Sizwe Banzi is Dead returns to the Baxter

Following its resounding success in the United States earlier this year, the South African theatre classic Sizwe Banzi is Dead returns to the Baxter Flipside from 19 August.

It is 40 years since John Kani and Winston Ntshona won the Best Actor Tony Award for their performances in the play, which they co-created with Athol Fugard, and nearly a decade after the two theatre veterans reprised their roles at the Baxter in 2006.

In this production, John Kani returns as director, with his son in the role, which originally Kani made famous.

The award-winning iconic production has at its centre the story of a black man in apartheid-era South Africa struggling to overcome oppressive work regulations to support his family.

"Sizwe Banzi is Dead became a statement that articulated the anger of black people against these laws," says Kani. "It's about the universal struggle of identity, of the dignity of the human being, and respect for humanity."

The New York Times called this production "a joyous hymn to human nature".

Sizwe Banzi is Dead previews from 19 to 20 August, opens 21 August and runs until 12 September in the Baxter Flipside, at 19h30 nightly, with a matinee on Saturday 22 August at 14h00. Go to Computicket for ticket prices and bookings.

Photo caption: Atandwa Kani and Mncedisi Shabangu in Sizwe Banzi Is Dead (Photo by Ruphin Coudyzer)