We cut through the fringe to give you the best the festival has to offer
AN AUDIENCE WITH MISS HOBHOUSE
Exquisitely written by Tony Jackman, this treasure of a play illuminates the horrors of the British army's scorched earth policy and the concentration camps in which homeless Boer women and children were incarcerated.
Lynita Crofford is captivating as she alternates between Emily Hobhouse, campaigner against the camps' inhumane conditions, and Tant Alie, a resolute boere vrou kept in one of the camps. The play is a devastating reminder of the power of one remarkable woman's ability to bear witness and inspire change. - Alexander Matthews
CARGO: PRECIOUS
A dance performance that imagines Saartjie Baartman's voyage to Europe, where she is exhibited as the Hottentot Venus in front of an erotically intrigued audience and subjected to humiliating scientific investigations. One of the most hyped shows of the festival, it is a collaboration between four Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners: director Sylvaine Strike (Theatre 2006), Fana Tshabalala (Dance 2013), musician Concord Nkabinde (Jazz 2006) and choreographer PJ Sabbagha (Dance 2005).
Supported by an-all male cast, Nosiphiwo Sament's dancing unpeels Saartjie emotions - abject defiance, flickers of joy, palls of despair.
But while the performances are heartfelt and evocative, CARGO: Precious is tritely didactic, wallowing in earnest symbolism that fails to deliver something beyond the obvious. - AM
FISHERS OF HOPE
Lara Foot's new play tells the story of a family that gets pushed to the brink of starvation after its primary breadwinner has a skirmish with a hippo. The mother of the family tries to step in and take up the slack, only to meet sexist opposition at every turn. While poignant and well acted, the play has a tendency to be a little heavy-handed morally. The end result is the feeling one has listening to Mariah Carey's When You Believe on repeat. - Yolisa Mkele.
OEDIPUS @ KOO NU
A blind Oedipus is dragged around by his sister-daughter Antigone. They are on their way to a family reunion of sorts. And, yes, it's complex. The show's self-referencing is its most entertaining and most irritating trait. It's a trippy, sometimes goofy, version of the Greek tragedy that drags on for about 20 minutes too long. But David Dennis's performance as Oedipus makes it worth it. - TJ Strydom
THREE LITTLE PIGS
A thrilling albeit grotesque adaptation of the children's story The Three Little Pigs that addresses the corruption of law enforcement in this country. It references the murders of Lolly Jackson and Brett Kebble, and the many alleged sins of the former head of crime intelligence, Richard Mdluli . Directed by Tara Notcutt, this show has travelled the world and returns to the festival for a second time. All the extra spit and polish makes it shine even more than it did the first time. - Nina Hastie
MARIKANA THE MUSICAL
Though the title of Aubrey Sekhabi's musical may offend, the impressive stage sets, cast and songs impress. - NH
WAITING FOR THIS GOD OU
It's New Year's Eve, your life has gone to shit, and you want to kill yourself. There is no stage, no curtains. You are in a parking lot with a common, depressed mechanic, dressed in an old tracksuit. Albert Pretorius gives a spot-on performance of a guy who didn't quite make it. He pulls you in as if you're running up a tab next to him in a bar. Then he settles it. - TS
WHITE GUILT
Justin Nurse's new play is raw and angry - deftly capturing the "bromance" of two hedonistic drug kingpins, played by Oliver Booth and Schalk Bezuidenhout. While Nurse's comment on the "Chinafication" of South Africa has a sledgehammer's subtlety, the grief at the play's heart is explored with sensitive, wrenching intelligence. - AM
The festival closes on Sunday. See www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
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