The musical shows and theatre in Johannesburg give a platform for unique entertainment, from blockbuster musicals on stage to cutting-edge performances and indie productions. We break down some of the best shows coming soon in Joburg.
The Rocky Horror Show
The legendary cult musical The Rocky Horror Show, is set to light up the Joburg stage all through winter.
From the moment sweethearts Brad and Janet experience a stormy night, a flat tyre and a detour to a mysterious castle, audiences are swept into a world where nothing is quite what it seems and everything is possible.
Inside the castle, they encounter the charismatic, corset-clad “sweet transvestite” Dr Frank-N-Furter, his eccentric household and the muscle-bound creation Rocky, brought to life in a riot of glitter, glam and guitar riffs. What unfolds is a deliciously subversive journey of transformation, temptation and self-realisation fuelled by rock anthems including ‘Time Warp’, ‘Sweet Transvestite’ and ‘Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul’.
Cost: R200pp to R495pp, book via Webtickets
When: Running from 12 June to 16 August 2026 | Wednesday to Friday at 7.30pm; Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday at 2pm and 6pm
Where: Pieter Toerien Montecasino Main Theatre, 1 Montecasino Blvd, Fourways, Johannesburg
The Royal Countess Zingara
Step into a world where theatre, performance art and cuisine intertwine in a dazzling spectacle as this sensory affair from Cape Town ushers in a new dazzling chapter in the City of Gold.
Guided by a Timekeeper, Joburg Zingarians are led through a journey of wonder, music, song, spectacle and daring.
Among the world-class artists performing will be former Cirque du Soleil aerial cradle specialists Juan Pablo Palacios and Victoria Perez Iacono from Argentina, rola bola balancing marvel Axel Perez from Las Vegas, acrobat Samantha Kotze from Johannesburg and The Clorettes, a vocal quartet from Cape Town.
During the show, guests are treated to a sumptuous four course dinner for palate and soul. See the menu here.
Cost: Tickets start at R1260pp and include a welcome drink, a four-course feast and the full Zingara show experience. Book via dineplan, zingara.co.za or [email protected]. Group bookings can be made via [email protected]. See the ticket info here
When: Running from 20 June from Tuesday to Sunday. Doors open at 5pm and show starts at 7.30pm
Where: Melrose Arch, Corlett Dr, Birnam, Johannesburg
All the details on this stage spectacular
Worlds Away – A Journey to Circusland
Be transported into a realm of mystery, wonder, thrills and fantasy with Worlds Away – an exquisite family-friendly show for all ages to enjoy.
Follow our little star’s courageous journey through fantastical lands, tempestuous oceans and fiery fortresses in order to seek that which will truly make him shine.
This captivating tale of love and friendship provides a feast for the eyes and promises to enthrall in every scene.
Cost: R200pp to R300pp, book online
When: Running from 27 June to 16 August 2026. Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm (Limited Fridays at 7pm)
Where: The Cirk, Cresta Shopping Centre, Weltervreden Road and Beyers Naude, Randburg
WGRUV Dance Company presents Highlights
WGRUV Dance Company debuts Highlights: Tracing the Line for two runs in Johannesburg this winter.
The programme brings together works by internationally acclaimed choreographer Jessica Lang, whose craftsmanship has defined a generation of neo-classical ballet; Jesse Obremski, whose visceral movement language cuts to the heart of human connection; Michael Trusnovec, a master of quiet power and sculptural clarity; and WGRUV’s own Holly Gruver and Lex Gruver, whose collaborative choreographic voice continues to mature into something distinctly their own.
Together, the works explore the fundamental language of the body – line, colour, weight, and meaning.
Cost: R220pp to R300pp, book via Webtickets
When: From Thursday to Sunday 9 to 12 July 2026 & From Thursday to Sunday 20 to 23 August 2026 | Thursdays at 4pm; Fridays at 7pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm
Where: July – Roodepoort Theatre, 100 Christiaan de Wet Rd, Florida Park, Roodepoort | August – UJ Arts & Culture, Kingsway Ave, Auckland Park, Johannesburg
Woza Albert!
Woza Albert! makes a highly anticipated return to The Market Theatre for a strictly limited run of two weeks as part of the Theatre’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
First created and staged at The Market Theatre in 1981 by Mbongeni Ngema, Percy Mtwa and Barney Simon, the play employed biting satire and chilling truthfulness to explore what would happen if ‘Morena’ (Jesus) were to return to a racist, oppressive apartheid South Africa.
The current version is directed and performed by Hamilton Dhlamini, alongside Thulani Mtsweni. The two actors move between characters to capture the daily realities of Black lives under apartheid through an honest, raw and hopeful portrayal of the apartheid regime’s brutality as it satirically revisits the ground we walk on today.
Cost: R110pp to R220pp, book via Webtickets
When: Running from 15 to 26 July 2026 | Wednesday to Friday at 7pm. Saturday at 3pm and 7pm. Sunday at 3pm
Where: Barney Simon stage, The Market Theatre, 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg
The Big Bad Musical
The Big Bad Musical is a new joyful and interactive family courtroom comedy musical where YOU, as the audience, get to decide the verdict.
Fairy-tale Land is in an uproar as the notorious Big Bad Wolf is hauled into court and slapped with a class-action lawsuit by some of the most famous characters in storybook history.
Little Red Riding Hood, her Grandmother, the Three Little Pigs, and a host of other familiar faces are determined to prove that the Wolf is a menace to society once and for all.
Presiding over the biggest trial ever to hit the fairy-tale world, Judge Wise Old Man must listen as witness after witness takes the stand to share their version of events.
With the Fairy Godmother leading the prosecution and the Wolf’s unlikely defence team fighting to clear his name, the courtroom quickly descends into a hilarious battle of accusations, surprises and unexpected twists.
Cost: R100pp to R150pp, book via Webtickets
When: Running from 16 to 30 July 2026, various times
Where: Main Theatre and Garden, Roodepoort Theatre, 100 Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida Park, Roodepoort
Kaal Ki Kahaani – A Journey Through Time
Rudra Dance Theatre presents Kaal Ki Kahaani – A Journey Through Time, a Bollywood dance production that takes you on a thrilling ride through the evolution of Indian cinema, from the golden age of the 1950s to the present day.
This spectacular show combines stunning dance performances with nostalgic music, highlighting the transformation of Bollywood over the years.
Cost: R200pp to R250pp, book via Webtickets
When: Saturday, 25 July at 2pm and 7pm
Where: Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City, Corner of Northern Parkway & Data Cres, Ormonde, Johannesburg South
Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty
Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty brings a beloved tale to life with classical dance, stunning choreography and beautiful glow-in-the-dark costumes.
Step into a world where light and dance intertwine in this breathtaking retelling of Sleeping Beauty which tells the classic tale of Aurora, a princess who is put under a sleeping curse that can only be broken by true love’s kiss.
As six dancers glide across the stage, their illuminated costumes create a dazzling display of colour and light, making every twirl and leap feel otherworldly.
Cost: From R405pp, book via feverup
When: Sunday, 2 August and Sunday, 1 November 2026. At 4pm and 7pm both days
Where: John Kani Theatre, The Market Theatre, 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg
A Good House
Cape Town-born writer, Amy Jephta, directs her thrilling comedic hit play, A Good House, in association with The Market Theatre.
The play first premiered at the Royal Court Theatre and Bristol Old Vic (United Kingdom) in 2024 to critical acclaim, earning Jephta a nomination for the prestigious international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize that honours women writing for the stage.
In the quaint suburban community of Stillwater, a mysterious shack springs up from the dust with the inhabitants nowhere to be seen. As speculation abounds, new residents Sihle and Bonolo are recruited by their white neighbourhood to be the face of a campaign to demolish the shack in this biting satire of community politics.
This play is full of wit, humour, insight and exhilarating tension. It sharply locates itself within South Africa’s middle-class community, where complex dynamics and race relations play out behind high walls.
Cost: R110pp to R220pp, book via Webtickets
When: Running from 6 to 30 August 2026 | Wednesday to Friday at 7pm. Saturday at 3pm & 7pm. Sunday at 3pm
Where: Mannie Manim, The Market Theatre, 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg
Samuel Beckett’s First Love
Panurge Theatre Co. in association with The Art Cave and The Market Theatre presents a staging of celebrated author Samuel Beckett’s First Love short story as part of the 2026 Kippies Fringe Programme.
The performance brings Samuel Beckett’s dark comedy to the heart of Joburg. Written in 1946, some years before Beckett would shake the foundations of world theatre with Waiting for Godot, First Love tells the tale of a man who – following the death of his father – is kicked out of his family house. While living the life of a vagrant, he meets a woman one night on a park bench whom he falls for and moves in with.
First Love is a story that thrives on how it is told, suffused with Samuel Beckett’s incomparable prose that finds humour in the darkest places, telling a story that is both hilarious and devastating. The work further examines themes of loneliness, loss and grief, love, fatherhood and retreat.
Cost: R100pp, book via Webtickets
When: Thursday to Sunday, 6 to 9 August 2026 | Thursday & Friday at 7.30pm. Saturday at 3.30pm & 7.30pm. Sunday at 3.30pm
Where: Kippies, The Market Theatre, 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg
Cape Ballet Africa’s Swan Lake
Cape Ballet Africa and Global Star Events are bringing one of the world’s most beloved ballet productions, Swan Lake, to Joburg stages following their successful, sold-out run of The Nutcracker in December 2025.
Swan Lake is the pinnacle of classical ballet, having dazzled audiences for generations, elegantly using motion to tell a story of passion, devotion and betrayal.
The ballet tells the story of Prince Siegfried, whose heart is captured by Odette, a princess cursed to live as a swan by day. Their fates entwine in a powerful struggle against evil, where love must prove stronger than the sorcery that seeks to tear them apart.
Cost: From R220pp to R720pp, book via Webtickets
When: Running from 7 to 21 August 2026 | Mondays & Wednesdays to Sundays (No Tuesday shows). Matinees and afternoon shows are on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays at 1pm and 3pm. Wednesday and Thursday shows are at 7pm, and Fridays are at 7.30pm (except 21 August show which is at 3pm)
Where: The Teatro at Monte Casino, 1 Montecasino Blvd, Fourways, Johannesburg
The Jury Experience
Step into a thrilling courtroom drama where the audience is the jury in a live, interactive trial.
The Jury Experience is an immersive courtroom drama that challenges you to examine witness testimonies, cross-examine key players, and assess forensic evidence, all while live actors present compelling arguments in front of a cinematic screen. As you engage with the case, you’ll make decisions at pivotal moments, with your final vote determining the fate of the accused: guilty or innocent.
Designed for group participation, this 60-minute experience immerses you in high-stakes courtroom drama where the line between right and wrong is blurred. Will justice be served? Only you can decide.
Cost: R450pp to R510pp, book online
When: Saturday, 1 August and Saturday, 31 October 2026. Both days at 4pm and 6pm
Where: The Market Theatre, 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Pieter Toerien Productions revives Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd with a South African cast, for a South African audience.
Retired detective Hercule Poirot is pulled back into the business and enlists the help of the village doctor and police inspector to find out who murdered Roger Ackroyd, the master of Fernly Hall and the patriarch of a strangely dysfunctional family.
Amid the multitude of motives and a labyrinth of alibis, Poirot comes to accept that solving crimes suits him much better than retirement does. Alan Committie reprises his role as Poirot in this production packed with thrills, surprises, laughs and gasp-inducing twists.
Cost: R150pp to R300pp, book via Webtickets
When: Running from 21 August to 27 September 2026 | Wednesday to Friday at 7.30pm; Saturday at 3pm and 7.30pm; Sunday at 3pm
Where: Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino, 1 Montecasino Blvd, Fourways, Johannesburg
Prima Facie at The Market Theatre
Following a successful run in London where it was nominated for (and won) multiple prestigious awards, Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie makes a South African debut this spring.
Prima Facie follows Tessa, an ambitious barrister who has worked her way to the very top of her profession, becoming a champion of the judicial system in the process.
But, following a brutal attack against her, Tessa’s ideas about justice and the integrity of the law are entirely challenged. As she herself is put on trial, retraumatised by her attack, questioned and cross-examined in the same ways that she has questioned others, she is forced to reevaluate her beliefs.
Prima Facie is a hard-hitting look at the “patriarchal power of the law” where the burden of proof and existing rules of evidence often work against victims of sexual violence.
Cost: R140pp to R220pp (half-price Wednesdays); R50pp (50th Year – code required). Book via Quicket
When: Running from 17 September to 4 October 2026 | Wednesday to Friday at 7pm; Saturday at 3pm and/or 7pm; Sunday at 3pm
Where: Barney Simon at The Market Theatre, 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Newtown, Johannesburg
