Winner of a Standard Bank Ovation award at National Arts Festival 2014 | Nominated for best script at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival |
Fleur du Cap nominations for script and director

Civil Parting is a savagely funny comedy-drama about two men getting divorced. Glenn and Jean-Pierre have been married for seven years, as long as gay marriage has been legal in South Africa. Things have soured between them but since they are professional, respectable members of the community, they have resolved to divorce amicably. As they are kept waiting alone together in the divorce lawyer's reception, the cracks in their cordiality begin to show.

"Deliciously biting comedy" - Steyn du Toit, Sunday Independent
"[An] acutely observed portrait of relationship failure... the dialogue positively crackles... doesn't exoticise the phenomenon; it turns out the ending of a gay relationship looks much the same as the ending of a straight one " - Rebecca Davis, The Times
"Deliciously funny... believable characters... impeccable sense of dialogue" - Tracey Saunders, Cape Times

Zanne Solomon has a Masters Degree in Drama from Rhodes University, and has most recently performed in an acclaimed Cape Town and National Arts Festival run of Yasmina Reza's The Unexpected Man, which she also produced and directed along with Shaun Acker. Their production received a Standard Bank Ovation award.

Shaun Acker is also a Rhodes graduate with both a bachelor of music and masters degree in drama. As an actor he works both on stage (Get Kraken, The Unexpected Man) and screen (Black Sails, Women in Love BBC). As an aerial dance theorist his work is published at The University of Circus and Dance in Sweden. As a musician he has composed for the late playwright Reza De Wet.

Pieter Bosch Botha recently appeared on stage in Cape Town, Joburg and Grahamstown in his critically-acclaimed show Fully Committed in which he portrayed 36 different characters. He is also something of a theatre all-rounder having directed 19 professional productions to date.

Nicholas Spagnoletti is best known for his hit play London Road which won him a Fleur du Cap and the Olive Schreiner Prize and recently toured to the Edinburgh Fringe as part of The Assembly’s SA Season. His play Special Thanks to Guests from Afar was produced by Artscape and had two runs in Cape Town before touring to the National Arts Festival this year. He also works as a software developer and co-owns Alexander Bar which houses Cape Town’s buzzing micro-theatre Alexander Upstairs.

More of what the press had to say:

"’n seker treffer. Civil Parting gaan egter gehore se lagspiere én traankliere nog lank prikkel." - Marina Griebenow, Die Burger

"Civil Parting will appeal to anyone who knows what the deterioration of a relationship feels like… the show’s actors are dedicated, versatile (pun intended) and a joy to watch… predominantly a comedy of deliciously bitchy one liners [but also with] several unexpected moments of vulnerability" - Steyn du Toit, Sunday Independent

"The plot unfolds beautifully, allowing us glimpses into the characters’ shared pasts and their current endeavours, and it climaxes in the most epic of breakdowns." - Marilu Snyders, Artslink.co.za

"Everything about Civil Parting is agile" - Rebecca Davis, The Times

Media & Reviews

Review of Civil Parting by Tracey Saunders

Review of Civil Parting by Peter Tromp

Review of Civil Parting by Rebecca Davis

Review of Civil Parting by Steyn du Toit

Review of Civil Parting by Robyn Cohen

Listing for Civil Parting

Interview with Shaun Acker for Civil Parting with Peter Tromp

Audience Responses

It was a fun night out at a venue I'd never been to before. I loved the vibe and was very impressed with the show – it was very entertaining.

It was my second viewing - with some Alexander Bar virgins - and they loved both the play and the venue - and want to know when they are returning! The actors are so, so talented and credible - one ends up feeling a bit of a voyeur at the end - maybe it is also the excellent direction and script that makes one feel as if one is looking at them through a window!

A wonderful show - quirky, truthful, poignant, well-written and well-acted. Oh, and funny! But never for it's own sake, which I particularly appreciated.

Love the vibe at Alexander Bar! The "Backstage" article in the Top of the Times (I think!), with background to one of the actors made it extra interesting. Appreciated the early ending, giving time for coffee and a chat afterwards.

Excellent! We look forward to more shows of this calibre

Excellent performance by Shaun!

Wow, what an amazing cast and script. very clever.

Well done!

Funny, engaging and poignant.

Script had potential but acting was wobbly / awkward. Wouldn't really call it comedy either

Hello I thought Civil Parting was a very long show. I don't understand why the man and the woman were shouting at eachother? Warm Regards

Great bar and great show

Fabulous! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Actors were brilliant, organising great and very entertaining.

Loved this play! Hysterically funny and yet poignant and wistful. For my review, see thecaperobyn.blog.spot.com

I loved this play! It is fun, funny, true, real. We have all broken up with someone or have been divorced so it should be seen by everyone.....

Big thank you's for a great evening out! A splendid, funny, bitter-sweet, acid (yet never sad), warm (even when the claws are out) and intimate (even when the office furniture is flying) production. Skilfully written with keenly observed dialogue. Wonderfully real performances, even in moments of high drama. Just the right amount of set & sound to articulate the space. Well paced, keeping us thoroughly entertained (not to mention on the edges of our seats at times) - and really, seriously, deliciously funny (we were also almost on the floor too). Fab!

A most enjoyable evenings entertainment.

It needed abother dimension to keep the audiences attention, ie a third person, waiting room music etc to change things up a little

Wonderful play, very realistically illustrating true emotions. Also very funny & poignant. And Alexander's great atmosphere for befores and afters. What a pleasure all round, Liz

Brilliant. That is all.

Great show! Excellent acting and very "civil".

Brilliant script, acting and timing! Well casted. My only criticism would be is how those two characters could get married in the first place? There didn't seem to be enough common ground. And the one character (forgive me for not remembering their names!) was perhaps too feminine. Those pants....! But very well done and congratulations!

Wonderful play - very funny with underlying poignancy and a snappy 4-word final line! 10/10. Thanks. Liz

Air con made some people a little cold, but the show was great! wonderful performances, and written so well!

It was fantastic.  Great 1 hr entertainment. Nice Nic. The acting was superb - Glen was just brilliant.

Great performances.Enjoyable evening.Told the actors themselves after the show.

Both of us enjoyed it tremendously!  My first time at Alexander and will be first of many.

We loved it loved it loved it. Well done to all involved. A great evening at the theatre...

I absolutely loved the show and so did my friend. Well done to all the cast, director and writer!

Fantastic show & great venue - highly recommended

A really funny play... has you laughing all the way through... very well thought out characters and a great script.

Some funny moments, and a great idea for a play. At times it left me with an incredulous "really??", though (not in a good way). An example would be playing for cheap laughs with nonsensical African phonetic sounds in the composition of the opera. That came across as a lazy creative choice, didn't really make sense, and is actually offensive to Nguni speakers. It made the entire production feel more student-theatre-like than it should, and than one would expect of a production at a professional venue.

2nd time in 7 days - as good as when it was freshly seen. Pity the theatre heat spoilt the comfort of first time guest - he will be returning tho - loved it too (and the bar). Again - congratulations to Nicholas and the excellent cast.

One of the best performances I have seen at the Alexander - funny, sad and most of all so painfully near the truth! Well done!

Wonderful script, superb acting

Loved the show and your venue is also fabulous. Great evening out !!

It was brilliant! HAd me in stitches

Most enjoyable and acting was good

Most enjoyable and well performed.

Absolutely briliant. Superb acting great script, Can imagine seeing this in London its that well acted. Well done.

The show was really good, so real, so funny, so well played. well done.

Civil Parting was wonderful - hilarious but not slapstick, and poignant without over-sentimentality. The actors were fantastic, they had such understanding of their characters. What a pleasure!

loved it!

Great play! True to life. They captured the complex emotions that are felt in divorce very well

Entertaining and surprising, the two characters are totally convincing.

I like the different angle from attacking gay issues of the divorce and the contrasting characters but why must it always be the cliched threesome or catching the partner in bed with someone else as a reason to break up. Something more serious like the one wants to adopt the other not or even ridiculous like the one's constant farting for instance would have worked better

Amusing, need to fix the ventilation though

good idea, and actually portrayed well, but from the offset, the actors were not believable as a couple therefore it took a while to connect with the dialogue...

5 star for the show, the service and the food. Rebecca is "on the ball" More ashtrays outside!!

Excellent - the play, the acting, the venue. Thanks.

Great show - excellent performances! And in the perfect venue.

The gay 'War of the Roses' is funny, sad & heartbreaking - anyone who's been through a break-up and tried to remain 'amicable' can relate. Loved it - still laughing at moments from it the next day :-)

Absolutely loved it...have booked again for tomorrow ...bringing my friends...well done folks...

Absolutely loved it...have booked again for tomorrow ...bringing my friends...well done folks...

Was good, funny, the youngest actor with yellow pants was playing very well his character, well done. Was a nice show. Thank you}

We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Vyfster!

I really enjoyed the show. It had moments that made me laugh out loud and other very tender moments. Nicholas was able to capture the highs and lows and wild mixed emotions that a couple go through when getting devorced.

Loved it ! Such a fun night.

Well done, that was brilliant.

Keenly observed, poignant and viciously funny.

This was the second time I had seen the show, and I enjoyed it again, and so did the folk I encouraged to come along. A good evening's entertainment !!

I loved it! Thanks for a great evening out. The play was clever, funny and a generous reflection on our very human foibles. Thanks : )

I thought the show was really clever and funny and the actors were outstanding! I thoroughly enjoyed it. My one criticism, which is only aesthetic is - Glenn's clothes! I would loose the scarf and beads and maybe wear something less girly ;-). (I just cant imagine JP going for someone who would wear that, even if they did meet 7 years before!)

It's fabulous - filled with moments we've either gone through or wished we'd done - like smashing a windscreen! Huge congrats to everyone involved - your talent and gifts fill me with wonder.

Very enjoyable. Polished performances.

Excellent performance! Beautifully written.

Great & humourus evening. Thank you!

just superb....

Hi Nicholas... WELL DONE what beautifully observed characters both in the writing and in the interpretation. Hysterically funny and at times very moving. We loved it !! The scene where Glenn loses it entirely is priceless. .. Congrats to Shawn and Pieter and Zanne and you. We will see it again... (please get a 2013 diary for JP next time around..) x Roy

Very funny and entertaining, a great way to spend the evening!

Really enjoyed the show. I notice though that you're still having aircon issues. It started blowing cold air and then hot air. It was very hot and stuffy towards the end of the show.

It was brilliant; sad and funny and showed such an accurate reflection of human nature when it comes to the ups and downs of matters of the heart.

Absolutely amazing. Hilarious, well-scripted, acted and directed. Laughing from the word go!

was really awesome. great great great!

highly recommended will see all the shows

brilliant performance from the blond actor well staged play in an intimate theatre environment

Harry Victor (1 person) and I thought it was excellent and extremely well acted. Had a delicious Alexander version of the original Rubin but a steak knife was needed to cut meat. not that it was tough but the the issued knife had lost it's teeth. x

We really enjoyed the show, great to see local scripting and actors in such a welcoming and charming theatre. Please keep me updated on upcoming shows and plays

Hello, I had an absolute jol. Loved every minute of it....funny, poignant...it ran the emotional gamut from A to Z. Hope to stay on your mailing list. Kind regards. Tony

Brilliant, funny, sad, entertaining and a must see

It was my 1st time at your venue and I like the set-up/concept and will certainly return for more shows.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Pity about The Archbishop, but then the children always suffer in a divorce. Great venue and atmosphere. Will be visiting you again.

It was brilliant! Thank you for a wonderful performance.

Wonderful script, superb acting

Excellent, perfectly timed, funny yet poignant.

I thought it was very nicely observed and written, and well-played. It came across to me as a fairly gentle play, rather than a big belly-laugh play; I felt some members of the audience came so intent on laughing really loudly that they kind of missed the real play. The physicality of the struggle was hair-raisingly dangerous-looking in that small space; very adventurous; I'm sure someone could put his back out! A point about casting: am I alone in thinking it slightly implausile that someone quite so Muscle-Mary as JP would hook up with someone quite so effete as Glenn?

Great entertainment. Well done Nicholas! So nice to have a play written for life today, and not always for "the good old days"

It was our first time to the theater and what a great surprise with the quaint and cosy setup. The show was very good and wickedly funny.

good idea, and actually portrayed well, but from the offset, the actors were not believable as a couple therefore it took a while to connect with the dialogue...

Once again a superbly crafted play by an exceptional playwright. The actors crept up on me and I really warmed to them. Poignant, funny a must see xxx

Brilliant!

Civil Parting is fabulous. I enjoyed the way my sympathies swapped around - often - during the play. It is relevant as we have all been through similar situations and a lot of the laughter was due to us reliving those occasions through the play. I will return - perpetually a repeat offender - to see the subtle changes that will be made during the run. Bravo to all for excellent entertaining entertainment.

I thought the bald actor (?Botha)was outstanding and the script was excellent. I found the other actor often unconvincing, weakened the play.

super play, very well played, I went for the second time and enjoyed it again!

Very enjoyable

Brilliant theatre,merci .Very real,believable and gutsy!This was a first- time visit to the bar and theatre,the whole experience was awesome! We can't wait to return!! Glyn

Held our attention - both actors were great. Sound perfect - nicely done. Don't worry about the cordless on the phone - I never noticed. Amusing situations.

Civil parting is just what we have come to expect from Spagnoletti! The dialogue is real, funny and full of South Africanisms that make us laugh at ourselves, but then touch deeply too. For anyone who has ever been in a relationship, for anyone who has ever suffered a break up and for those who have wondered what either of those experiences feels like - don't miss it!

No comments necessary after Robyn Cohen's review as well as Marilu Snyders ! All wonderfully positive and well deserved.

My rating would be 5. The show was excellent. It was my first time at Alexander Bar & I think it's a stunning place, from crowd, to music & the decor was absolutely fantastic. would definetly visit Alexander Bar again & bring me friends along.

The situation/ subject had the potential to offer more opportunity for great humour but fell a little flat in the delivery.

Quick and witty script, often all too close to home. An excellent production with some superb acting!

they were great and I will try to see them once more :-)

Brilliant. Loved it. So funny yet poignant.

Funny, sensitive, dramatic... a great performance, a wonderfully intimate venue, all in all a great night out!

This intimate theater allows you to be transported into the lives of this couple. It is a funny and deeply moving play that anyone who has ever been a part of a long-term relationship that has ended can relate to.

Sharp, witty and biting comedy of contemporary manners. The timing is impeccable with the silences as hilariously significant as the dialogue. Kudos to the sustained performances and clever staging. Philp Todres, mapmyway.co.za

Wonderful play - very funny with underlying poignancy and a snappy 4-word final line! 10/10. Thanks. Liz

Spagnoletti's witty script was sharply delivered with beat-for-beat comic timing by the wonderful duo of Acker and Bosch-Botha. All lovingly brought to life through the expert directing of Zanne Solomon. Loved it.

This was the second time I had seen the show, and I enjoyed it again, and so did the folk I encouraged to come along. A good evening's entertainment !!

It was fantastic. Great 1 hr entertainment. Nice Nic. The acting was superb - Glen was just brilliant.

Great performances, perfect venue. Great addition to a night out in Cape Town :-)

Second time that I've seen it. Very comical. The first time I enjoyed it more - but this was mostly due to the lack of audience participation (they were dull), but it was really enjoyable. I will go to see it again. Thanks for Alexander Bar - we visit quite regularly.