| What: Vaslav – starring Godfrey Johnson When: May 8-24, 2026 Where: Milnerton Playhouse Theatre, 81 Pienaar Road, Milnerton Director: Lara Bye Movement direction: Fiona Du Plooy Text: Written by Lara Bye, Karen Jeynes and Godfrey Johnson, based on the diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky Musical arrangement and composition: Godfrey Johnson Bookings: https://milnertonplayers.co.za/product/vaslav-with-godfrey-johnson/ |
Godfrey Johnson’s acclaimed cabaret, Vaslav, will be on at the Milnerton Playhouse from May 8-24, 2026. The text, based on the diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky, was written by Johnson, Lara Bye and Karen Jeynes; with musical arrangement and composition by Johnson and direction is by Lara Bye. The dark, moving and tender, Vaslav premiered in 2019 and was nominated for four Fleur du Cap awards. Read on for more. Info as supplied:
Milnerton Playhouse Theatre presents
‘VASLAV’ starring Godfrey Johnson, directed by Lara Bye
May 8-24, 2026
Milnerton Playhouse Theatre is proud to host ‘Vaslav’ — a theatrical tour-de-force starring the award-winning Godfrey Johnson, directed by Lara Bye, and running from May 8-24 2026. This acclaimed one-person cabaret-drama brings to vivid life the astonishing, fragile and brilliant world of Vaslav Nijinsky — the greatest dancer who ever lived — through a seamless weave of acting, piano and movement that must be seen to be believed.
Nominated for four Fleur du Cap Awards, ‘Vaslav’ has been hailed by critics and audiences across South Africa since its debut at the Kalk Bay Theatre in 2019, with sold-out runs at theatres including The Fugard Theatre. Now, for a limited time this May, Cape Town audiences will have another chance to witness what Cape Times called “cabaret at its darkest and finest.”
THE SHOW
Harnessing three arts in one, Johnson ignites the spirit of Nijinsky in a celebration of the magnificent power of sheer performance. The play draws deeply from the diaries Nijinsky kept during six weeks of treatment in a mental asylum — one of the first individuals to receive a psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia. ‘Vaslav’ is at once an extreme portrait of one man’s inner world and a panoramic sweep across a Europe at war with itself: the Ballets Russes, the riots of Paris, the jazz of New York, the silence of a locked ward.
Alone at his piano, Johnson gives voice to a phenomenal script — dashing between a cast of characters in a psychological tongue-twister — drawing on the works of Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Satie and his own original compositions. Fiona Du Plooy’s movement direction, and Lara Bye’s sure directorial hand together create a production that is as intellectually rigorous as it is emotionally devastating.
“Gigantic leaps across the stage, he flew, so to speak, to the skies…” gasped Marcel Proust. “Can life be so rich, so splendid, so passionate?” asked a haunted Jean Cocteau. Godfrey Johnson answers both questions in the affirmative — every single performance.
THE ARTIST
Godfrey Johnson is an award-winning actor, singer and pianist whose credits include Die Van Aardes van Grootoor, David Kramer’s Orpheus in Africa, Fifty Shades of Bambi and The Shadow of Brel. In ‘Vaslav’, he delivers what critics have described as an astonishing, career-defining performance — seamlessly piloting audiences across vast emotional terrain from a single piano stool.
The text was written by Lara Bye, Karen Jeynes and Godfrey Johnson, based on the diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky. Musical arrangement and composition by Godfrey Johnson. Movement direction by Fiona Du Plooy.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“Vaslav is a masterclass in performance…” — Bruce Dennill
“The opportunity to glimpse genius, both that of Vaslav and Johnson… If you don’t go and see Vaslav, you will be depriving your soul of a unique love-story.” — Theatre-Scene, Cape Town
“In Vaslav [Johnson] reaches new heights… cabaret at its darkest and finest… dazzling… mesmerising.” — Tracey Saunders, Cape Times
“…this brave production sees Bye and Johnson shift through the shards that was Nijinsky the man, the artist and the cultural observer.” — Steyn du Toit, The Sunday Independent
“…Lara Bye has once again triumphed.” — Angeliki Theodorou, whatonincapetown
DETAILS
Show Dates and Times:
Evenings 19:30: Friday 8, 15, 22; Saturday 9, 16, 23 May 2026
Matinees 14:30: Saturday 16, 23; Sunday 10, 24 May 2026
Venue:
Milnerton Playhouse Theatre, 81 Pienaar Road, Milnerton
Tickets and Bookings:
Bookings: https://milnertonplayers.co.za/product/vaslav-with-godfrey-johnson/
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