 24, 2022

It felt to me like the play moved in gasps. The characters and the momentum of the play seemed to hold still like they were holding their breath, and then there’d be a rush of movement and emotion as if everyone was gasping for air before holding it all in again....

Review: A PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY is on at the Masque Theatre
by Faeron Wheeler - October 21, 2022

It’s so good to be back at the Masque Theatre and see an amateur society show being produced again! This week I went to see a dress rehearsal of A PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, produced by Cape Town Theatre Company, just before it opened. This is an original adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic story, whic...

Review: Sylvaine Strike's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGNIA WOOLF? is powerful, punchy and in your face
by Faeron Wheeler - September 23, 2022

WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGNIA WOOLF? has to be one of the most in-your-face pieces of theatre ever written, and it’s as entertaining and relevant today as it was when it debuted 60 years ago. Under the exceptional direction of Sylvaine Strike, this incredible cast had me simultaneously wanting to hide and...

Review: FORDSBURG'S FINEST Takes You on An Emotional Trip Down Memory Lane
by Faeron Wheeler - September 12, 2022

It’s quite amazing that a script written in 1997 about a fledgling democratic South Africa can still be so relevant and haunting in 2022. FORDSBURG’S FINEST by Paul Slabolepszy delivers in heart and in asking some truly tricky questions of the characters and of the audience members....

Review: Original play SO… THAT HAPPENED is on at Milnerton Playhouse
by Faeron Wheeler - September 09, 2022

It’s always exciting when one of the Cape Town societies puts on original work. SO… THAT HAPPENED is made even more interesting in that it’s a sequel or a follow-up from another original work. I really loved that director and writer Werner Asher Steffen and Milnerton Players were able to bring back ...

Review: THE SHELL SINGER Is an Artistic Exploration of A Raw Nerve
by Faeron Wheeler - August 18, 2022

Actress Imke du Toit throws herself into the piece body and soul. Everything about her physicality and her voice says that this character is completely immersed in the turmoil of this nightmare landscape conjured up by the character’s mind....

Review: Sophie Joans is hilarious and captivating in ÎLE
by Faeron Wheeler - August 17, 2022

I’d heard a lot about ÎLE after its highly successful run at the National Arts Festival earlier this year. It won a Gold Standard Bank Ovation Award and audiences had raved about it. So, it’s safe to say that my expectations were high, and the show did not disappoint....