A Little Perspective

Production: The Good White Playwright: Mike Van Graan Director: Greg Homann Cast: Vusi Kunene, Renate Stuurman, Shonisani Masutha, Russel Savadier Venue: The Market Theatre Dates: Showing until June 1, 2025 Wake Up Call From the moment "The Good White" begins, the audience is confronted with an aggressive demand to "wake up!" – a powerful call to action that sets the tone for what follows. Set against the backdrop of the turbulent 2016 Fees Must Fall protests at the University of Cape Town, Mike Van Graan's play dives headfirst into South Africa's most uncomfortable conversations about race, privilege, and the nation's ongoing struggle with inequality. Masterful Complexity Van Graan once again demonstrates his exceptional talent for presenting politically charged and contentious issues in ways that feel profoundly human and relatable. What distinguishes his writing is his refusal to deal in simple binaries or easy answers. Instead, he creates character...

Circus Sensation in the Suburbs Janice Honeyman Brings Moon Magic to Randburg Who would have thunk that nestled in the heart of suburban Randburg, between the chemists and coffee shops of Cresta Shopping Centre, you'd find a slice of cirque-theatre magic? Yet there it is – "Malo and the Moon Maiden," a whimsical circus spectacle that had the little boy sitting in front of me lost in a world of wonder with no smart devices in sight. This production is classic Janice Honeyman AKA Mama J, and as expected, South Africa's theatre luminary brings her particular flair for local-flavoured jokes and playful rhyming couplets to this boutique cirque stage. The result? A heart-warming tale of forbidden love between a lovelorn clown and a celestial moon maiden that manages to enchant both youngsters and ‘vintage’ youngsters alike. The cast is universally talented, and Daniel Buckland as Malo gives a charming portrayal of the besotted clown who has seen better days, although Dan st...

A love letter to loneliness. Theatre review By Bruce J. Little Photo credit: Daniel Rutland Manners Judging by the exceptional Sunday evening attendance in such an expansive venue, this production hardly needs my endorsement—it’s already a triumph. Cape Town audiences embraced it, and now Johannesburg seems to be following suit. See it before it sells out.  Around me, the audience was visibly swept up in the narrative—an ideal response. They took every step of the journey that this immensely talented creative team laid before them. I won’t delve too deeply into the plot (so no spoilers here), because this is a production best experienced firsthand. Instead, I’d rather highlight what makes this show so extraordinary. Credit: Daniel Rutland Manners There are already several beautifully crafted reviews circulating, so I won’t rehash the basics. But here’s what you need to know: The cast is both immensely skilled and deeply gifted. Their natural talent is undeniable, but so too is the ...

A Doll’s Life: More Than Mere Child’s Play Although it shouldn’t be confused with Henrik Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House , Micaela Jade Tucker’s one-woman show, A Doll’s Life , shares more with the antique Norwegian drama school staple than just a toy reference. Both works serve as feminist parables, grappling with the challenges women face in their quest for sovereignty, authenticity and independence. Micaela is a riot. However, while Ibsen’s Nora contends with the overtly patriarchal constraints of the 1870s, Micaela’s sharp, outrageous, and delightfully raunchy autobiographical production highlights the more insidious inequalities, double standards, and hypocrisies of today—reminding us that, despite supposed progress, stigma and misogyny are alive and well in 2025. A woman's body and what she does with it should be her business. Why is this still being debated? The show does a great job of showcasing the absurdity of policing female bodies.  Serious subject matter but still se...

A new play written by Paul Slabolepszy  Directed by Lesedi Job   Produced by Weslee Lauder   At Pieter Toerien’s Montecasino Theatre and Studio, until March 16, 2025   Featuring: André Odendaal, Oarabile Ditsele and Chantal Stanfield. THE VERDICT: A powerful, must-see production that transcends personal drama to become a searing commentary on South Africa's treatment of its artistic legacy. Masterfully written and performed. In Paul Slabolepszy's latest work, a veteran actor played by André Odendaal faces his winter years with diminishing prospects and mounting struggles, in an encounter with a young rising star, Oarabile Ditsele, presently basking in the newfound limelight of fame and financial success.  Once celebrated on stage and screen, the no longer established artist now finds himself ‘out in the cold’ navigating an industry that increasingly views him as irrelevant. The fledgling performer must contend with a fickle success that may we...

One of the cool things about being 43 is that you begin to start making peace with a number of things that you will probably never be. For example, it's highly unlikely at this stage that I will be a supermodel or triathlete, and in a similar vein my being a dad window also feels like it may have expired. Fortunately, I was approached by an organisation on Grindr last year enquiring if I was interested in being a porn star so that doesn't appear to be a ship that has sailed - yet. I know that a great many people only achieve their finest life's work much later in life (people harp on about Anthony Hopkins coming into his fame well after coming into his first grey pubes) so I don't feel like I'm past my sell by date by any means. I just appreciate some of the pressure being lifted. I mean, the responsibilty of being the next tech billionnaire doesn't seem to be a burden that I will have to bear. It's all still very exciting and mysterious, my future....