From the annual Janice Honeyman pantomime through to exciting ballet and the Jingle Belles. This is your ultimate guide to year-end theatre.
Nothing compares to theatre. Whether it’s an intense Shakespearean performance of Titus Andronicus through to a Janice Honeyman pantomime, it’s intimate, it’s live, and the energy of the cast is always infectious.
Because it’s been a tough year, everyone deserves a night out to unwind and lose themselves in an hour or two of live entertainment.
South Africans are lucky because theatre is alive and kicking with a host of large-scale productions and shows on stage until the end of 2025.
Soweto Theatre: Joburg Ballet
The Joburg Ballet School and Maison De La Dance will present Seasons of Dance on Sunday 7 December 2025 at the Soweto Theatre, showcasing the talent and growth of young dancers.
Directed by Keke Chele, the programme features students performing alongside professionals, with guest appearances by Joburg Ballet and the Soweto Youth Orchestra.
The showcase celebrates creativity, hard work and community-focused arts development. Tickets are R75.
CiRK Theatre Cresta: Gatsby
GATSBY: A Cirque Extravaganza invites audiences into the glamour and excess of the roaring Twenties, blending cirque performance with vintage opulence.
Expect soaring acrobats, contortionists, dancers and the electric spirit of Gatsby’s legendary parties brought to life.
The show runs from 18 October 2025 to 31 January 2026 at The Cirk, Cresta Shopping Centre, with tickets priced from R180 to R320.
ALSO READ: Gen Z star Carmen Jooste brings Gatsby back
People’s Theatre: Madagascar: A Musical Adventure JR
This one’s for the family and runs to 24 December 2025. Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the Hippo, and those naughty penguins swap Central Park Zoo for the wilds of Madagascar.
Based on the DreamWorks animated flicks, this musical is for the whole family. Tickets are R175 per person, R140 for Kids Club members, and R150 for adults
Joburg Theatre: Janice Honeyman’s Pinocchio Panto 2025
Always worth watching, and what would year-end be without a Honeyman panto?
Pinocchio runs until Christmas Eve. The show reimagines the wooden boy with the lie-detector nose’s dream of becoming real. In true Honeyman tradition, it’s over the top, big and bold, with not a moment’s boredom. Tickets range from R160 to R380.
Montecasino Teatro: The Nutcracker
The festive classic is on stage until 20 December and performed by Cape Ballet. No Christmas is complete without enjoying this fantastic ballet. Tickets R220–R690.
Pieter Toerien at Montecasino: Private Presley
Running until 30 November, Sean Bovim’s reimagining of Private Presley celebrates the King of Rock ’n’ Roll in dance.
Jorge Wade and Angela Revie lead a production said to be filled with sequins, swagger, and Elvis nostalgia. Tickets R220–R350.
Pieter Toerien at Montecasino: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
From 5 December to 1 February, the timeless musical returns with dazzling costumes and big vocals, said the promotional content.
Pharaoh will be in full Elvis mode. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic is reimagined for a new generation.
Tickets: R200–R475.
Theatre on the square: The Jingle Belles
From the 3rd to 13th December, The Jingle Belles is a musical produced by Origen Productions and written and directed by Emma Amber, with choreography by Hannah Van Lennep. The show is set in the late 1960s.
Tickets: R180-R200
