I went to watch The Suitcase at the Market Theatre on Sunday. Yes, I finally went to the theatre, not for any other thing but to watch a play. There have been lots of plays I've wanted to see but for some reason could not go.. and I watched the Lion King in Hong Kong a few years ago but that doesn't count right?

Back to The Suitcase, my word... what an incredible production this is! The cast have just come back from sold out shows in the UK and are on at the Market Theatre (Newtown) until Sunday, 26 November and here I've listed 3 Reasons Why I Think you should go see it before its run ends.

1. The Cast

The cast is made up of Siyabonga Twala, John Lata, Masasa Mbangeni, Desmond Dube and the 3 musicians.
I don’t even know where to begin with this but they are all just incredible!
Siyabonga Twala guys! I remember just a week ago I was asking my son why he wasn’t appearing on Isibaya so seeing him in this play explained his absence there. He plays Timmy, and I can 100% say he was my highlight. His relationship with Namhla played by Masasa is the most beautiful & gave me goosebumps throughout.

I can’t type the name ‘Desmond Dube’ without laughing out loud, the man still has it and he is flippen hilarious in the Suitcase .

There’s this particular walk he has on the show that will have you cracking up before he even says anything!

Oh and then there is Masasa as Namhla, there was such good chemistry between her and Siyabonga. I loved her, you watch her and you are filled with hope and appreciation because there are actresses out here who PERFORM!

And then John Lata is the ultimate comedian in the play. There’s this one drunken scene he totally killed! When I saw him leave after he show I went up to him to go on and on about how I loved his work - hey John, if you read this, yeah I’m that crazy fan girl 🙂
Excellent cast!

2. The Storyline

The story is actually about a Suitcase. Oh bantu, it is so beautifully written. It has the right amounts of every little thing - so you will experience different emotions as you watch. You will laugh, cry, feel happy, wanna fall in love, get goosebumps, konke nje. We walked out of it and we couldn’t stop talking about every part of it, it felt so real! The emotions we felt afterwards were real.

3. The Music

WOW! Throughout the show I kept asking myself “who are these ladies!??” - turns out it’s Nokukhanya Dlamini, whose name I know from Joyous, Nomfundo Dlamini and Gugu Shezi who are accomplished musicians with angelic voices! I don’t have the right words in my vocabulary to quite explain how beautiful everything was. I was taken back to my days growing up in the Free State when they sang “fiela, fiela, fiela ngwanana ho se sale matlakala.”

Go watch this show and if you do not enjoy it, I’m happy to give you your money back! From my pocket lol!
It would be a nice date, and I don’t know if there’s an age restriction but I think people of different ages will love this, was thinking of taking my son to see it before it ends.

The Suitcase is on at the Market Theatre till 26 November and the tickets are available from Webtickets or from the theatre, ranging from R90 - R150. The full show is 1,5 hours long so just the right length. Go and enjoy, you will leave that theatre incredibly proud of our homegrown talent!

We loved it so much the whole house gave the cast a standing ovation.

P.S. Guys I think the world is against me meeting Siyabonga Twala yazi. With all the people in this world I keep meeting, yena niks!  I still have not met him. I saw all the actors walk out after the show but NOT him! I'm gonna write to Zola or Selimathunzi... ngeke! 

About The Suitcase: 

Adapted from Es’kia Mphahlele’s short story set in the 1950’s, THE SUITCASE is an enthralling love story about a young couple who, despite family disapproval of their marriage, leave for the city, intending to return wealthy and immune from social censure. The pressures of the city, unemployment and poverty strip away the husband`s self-esteem and he starts to lose his moral compass. He is so desperate to provide for his pregnant wife that he steals a suitcase left on a bus. This action leads to frightening consequences, dramatic turns and unexpected twists.

By LeloB