‘Sophiatown' returns in glory at the South African State Theatre

IN AN electric return to the Opera Theatre stage, Sophiatown — a South African musical-drama classic — has entered its fifth season with thunderous applause and renewed urgency.

- BONGANI NICHOLAS NGOMANE

The play, first penned by the Junction Avenue Theatre Company and Malcolm Purkey, and now powerfully directed by the award-winning Aubrey Sekhabi, opened this week to full houses, standing ovations, and a resounding message: memory is not just nostalgia — it is resistance.

Running from May 5 to 21, at the South African State Theatre, the production continues to attract school learners, theatre lovers, and first-time attendees alike, drawing them into a world where jazz, struggle, and community memory collide with haunting familiarity.

Set in the 1950s in a Johannesburg neighbourhood teeming with creativity and cultural fusion, Sophiatown tells the story of a group of politically engaged black South Africans who, in a courageous act of resistance, welcome a white Jewish woman named Ruth Golden into their shared home.

The play unfolds with wit, satire, music, and poignancy, capturing the essence of a community on the brink of erasure — torn apart by apartheid, yet fiercely determined to live, love, and resist.

More than a setting, Sophiatown — fondly known as Kofifi - is the soul of the performance, pulsing through every note, every monologue, every moment of silence.

At the helm of this deeply South African narrative is director Aubrey Sekhabi, Artistic Director of the South African State Theatre, who has remained devoted to the original script while infusing the work with refreshing musical and visual elements.

"This is a South African classic. We must not shy away from doing our classics again and again,” Sekhabi reflects.