Show Archive

The premise of the piece is very simple. It’s about men talking about women; their mothers, daughters, lovers and others. Except in the telling these men inadvertently reveal more about themselves than the women concerned’ –Greig CoetzeeThis one-man show presents an intimate journey of self-discovery through the stories of four white South African men - a Comrades marathon runner tries

Luella Holland takes a stab at social media in this hysterical romp! From Facebook to Twitter, Whatsapp to Skype, her side-splitting antics will leave you in stitches as she plays all the instantly-recognisable characters we encounter within our social circles. Interspersed with songs and sketches, it’s the cheeky musical comedy ripped from YOUR newsfeed! 

The Phil Spectrum is the debut show written and produced by comedian and radio broadcaster Phil de Lange. It cleverly integrates stand-up, music, and radio sketches. The show's content can be described as a blend of irreverent political commentary, ukulele songs, satire and disarming self-deprecation. "Ukulele rockstar Phil de Lange brilliantly straddles political awareness and tongue-in-cheek humour. His slightly self-depreciating humour

Acclaimed guitarist James Grace presents his new show, Guitar Hero which recently debuted at the Stellenbosch University Wordfees. Guitar Hero pays tribute to the 20th century’s guitar icons and includes music by The Shadows, The Beatles, Eric Clapton and of course the Spanish greats. Featuring unique arrangements for solo guitar by James Grace, Guitar Hero celebrates the diversity of the

Fresh from sold out shows at the 2015 National Arts Festival. The award winning Mawonga Gayiya, from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, has performed his hilarious magic widely from China to Las Vegas. Experience an impossible hour of non stop laughs and gasps as Mawonga shares his life and magic. 100% guaranteed to Astonish.

Award winning Father, Father. Father! is a devised theatre piece created by Roberto Pombo, Joni Barnard and Racheal Neary, directed by Toni Morkel. The show follows the story of three sister, locked in the basement, awaiting the return of their father. And a big black horse. “The evolving metaphors and symbolism of this ridiculously quirky fantasy, with a menacing twist, underpin

Celebrated Writer, Director and Performer J.Bobs Tshabalala is back in Cape Town with his live game show Off The Record.What is it you ask?Is it improvisation, theatre sports, stand up comedy?It does borrow from the tropes of theatre sports. It does demand an inclination toward improvisation. There are elements of stand-up comedy in it. But, all in all, these are

In a time where our existence is protest, what can one do but embrace it through song.SOME DAYS returns to the Alexander Bar Upstairs after a sold-out first run. The music revue, starring Cleo Raatus (District Six: Kanala), Tankiso Mamabolo (Nothing But The Truth) and Sizwesandile Mnisi (Woza Albert!), is set to the themes of resilience, pain, joy and strife

The return of the behind-the-scenes hit! One restaurant, 1 actor, 36 Characters, and over 200 character changes! This smash hit Off-Broadway comedy is spiced up with a whole lot of familiar homegrown flair. Starring Pieter Bosch Botha and directed by Megan Furniss and written by award-winning American playwright, Becky Mode.This devastatingly funny one act follows a day in the life

Graham Clarke revives his award-winning performance of the late American author Shel Silverstein's epic one-man comedy poem. It is filled with a mixture of profanity and profound wisdom.Billy Markham is an out of work blues singer. A boozer and loser, Billy is in a bar one evening where he is challenged to a game of dice by the Devil; the

Valencia is the Donald Trump of coloured female constables - totally unapologetic in her campaign to take back Bellville from “Klein Somalia” and “make it great again”. Her greatest fear is that her community is becoming overrun with prostitutes and Boko Haram, curtain-wearing terrorists. She speaks the prejudices that many silently harbour with grotesque zeal and bombastic charisma.Through cutting satire,

After a sold out run Cape Town’s vibrant, new musical theatre company, Mixing Bowl Productions returns to Alexander Bar with No Jazz Hands Allowed. No Jazz Hands Allowed is a concert series, which showcases unkown contemporary musical theatre pieces performed by a cast comprising of Cape Town’s top performers and vocalists. From comical to pensive, the pieces explore contemporary experiences

Cape Town’s vibrant, new musical theatre company, Mixing Bowl Productions present a three night New Musical Theatre Festival. Three concerts over three nights of brand new, unknown contemporary musical theatre pieces performed by a cast compromising of Cape Town’s top vocalists alongside some brilliant undiscovered talent. From comical to poignant, the pieces explore contemporary experiences of love, loss, sex (GASP)

Hot on the heels of their completely sold out short form improv festival at Alexander Bar, the ImproGuise team are gearing up for a run of brilliant, diverse and exciting long form improv. Aptly named ImproGuise Presents The Style High Club, each of five nights will be devoted to completely improvised hour long shows.

ImproGuise, Cape Town’s oldest and award winning improv troupe present their fifth, week-long annual improv festival. 6 Nights of different formats, some new and some old audience favourites. New formats include Alexander Abbey- a period drama,  “WestWord “– a word from the audience that allows them to improv travel, and The Show Currently Known as Tribute – an improvised tribute

Get ready to have your senses tickled, tittilated and tantalized with the musical stylings of Lola; an eccentric diva on a quest to find fame, fortune and a role that doesn’t require her to play a prostitute, gaatjie or domestic worker whilst keeping her front teeth.This clora gertie has a new agenda, so get ready Cape Town...

The GingerbreadMan Collective returns with their comedy double bill; Anton Chekhov’s The Bear and The Proposal. The hilarious staging of two of Chekhov’s short plays explores the relationship between man and woman. It’s a story of contrasts, evident in the six diverse characters that the cast of three interprets. 

DLA presents sleight of hand artist Stuart Lightbody in “Senseless”, a playful evening of absurd impossibilities. Stuart Lightbody has just arrived back from a sold-out run at the Fringe World Festival in Perth and is trying out a bunch of crazy new ideas and stunts, all to raise money for the DLA AfrikaBurn theme camp!Join us for an immersive experience

Back by popular demand after sold out performances for ONE night only, From the creators of "The Woods" and "Romeo and Juliet, Sort Of" comes "Dating, Mating and Relating for Dummies".A comedic compilation of Monologues, Duologue's and Scenes taking on the hilarious, awkward, embarrassing and completely normal experiences that Dating, Mating and Relating to the world around us have to

From the minds of two of Cape Towns sketchiest broads, Jessica Munna and Tamith Hattingh. Mother City Sketch Show returns to the Alexander bar with its latest creation: Hello & Welcome... A two woman comedy sketch show exploring everyday topics with a gaggle of quirky characters and a pinch of absurdity salt.

After a successful run at the Cape Town Fringe Festival, Harold Pinter's 'Ashes to Ashes' comes to Alexander Bar. On a summer evening, Rebecca recalls a sadomasochistic ritual between her and a past over. An intrigued Devlin proceeds to interrogate her in an attempt to rekindle their relationship. She must revoke her repressed past to face her troubled present while

Emerging playwright Obed Plaatjes writes a riveting drama with deft strokes of humour, sponsored by NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL. Director Matthew Stuurman carries the vision of the play. A powerful story about how we as a society are stagnating, told through the life of a culturally mixed family. A riveting family drama immersed in identity, culture, rejection and poverty.Sophie tries to keep

Boylesque pays tribute to 1930's and 40's American style of burlesque striptease performances, but with a South Africa twist! It's a fun journey through a smorgasbord of genres and styles covering comedy, singing, ballet, disco and drag.The cast of this variety show go through twenty two costume changes in an hour!It's a tongue in cheek sexy and fun celebration of

Zanne Stapelberg has attained fame as a serious classical artist with unprecedented popular appeal. This Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner, nominated by Insig Magazine as the "number 1 theatre attraction in South Africa", has always been known as an artist who breaks musical boundaries ; even being called an “opera recce” by one critic. Collaborating with artists like Mandoza,

The story of one woman who didn’t quite make it. Based on icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Jean Harlow, this tragic, dark comedy explores the tension between public adoration and private angst. An actress caught between the nun she imagined herself to be spiritually, and the whore the world saw her as."A scorching death rattle, the last symphonic outcry

Fifty year old Craig invites male prostitute James to his immaculate home for the evening. What seems to be another night on the job for James takes a turn for the peculiar as Craig's intentions become more mysterious.

Three writers, two actors, and one director come together to create an anthology of three short plays on the theme 'Anti-Matter'.Alexander Upstairs loves new writing and Anthology is a platform for exciting new voices to play with style and material. The first installment earlier this year explored the theme "A Change in the Weather" - this time the writers have

The Long Shots, Cape Town’s veteran and overly-rehearsed improv comedy troupe attempts to answer some of life’s harder questions. Why are we? When will AI rule world? Who is Steve? Jokes! Join The Long Shots for a 2-night extravaganza at Alex Bar for some heavy lols and unscripted comedy gold. But don’t expect Steve to be there, as he is on

“Sharp, funny and immensely entertaining. If you didn't get tickets for Russell Brand, don't worry, The Belgian will have you in stitches instead.” (Tracey Kim Saunders)  “Falling somewhere between a stand-up comedy show, an interior monologue, a Monty Python sketch and a lost Charlie Chaplin film, The Belgian is an unfiltered gaze into the mind of its peculiar performer, Gaëtan Schmid.” (Cape

African Premiere -  more than 450.000 have voted world wide - official website (http://terror.theater)Anti-Terrorism, Interactive, Courtroom Drama'If I don't shoot now, thousands of people are going to die!'Is Major Lars Koch a hero or a murderer?Ferdinand von Schirach’s play questions the very notion of human dignity and the value of human life. The audience gives their verdict, “guilty” or “not guilty”.  

"Mother City Sketch" presents original comedy skits performed live by members of The Long Shots theatre troupe and others from the Cape Town comedy scene. This collection of short sketches pokes fun at over-the-top Valentine's Day presents, wine pairing courses, ugly newborns and more. You'll laugh until your cheeks hurt, but it will be worth it.

In a dystopian South Africa, even the superheroes are dysfunctional. When friends, colleagues and family come together to mourn and remember slain Superhero Eskombuso, we find out more about them too. Confession Sessions is hilarious, moving, and scarily familiar; an original mockumetary-style theatre piece.Confession Sessions was devised by the cast, under the supervision of Megan Furniss, for their AFDA Honours

Acclaimed guitarist and two time SAMA nominee James Grace makes a welcome return to the Alexander Bar for the launch of ‘Chilled’, his sixth solo guitar studio album. ‘Chilled’ also celebrates 10 years of Grace’s independently owned and operated record label, Stringwise Records.

The Great S.A. Burlesque Express returns to Alexander Upstairs with more burlesque than you can shake a tailfeather at!After 6 years, the train trip of titillating trouble and tease stops in Cape Town once again-this time to celebrate Black Orchid Burlesque's 10th Birthday! Expect nothing “butt”the “breast” performers to have graced our stages, with phenomenal displays of both classic and

A new show about forgetting, forgiving, remembering, faking, making-up and doing: "WHEN IN DOUBT SAY DARLING." An entertainment with Pieter-Dirk Uys and other darlings.Sometimes politics repeats itself, not only taking history and turning it into farce, but taking farce and turning into the fake news which is now called entertainment. Pieter-Dirk Uys is sorting out 40 years of distress, disguise

A villainous variety of vivacious vixxxens and vamps dancing on stage for a night a feisty fantasy, especially created for the fun-loving viewer looking for a spot of tongue-in-cheek humour and loads of wild abandon! Showcasing some of their upcoming new group acts for the insanely gorgeous Neo-Burlesque Production launching in august, Black Orchid is proud to bring you a

When a young man comes face to face with the nation’s first legal eater of people, it confirms what everyone feared: the new law legalising cannibalism isn’t supposed to alleviate poverty at all. It has some other purpose. But what? To find out the young man must survive, escape and uncover the true source of his pursuer’s, his own and

Jane is not well. Rest, a rigid daily schedule and freedom from all care and work is prescribed. Secluded in a country estate, the yellow wallpaper occupies her mind. The yellow wallpaper disturbs her rest. And a forbidden series of journal entries is the only means of expression she has. A chilling, satirical, gothic horror story, The Yellow Wallpaper is

A new romantic musical comedy about 'Club D' (Divorce!)  Carl, a divorced, eccentric Cape Town psychologist and frustrated songwriter, meets his new client Jo, an angry, depressed singer going though a difficult divorce. Jo sings at The Manhattan, a Waterfront club. Their therapy session is not run of the mill as they use songs (both original and covers) to unpack

The Rougettes are delighted to bring you a brand ‘spanking’ new, collaborative show: Herstory: A Strip Down Memory Lane. For ONE NIGHT ONLY sit back and enjoy an evening filled with the gorgeous Rougette troupe as they take you on a delectable and exciting journey through the history of Burlesque. But this is not your ordinary history lesson, The Rougettes

Andrew is an experienced mentalist and magician from Cape Town who has performed his craft throughout Africa. Using psychology, illusion, and some devious trickery, Andrew is able to create an experience you do not want to miss! His new show will explore the spaces where reality and the impossible meet and produce wonder. You will experience life through the lens

Naked Girls Read­ing is a nude lit­er­ary salon that takes place in 25 cities around the world and on five dif­fer­ent con­ti­nents. At each event, a small cast of beau­ti­ful ladies removes their cloth­ing (yes, all of it) and reads per­sonal selec­tions to an ador­ing audi­ence. It is enter­tain­ing, mag­i­cal, often funny, some­times heart wrench­ing and really very sexy.Are the

Comprising of Christine Weir of ‘Not the Midnight Mass’ fame on lead vocals and penny whistle, Matthew Weir on bass and vocals, Ingrid Salzmann on soulful accordion, and Gabriella Riviera on the Fiddle and penny whistle, ‘Christine and The Kilts’, boasts a repertoire that will inspire and delight ‘Celtophiles’ , with everything from Irish jigs and ballads such as ‘Danny

Court. noun 1. a body of people presided over by a judge in civil and criminal cases. verb 1. be involved with (someone) romantically 2. pay special attention to (someone) in an attempt to win their support or favour.Tawny's life would be perfectly ordinary if it weren't for the fact that 22 years ago she was ‘the girl’ in a high-profile celebrity rape case. 

Something Outrageous is coming to the Mother City... Actors are egotistical, pampered shits. In their world nothing is real: brick walls are made from balsar wood and gunshot wounds are created painlessly in the makeup trailer... The only way onto this decadent merry-go-round is the casting room, a sterile white chamber where talented and untalented alike scramble for the next

From the creative team that brought you PAY BACK THE CURRY (Naledi Theatre Awards Best Script nominee 2016), comes the satirical, multi-sketch sequel, STATE FRACTURE. With a country that keeps giving, be prepared to laugh, to think and to be blown away by the performance of Daniel Mpilo Richards, Best Breakthrough Performer Winner, Naledi Theatre Awards 2017 and Best Performer

With over 20 years of improv experience and a huge repertoire of improv styles and formats, ImproGuise, Cape Town's wildly popular Improv troupe, brings you Pop-Up Improv, 3 favourite formats nominated by 3 of your favourite improvisers.They start off their first of three nights with Anne Hirsch’s favourite format, TheatreSports, which promises to be night of Annebelievable fun. The second night

Not your average cabaret duo, “Just a Song and a Dance” looks at the women of PlumSong: a mother-daughter duo with a killer repertoire, kickass voices and a less-than-classic style of mother-daughter banter. PlumSong are at yet another gig, where they need to be (much to their dismay) background music and not a cabaret. Join Sharyn and Dara as they