A daring spirit, a haunting story, in a time of war. Life and Times of Michael K is a literary masterpiece by Nobel Prize and Booker Prize-winning South African novelist, J.M Coetzee. The hugely successful international hit production of the novel was created by The Baxter Theatre and adapted for stage by Lara Foot in collaboration with the Tony Award-winning Handspring Puppet Company (of War Horse and Little Amal fame).
The stage adaptation will have a run at The Market Theatre from 27 March – 13 April 2025, following its return from multiple international engagements, where it has received high praise from leading art critics and agenda-setting publications.
The production’s exceptional cast comprises Sandra Prinsloo (who will be with the show until April), Andrew Buckland, Faniswa Yisa, puppet master Craig Leo, Roshina Ratnam, Carlo Daniels, Billy Langa, Nolufefe Ntshuntshe and Nkosinathi Mngomezulu. Susan Danford will replace Sandra Prinsloo for the last week of the run.
The hauntingly beautiful story follows Michael K, a simple man who embarks on a journey through South Africa, ravaged by civil war, to return his mother to die on the farm of her birth. He finds strength in his own humanity, his profound connection to the earth and his unique path which, as it unfolds, reveals to him his reason for living.
Adaptor and director, Lara Foot, describes it as a privilege for her to work on this complex production of the popular novel, saying it’s the highlight of her illustrious career.
“Michael K is a prophet of our times, whom, I am certain will go down in theatre history as a significant icon. The beauty of JM Coetzee’s work is the layer upon layer of metaphor, poetry and meaning, which lends itself beautifully to a multi-disciplinary style of theatre, combining puppetry, film, literature, live performance, movement, sound and music,” remarks Foot.
She adds, “Coetzee has chosen an inimitable every-man as his protagonist in Michael K, an outsider, ostracised not for his social or political circumstances, but because of his disfigurement. However, Michael K has the unique ability to find his own version of complete freedom; he will not prescribe to servitude, nor politics, and choses to stay out of any of the camps.”
To date, Life and Times of Michael K has toured to the US, China, Germany, Luxembourg and Scotland. It has won The Scotsman Fringe First Award in 2023, and was also The New York Times Critic’s Pick. In one of the glowing reviews, The British Theatre Guide called it “one of the high points of the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe”.
The Market Theatre Foundation’s Artistic Director, Greg Homann, hailed the partnership with The Baxter Theatre as ensuring the inter-city mobility of live theatre between Cape Town and Johannesburg. Homann added, “Having this remarkable stage adaptation of Life and Times of Michael K with us is an opportunity for our audience to share in this tragic yet deeply moving story in a time of heightened tension across the world. Theatre has always been able to restore society’s moral consciousness in funny, thought-provoking and visceral ways. This stirring and beautifully crafted production is a timely work for our current context.”
The limited 3-week run starts 27 March and runs until 13 April 2025. Tickets are available via Webtickets, with a reduced-price preview on Thursday 27 March and all Wednesday performances at half-price.
