Don’t Miss This: November 6 to 12

Johannesburg

• The Kiri Pink Nob (KPN) Poetry Overload Festival promises to bring theatre performances that “push the envelope” to the Soweto Theatre. Known as the twanging rapper, performer J?Bhoboza! (born Jefferson Tshabalala) will perform the parody Boom Bap vs Swag Rap, which comments on the contemporary urban hip-hop and rap-music scene. There’ll also be a poetry in performance farce, titled Tower of Tewop (Tewop stands for the elite wing of poetry) which chronicles the most-recognisable archetypes in the various genres of poetry. Tower of Tewop and Boom Bap vs Swag were written, directed and performed by Bhoboza. He’ll be supported by Bernett Mulungo on piano and Simphiwe Bonongo as a hype man and beat boxer. WHEN November 11 to 20. From November?17 to 20 the Poetry Overload sessions with various acts will take place at 11am, 2pm, 6.30pm and 7.15pm. WHERE Soweto Theatre. COST R80. INFO Visit sowetotheatre.com for the full programme and to buy tickets.

• Tembisa-born comedian Skhumba Hlophe reflects on his unique perspective on life, family and relationships in his latest one-man show. He is best-known for being the resident comedian on Kaya FM’s weekly breakfast show, 180 with Bob Mabena. Hlophe also starred in the feature film Taxi Ride as Dlamini. His style is described as kasi-flavoured comedy. WHEN November 6 and 7. WHERE The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City. TIMES 8pm, 7.30pm and 9.30pm. COST R130 to R315. TICKETS from Computicket. INFO Visit goldreefcity.co.za

• The controversial puppet Chester Missing is back with a live show, Missing, at the Joburg Theatre. The outspoken puppet will be accompanied by his sidekick and ventriloquist, Conrad Koch, and fellow puppets Ronnie the Monster and life coach Charles Hilary. Missing has interviewed several high-profile South African politicians for television. He and Koch are also part of the International Emmy nominated Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola (LNN) team, a satirical news show. WHEN Until November 7. WHERE The Joburg Theatre. TIME 8pm. COST R120. TICKETS From Computicket. INFO Visit joburg-theatre.com

Pretoria

• The classic ballet, The Nutcracker, returns before the festive season. The show features dancers from the Youth Dance Company of Tshwane and is directed by Sue Kirkland, with Tanja Graafland and Christopher Montague as choreographers and assistant directors. The Spanish dance in act two of the show was choreographed by dancers Maria Lorca Montoya and Rosa Jiminez. The dance company will also host a Sugar Plum Fairy party during the interval where sweets and other treats will be served. To stand a chance of winning a prize, children are encouraged to dress up in their fairy, prince, soldier, rat or Nutcracker costumes. WHEN November 5 to 8. WHERE State Theatre. COST R100 to R175. TICKETS From Computicket. INFO Visit statetheatre.co.za

Cape Town

• Noluvuyiso Mpofu, the bronze winner in Placido Domingo’s 2015 Operalia competition, and Maudée Montierre, the winner of the South African Music Rights Organisation’s overseas scholarship competition for singers, star in the tragic opera Maria Stuarda, by Gaetano Donizetti, both as Maria. The cast includes Lukhanyo Moyake, Makudupanyane Senaoana, George Stevens, Sandile Sikhosana, Anna Kennedy and Jacobi de Villiers. This 1835 opera is said to feature the most moving music composed by Donizetti. The South African version is directed by Matthew Wild, who recently directed West Side Story, and features the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kamal Khan. WHEN November 7 and 8. TIME 6pm and 3pm. COST R125, R175 and R250. TICKETS From Computicket. INFO Visit capetownopera.co.za

• The Labia Theatre, Cape Town’s independent art theatre, presents a retrospective of the work of Argentinian filmmaker Pablo Cesar, who, uniquely, shoots only on 35mm and specialises in co-productions between Argentina and Africa. Eight of his 10 features will be screened including his most recent work, The Gods of Water (an Angola co-production). Aphrodite: The Garden of Perfumes (1998) transports the Greek myth to Mali, and Orillas (2010) parallels the lives of two boys – one in Buenos Aires, the other in Benin. Grey Fire (1993), on the other hand, is a surreal rock opera made in Cabo Verde. WHEN November 6 to 19. INFO thelabia.co.za