A Good House

Royal Court, 23/01/25

Credit: Camilla Greenwell

Final rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

A surprise gem, A Good House blew my mind. A South African domestic drama, by one of the country's most prominent playwrights, it took the issues of race and class and played with them in a thought-provoking and hilarious way.

Let me start with the set. We begin with an empty stage, with a fantastic prologue utilising the sound of a removals type truck laying underneath an awkward exchange between Shile (Sifiso Mazibuko) and Chris (Scott Sparrow). What happens next is remarkable. A small shack made from corrugated iron, understated at this stage, rises up... with a musical accompaniment, and moves seemingly by itself, establishing its place as an eyesore in the centre upstage. Then, thanks to a central rail at the back, some colourful artwork is drawn into place, with the cast moving sofas and tables and rugs in sync to set up a nicely decorated living space. It's all quite uniformed, although the scene setting does take some time - it is actually written in the script as 'anyway, this whole thing has gone on for quite a while'. We then get a somewhat uncomfortable exchange between Shile, Bonolo, Chris and Lynette, featuring some racial undertones at times but delivered at such a pace it brings out the humour.

In fact, all the dialogue felt completely natural. The exchanges were moving, charged, playful, and at times, really important. But the entire cast played their part really well. The new black-middle class couple in Shile and Bonolo are then recruited by the two other white couples in the Stillwater community to serve an eviction notice to get the shack demolished. The prejudices in a post-apartheid society are skewered through biting commentary and dialogue, and the racial tensions help bring about a very powerful denouement.

Sifiso Mazibuko delivers a fantastic performance as Sihle, whose driven desire to assimilate into a white community infuriates his wife, played equally brilliantly by Mimî M Khayisa - herself an entitled snob who adopts what her husband calls 'performative activism'. A particular highlight was the husband of the third couple, Andrew, mistaking Shile and Bonolo for the shack dwellers, and seeing wife Jess have to cleanse the room with a gong for its healing energy in a quite ridiculously hilarious moment.

The resolution at the end is wholly satisfying as well as provocative, and it highlighted the cross-section of resentment, race and community politics at the heart of this community (and I suspect, communities all across the country). This was a very strong production, executed to a very high standard, and I hope this is not the last I see of Amy Jephta's work on London stages.