https://stagedoor.co.zaThe champion of Joburg theatre: what's on, what's worth your evening, and why. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/frankensteinhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/frankensteinSun, 01 Nov 2026 05:58:38 GMTA story we think we know begins somewhere unexpected, with a newborn who cannot yet stand. By turning Mary Shelley’s novel inside out, this Frankenstein makes us feel the loneliness of being abandoned long before we are asked to judge what that loneliness becomes. It leaves one lingering question: what do we owe the things we bring into the world? https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/macbeth-operahttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/macbeth-operaMon, 26 Oct 2026 20:16:55 GMTVerdi’s Macbeth follows a couple’s slide into ambition, blood and madness, with a score that darkens as their guilt deepens. A chilling chorus of witches, a stained white dress and singing full of heartbreak make this a tale of power and conscience that still feels uncomfortably current. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/hairsprayhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/hairsprayMon, 26 Oct 2026 19:23:33 GMTHairspray returns to a South African stage with big voices, non-stop dancing and a story about the right to be seen that lands as warmly as ever. It is a joyful, fast-moving evening that has you laughing first and thinking a little later. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/the-agentshttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/the-agentsFri, 23 Oct 2026 06:17:42 GMTEstate agents, property influencers and neighbourhood watch groups get the full satirical treatment in a show that is silly, strange and gleefully committed. It is the kind of comedy that leaves you almost beside yourself, with a gentle sting about the way we sell and buy the South African dream. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/ladies-of-lavarehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/ladies-of-lavareFri, 02 Oct 2026 03:33:55 GMTTwo sisters, one bathtub and a birthday cake burning in the oven. Ladies of Lavare turns an absurd predicament into a warm, funny and surprisingly moving look at growing older. Part comedy, part journey through memory, it meets our fears about ageing with grace and leaves plenty of room for joy. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/laughablehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/laughableThu, 24 Sep 2026 12:34:24 GMTA comedian best known for turning domestic chaos into punchlines goes somewhere braver this time, sitting with grief and loss without ever losing the laughs. It runs quieter than his usual pace, but that restraint is exactly what makes it land. A recognisable, relieving hour for anyone whose life hasn't quite gone to plan. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/met-twenty-years-anniversaryhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/met-twenty-years-anniversaryThu, 24 Sep 2026 11:49:37 GMTTwenty years ago, the Metropolitan Opera made a risky bet that live opera could travel to a cinema screen without losing its power. This anniversary reel, spanning two decades of the Met's greatest broadcast moments, makes the case that the gamble paid off, and reminds us what it means for world-class opera to become genuinely accessible. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/prima-faciehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/prima-facieMon, 21 Sep 2026 13:21:00 GMTA woman who has spent her career trusting the legal system finds herself on the other side of it, and discovers how little room that system leaves for memory, fear and trauma. This is theatre that refuses to let you settle, built around a performance that leaves you as breathless as its subject, grappling with what justice actually costs. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/imagine-africahttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/imagine-africaSun, 20 Sep 2026 17:55:04 GMTThis children's theatre production, drawing on the work of storyteller Dr Gcina Mhlophe, strings together short, self-contained African folktales, each one separated by song and dance, into a delightful show. Full of audience participation and warmth, it proves heritage is best passed on through joy rather than lecture. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/ms-b-havedhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/ms-b-havedSun, 20 Sep 2026 17:33:27 GMTA veteran teacher sits suspended, awaiting her fate, in a solo show that finds the comedy and the quiet dread lurking in modern education. It's a funny, sharply observed hour that lands hardest for anyone who's ever sat on either side of a parent-teacher meeting. Expect real laughs, a few uncomfortable ones, and a lot of recognition. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/sade-in-hollandse-kombuisehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/sade-in-hollandse-kombuiseFri, 11 Sep 2026 09:58:45 GMTA young woman digs through the soil of her family's past and unearths the objects buried there, each one forcing her to confront pride, discomfort, and the messy business of belonging to Afrikaans identity and culture. A generous, clear eyed hour of theatre that stayed with me long after the lights came up. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/semi-soet-the-musicalhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/semi-soet-the-musicalTue, 08 Sep 2026 09:51:01 GMTA rusty grasp of Afrikaans couldn't get in the way of a good time at this rom-com musical. Between a catchy score, gorgeous sets and a scene-stealing supporting cast, this is old-fashioned romantic comedy done with genuine craft and joy. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/rolands-cavehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/rolands-caveTue, 08 Sep 2026 09:04:59 GMTA wealthy businessman gets stranded in a Drakensberg cave with nothing but his own thoughts for company, and what surfaces is funnier, sadder and more familiar than he bargained for. A solo show about the parts of ourselves we bury to get ahead, told with warmth, humour and a distinctly South African sense of place. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/peter-pan-jr-centurionhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/peter-pan-jr-centurionFri, 14 Aug 2026 08:06:50 GMTA puppet dog, a scene-stealing crocodile, and a cast of fourty young performers bringing Neverland to life with real polish and plenty of heart. This is a Peter Pan Jr. that earns its magic honestly, and leaves you humming all the way home. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/sarajevo-revisitedhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/sarajevo-revisitedTue, 11 Aug 2026 15:02:23 GMTA second viewing of a devastating play changes everything and nothing. Knowing exactly where three childhood friends are headed only sharpens the ache of watching them get there, while two new performances offer fresh ways into old wounds. A haunting return season that loses none of its power the second time around. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/once-upon-a-teacuphttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/once-upon-a-teacupFri, 31 Jul 2026 07:36:51 GMTA one-woman show built from light, shadow and rhyme, Once Upon a Teacup follows a young girl's journey from the boundless imagination of childhood into the harder realities of growing up. Whimsical, patient and unexpectedly brave, it's a small production that leaves a lasting impression. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/inter-aliahttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/inter-aliaThu, 30 Jul 2026 05:28:19 GMTA Crown Court judge who can command any courtroom finds herself powerless in her own home when an unthinkable event threatens to unravel everything she's built. This breathless production, anchored by a towering central performance, barely lets you catch your breath, and that's exactly why it works. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/words-and-nightmareshttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/words-and-nightmaresFri, 24 Jul 2026 07:44:44 GMTA journalist meant to be reporting on war finds himself living inside it, pulled into the lives of ordinary people caught in conflicts across Palestine and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, and Rwanda. This solo show refuses to let global tragedy stay abstract, insisting instead on names, families and single unbearable moments. Difficult, essential viewing for a world that feels increasingly on edge. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/the-big-bad-musicalhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/the-big-bad-musicalMon, 20 Jul 2026 06:21:44 GMTThe Big Bad Wolf is on trial, and the audience gets to decide his fate. This joyful, high-energy courtroom comedy uses fairy-tale mischief to smuggle in a message worth taking seriously: every story has two sides. A properly fun night out for the whole family. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/thumbelinahttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/thumbelinaThu, 16 Jul 2026 15:24:40 GMTA tiny heroine, a room full of four to eight year olds, and a production that knows exactly who it's for. The Adventures of Thumbelina turns careful pacing, audience participation and a few familiar faces into a thoroughly joyful afternoon, and why that precision matters more than it might seem. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/midnight-in-paryshttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/midnight-in-parysSun, 12 Jul 2026 13:34:12 GMTTwo strangers. One long night. A secret neither of them saw coming. What starts as small talk slowly becomes something much harder to walk away from. This is a play that asks what we're willing to do, and give up, for the people we love. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/constellationshttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/constellationsThu, 25 Jun 2026 10:29:48 GMTConstellations is, on its face, a love story told across parallel universes. But this remarkable play has something harder and more important to say about choice, agency, and who gets to decide how a life ends. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/rites-and-ritualshttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/rites-and-ritualsSun, 21 Jun 2026 05:58:23 GMTMoving into Dance's Rites and Rituals programme is a celebration of female choreographic legacy and a powerful reminder of what the human body is capable of when trained, guided, and given something true to say. Three works, spanning ritual, youth, and gender-based violence, add up to one of the most moving evenings of dance Johannesburg has to offer. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/peter-pan-jrhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/peter-pan-jrWed, 17 Jun 2026 14:32:04 GMTPeter Pan Jr. is a joyful, visually inventive production that captures both the wonder of childhood and the bittersweet reality of growing up. With a superb cast of adults and children, magical flying effects, and genuine heart, this is a trip to Neverland well worth taking. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/frida-y-diegohttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/frida-y-diegoWed, 10 Jun 2026 10:06:09 GMTGabriela Lena Frank's El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego is a genuinely rare thing: a contemporary opera that is as visually ravishing as it is emotionally profound. It brings Frida Kahlo back from the underworld for one final reckoning with love, pain, and the enduring power of art. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/soft-vengeancehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/soft-vengeanceMon, 11 May 2026 05:46:02 GMTAt 91, Albie Sachs remains one of the most quietly extraordinary figures in South Africa's history: a man who survived a car bomb, helped write the Constitution, and chose grace over revenge at every turn. This new one-person play captures his remarkable life with warmth, lyricism, and a central performance of rare emotional honesty. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/behind-the-crimson-doorhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/behind-the-crimson-doorTue, 28 Apr 2026 08:38:45 GMTWhat happens when South Africa's most theatrically-minded fashion designer partners with one of Johannesburg's most daring cirque companies? Behind The Crimson Door is the thrilling answer: a collision of couture, aerial performance, and storytelling that you simply have to see to believe. Go for the athleticism, the beauty, the fashion, and the music. Let the show do the rest. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/the-return-of-elvis-du-pisaniehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/the-return-of-elvis-du-pisanieSat, 18 Apr 2026 14:43:16 GMTPaul Slabolepszy's beloved classic returns to the Joburg stage in a production that is funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately, deeply uplifting. Ashley Dowds builds an entire world from nothing but a street lamp and his own extraordinary skill, drawing audiences into one of the most distinctly South African stories ever written for the theatre. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/tristan-und-isoldehttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/tristan-und-isoldeFri, 03 Apr 2026 08:54:36 GMTWagner's Tristan und Isolde is one of the most extraordinary works in the history of Western music, and experiencing it on the big screen is something close to a revelation. This is a review for anyone who has ever wondered whether opera might be for them, and for anyone who already knows it is. https://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/charlie-and-the-chocolate-factoryhttps://stagedoor.co.za/reviews/charlie-and-the-chocolate-factorySun, 29 Mar 2026 17:01:46 GMTRoald Dahl's story of golden tickets and quiet goodness is as potent as ever, and Pretoria Youth Theatre's production brings it to life with infectious energy, committed young performers, and a warmth that fills the room. A joyful treat for families and anyone who still believes in a little magic.