Life and Times of Michael K

7 - 19 June | Nightly at 19:00
14:00 Matinees on 12, 16 & 19 June
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)
No age restriction

The highly anticipated production of JM Coetzee’s Booker Prize-winning, Life and Times of Michael K, directed and adapted for the stage by Lara Foot, in collaboration with the Tony Award-winning Handspring Puppet Company (from the hit production War Horse-fame), will run at The Baxter in June.

The production is a mammoth undertaking that combines puppetry direction from Adrian Kholer and Basil Jones of Handspring Puppet Company as well as film, evocative music and a formidable cast and creative team made up by Sandra Prinsloo, Andrew Buckland, Fansiwa Yisa, Carlo Daniels, Billy Langa, Roshina Ratnam, Marty Kintu, Markus Schabbing, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe and puppet master Craig Leo with music by Kyle Shepherd and set design by Patrick Curtis.

This is a hauntingly beautiful story that follows Michael K, a simple man who embarks on a journey through a South Africa, shattered by civil war, to return his mother to the farm where she was born. He finds strength in his own humanity and his profound connection to the earth.

The production is an international partnership between The Baxter, Theater der Welt Düsseldorf 2020, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.

Tickets Price: R250. Book online here.
Group Discount: R200. Book with Leon or Carmen (contact details below)
First Performance Group Discount (7 July ONLY): R100 for student groups. R150 for senior groups. Book with Leon or Carmen (contact details below)

Kiss of the Spider Woman

5 - 19 June | Nightly at 19:00
14:00 Matinees on 5, 12 & 19 June
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes (no interval)
Age restriction: 15 (L)

Booking is now open for the modern classic, Marcel Puig’s extraordinary play, Kiss of the Spider Woman, directed by the multi-award-winning Sylvaine Strike, at The Baxter this June.

Strike directs a stellar cast with Mbulelo Grootboom (Rainbow Scars, Iagos Last Dance, Hamlet) as Valentin and Wessel Pretorius (Ont, Die Ontelbare 48, Balbesit) as Molina, in this journey of self-awareness, intrigue, romance, revolution, love and betrayal, with lighting design by Mannie Manim, set and costume design by Wolf Britz and music by Brendan Jury.

Originally written in Spanish in 1972 by Puig, translated into English by Allan Baker, Kiss of the Spider Woman, has captured the attention of audiences for its romantic drama, political outcry and postmodern style portrayed through its two characters, Molina and Valentin. It was adapted for the stage in 1983. The plot follows two cellmates who pass their time in a prison, by remembering and reinventing classics of the silver screen. What at first seems to be a simple and straightforward - if not casual - story of two people who appear to be opposites (the romantic and the revolutionary), instead reveals a story of political intrigue and double-crossing.

Starting out as a contest between two opposite personalities, it soon expands into a choice between two completely different attitudes to life. The choice is not sexual, although for a long time it seems so. It is between freedom and slavery.

“While we now exist in a time where confinement and lockdown are a part of our everyday vocabulary, we also live in a world where it is crucial to re-examine and expand our limited understanding of gender politics,” says Strike. “The choice to stage this seminal play in today’s revolutionary climate seems obvious and necessary.”

Tickets Price: R170 (Mon - Wed) & R200 (Thu - Sat). Book online here.
Block Booking Rate: R125. Book with Leon or Carmen (contact details below)

For Block Bookings, please contact:

Leon van Zyl | leon.vanzyl@uct.ac.za | 021 680 3972
Carmen Kearns | carmen.kearns@uct.ac.za | 021 680 3993

COVID-19 Safety Protocols at The Baxter: What to Expect

All performances at The Baxter will be limited to a maximum of 250 patrons, or fifty percent capacity in smaller venues, with all COVID-19 protocols in place. These will include the availability of hand sanitisers at various points, temperature checks, tracking and tracing recorded when you enter the building, compulsory wearing of masks and social distancing. Patrons and audience members are advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the performance to avoid delays.