London Road
The beautiful, poignant story of an unlikely friendship between two women, neighbours in a block of flats in Sea Point. Rosa is an elderly Jewish widow. Stella is a Nigerian immigrant cagey about the details of her import/export business. Their lives collide after an incident of violence, and gradually they discover much in common - families scattered around the world, old grudges, lost loves and a fiery verve for life. Funny and heartbreaking with powerful, detailed performances.
Winner of 3 Fleur du Caps, a Naledi, the Standard Bank Golden Ovation Award 2010 and the Olive Schreiner Prize for drama; Top-seller at the National Arts Festival three years in a row; and most recently Robyn Scott won the prestigious Stage Award for Best Actress at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe!
“…simply brilliant… radiates beauty and empathy.” Sunday Independent
“Memorable, mesmerising, magnificent” Citizen
“a treasure…. a warm, witty and wise drama” Business Day
“…feels like a little miracle.” The Next 48 Hours
“The humour is gentle, the drama and pathos understated … brought to life by two formidable stage talents …” Sunday Times;
“A beautifully written script performed magnificently by two very talented women and directed with such beautiful eloquence. This play raises the bar on new South African writing for theatre.” Ismail Mahomed, National Arts Festival Director
“…awash with lingering powerful images.” Cape Times
“Go to London Road. It’s worth the journey.” Cape Argus
“Die 36-jarige Scott in die rol van die bejaarde Rosa Kaplowitz is verbysterend… Makhutshi is pragtig en het ‘n sterk teenwoordigheid op die verhoog.” Die Burger
“…..Spagnoletti has both a good ear for dialogue and a camp sense of humour…This is indeed promising new work.” Mail and Guardian
“…… an absolute master class in movement and breath….” www.writingstudio.co.za
Media & Reviews
Press Release for London Road
Audience Responses
Poignant and touching I enjoyed it and the bar Is lovely :)
I am sorry to say that I was disappointed. I felt that it was a badly written play with uninteresting racial stereotypes. The characters were one-dimensional and rather ameture
Gentle, subtle...like a snow flake drifting passed the window of these two peoples lives. I did think however there was a lot more to extrapolate in terms character for the Nigerian character. Bit bland... which pushed the Jewish woman a little into caricature. She could have been better matched. More attitude, and character study would go a long way to balance the performances. All that said I think it was delicately written and staged. Lots of love to all involved!!
Loved it
Wow, what an amazingly vivid and powerful portrayal of our human condition. Brilliantly capturing the sense of relief, friendship and companionship that grows of being able to reach out to another. Fynn Corry
Wonderful - the whole evening at Alexander Bar was an inspiration. London Road was perfect.
Well-acted, but somewhat lacking in nuance. Not much evolution of characters making it difficult to be drawn into their lives. Perhaps script needs to be dramaturged. Good effort & charming venue, however. We'll be back... Thanks
Just Skype'd my friend in Edinburgh - made him book and pay for his ticket while we were online, with his solemn vow to alert every name on his mailing list to do the same. Any further comment needed?
So wonderful. Second time I have seen it and will come back again, the perfect balance between the happy and sad.
Fantastic ! Both actors are superb - and the script is great. And Robyn is NOT too much - she is just wonderful and I wish you all the very best in Edinburghrghrghrgh.. x Roy Hunter
Robyn Scott was brilliant!
wowowowowowowowowow well done to all involved, good luck for your run in Scotland.
Superb play, excellent meal and a wonderful venue - we will definitely be back
London Road was an extremely heart touching play. I really enjoyed it. Something of that caliber really deserves a wider audience.
An incredible performance... two of the best actresses, performing a stunning script, directed to perfection! Wow!
Loveed it!! It felt like I was in the room with the ladies sharing in their pain & laughter. A must see !
Breathtaking performances. I was transfixed from beginning to end. Bravo!
Amazing show!
Best I can do,in haste, is a list of adjectives...stirring, searing, achingly poignant,brilliantly played, moving, insightful, heart-warming, intense and profound. LOVED IT!!!
Excellent
As a Sea Point resident I found the local references very interesting and the dialogue clever - really enjoyed it - and what a fine pair of talanted actresses! My friend in Edinburugh is going to see it at the fringe, I shall tell her to take tissues with her for both the funny and sad tears...Thanks!
it was great! I was surprised that the audience wasn't full... perhaps some improvements to marketing?
Absolutely stunning-very moving
Superb acting. Poignant, touching, intensely intimate and personal in the venue.
London Road absolutely blew us away. The actress who played Rosa gave one of the most stunning live performances we've ever witnessed. Our only complaint was that you didn't keep the lights dimmed for longer at the end to give us time to absorb what we had seen. My husband and I couldn't stop crying. It was an incredibly touching performance. Thank you. P.S. The complimentary port upon exiting was a lovely touch!
5 star show , service and total experience . Had seen it before in Grahamstown but enjoyed it immensely the second time as did the friends who I encouraged to come and see it. Thank you Nicholas and the cast.!Service, ambience and entire experience memorable. Will visit again when back in C T
Excellent! First show at Alexander Bar and will be back for more. Thank you
Exceptional! Absolutely exceptional! I have no doubt there will be countless standing ovations in Scotland. Congratulations. Ps. I really hope for the opportunity to see it again some day! Xg
Amazing performances. Thanks for a really great show.
Second time I've watched London Road and I thought it was absolutely outstanding. Beautiful little theatre too. Thanks for a fabulous evening.
wowowowowowowowowow well done to all involved, good luck for your run in Scotland.
It was fantastic and so was the whole experience before and after the show. Service, food and vibe great
5 star show , service and total experience . Had seen it before in Grahamstown but enjoyed it immensely the second time as did the friends who I encouraged to come and see it. Thank you Nicholas and the cast.!Service, ambience and entire experience memorable. Will visit again when back in C T
It was THE MOST AMAZING show ever watched. It makes me proud to work for the AMAZING person who wrote the play and it is so wonderful to know those ladies that performed. I have never cried that much in my life. I tell u now that that play is a must watch... Good luck for the future guys mwah love u lots. That's definitely a 10 for me :)
3rd time around. Loved it in the venue. Was moved to learn that Peter Hayes would have been in the audience last night.
Even though I believe there are no words to describe how good the story is and how good the actress were… I try to find three… amazing profound, touching… thank you so much!!!
Best I can do,in haste, is a list of adjectives...stirring, searing, achingly poignant,brilliantly played, moving, insightful, heart-warming, intense and profound. LOVED IT!!!
Second time I had seen it, and enjoyed it even more!
This was second time around. I thought Robyn Scott over-acted compared to the first season, but overall I enjoyed the play. Good luck for the Edinburgh Festival! Robyn's accent here may prove a bit of a problem for foreigners and could perhaps be slightly modified to allow for this.
Absolutely brilliant script and acting .... a wonderful show that made you laugh until you cry and then brings you to real emotional tears. Can see why it has won so many awards.
Really enjoyed the show. Was very moving and the acting was wonderful.
Excellent character work. Loved the use of staging and constant presence of actors on stage. The character work also served to ensure a connection between audience and character. Well done Nicholas and his team. Im sure we shall see you on the international stage soon!
Beautiful performances, beautiful script - worked very well in the intimate venue. Fantastic night of theatre!
Wow, amazing, incredible. We laughed, we cried - it is fantastic. Robyn and Ntombi are amazing together. I walked away needing to phone my mother and asking if I am giving enough back.... Thank you for a beautiful evening and a mind-blowing performance! Good luck in Edinburgh - I know you guys are gonna smash it. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, I love it there and I am sure you will too! Come home with many stories of standing ovations, new sights seen and laughter shared!!
We really enjoyed it, thanks, and plan to visit the Alexander Bar & Upstairs again, some time. kind regards David & Deanna Paul
Magic. Brilliant script. Amazing acting. Incredible direction. Loved every moment of it. World class theatre. Thanks for bringing this wonderful play back. It is theatre in its purest form.
Well-acted, but somewhat lacking in nuance. Not much evolution of characters making it difficult to be drawn into their lives. Perhaps script needs to be dramaturged. Good effort & charming venue, however. We'll be back... Thanks
What a special, well written play. Heartwarming and incredibly moving. Put's life into perspective. Sad, funny, well executed, amazingly acted. I cried ALOT. cathartic. 5/'5
10 out of 5!!!! Unbelievably brilliant. So well written and performed. Congratulations Nicholas!!! In my top 3 plays I've seen in last 40yrs!!!
5/5. Really enjoyed the show.
loved the show - never faltered in pace- and ended beautifully had me laughing out loud!
Play fabulous, as expected but I am finally remembering at an appropriate time that I've been meaning to say for ages that your hand soap is awful. Which is rather jarring, when everything else is so nice.
I was blown away. One of the best productions I have seen, ever! Thank you, thank you and lots of South African love and best wishes for the Edinburgh festival.
Awesome show. Great acting, perfect length, really entertaining. Venue was unbelievably hot though - really uncomfortable. Some of our party said they even felt claustrophobic because of the heat. Need some air/AC through there. Awesome evening overall.
Nic is a genius. Acting brilliant. Production charming and intimate - down to the sound guy delicately eating the last cookie in the post many bodies almost empty room after. Excruciating. Offering something too to those of us who will age childless. It made me want to fall in love again, not the build a relationship kind, but love in that way that leaves only the choice to push through the fear or to obliterate till something smaller.
An excellent example of the great things that SA theatre has to offer! Entertainment at its best! Look forward to another year of goodies at the Alexander. Need to get your loos sorted though!
Clearly the fruit of intelligent adjustment, performer responsiveness has honed the narrative into an ideal vehicle from highly relevant improvised material; a confluence of humble theme and radical performance with limited content.
very well acted. lots of emotion. not sure how audiences who can't relate to the location will find it? but i would recommend to a friend anyway.
Phenomenal Enjoyed every minute of it
This was my second viewing and it was as poignant and thought-provoking as my first. So brilliantly acted and so relevant.
It was worth all the fuss. I've missed the running of it three times already. A mangled feel: the truest feel
The direction was excellent and Robyn Scott mind-blowing. A truly memorable experience.
Actors were extraordinary. The show flowed easily; the story magnificent in simplicity and beauty
Absolutely Outstanding!!! Thanks for a wonderful evening. Graham Merrill
BRILLIANT XXXX
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Brilliant play! Cleverly nuanced, funny, witty and moving. A real New South African gem.
Really enjoyed the show. Was very moving and the acting was wonderful.
Hi Nic, We're sorry we didn't see you after the show to say how moved we both were. The story was so real and the actors were brilliant, brilliant. I love plays and this is the first good one I've seen in years and years. What we both liked was that it felt like 'home', it felt like so much like our own experiences of family and brought up hectic emotions. And then the way that what really matters is the friendships, the unlikely friendships we make in the midst of loneliness. I bought the book because there were some classic quotes and my memory is terrible. I'd also like to share some of it with my students, maybe not all of it but maybe a scene to act out. Maybe it's more for adults, but if you see the crazy Athol Fugard stuff they have on the 'prescribed list' nowadays, this is like The Golden Girls. Well actually it really is a bit like the Golden Girls. (a compliment). Thanks so much for making this.
I didn't think the actor playing the Nigerian Woman was the right choice and she was not as good as the woman playing rosa. The woman playing rosa was absolutely incredible, and made the play exceptional.
Thanks for a fantastic show. I couldn't fault it and the acting was stupendous!! I was left with tears in my eyes, very moving indeed. I have lived in Sea Point all my life and the play touched on everything that I remember about that area. Good luck in Edinburgh. Kind regards, Hazel P.S. Your establishment is also very nice indeed.