This winter, as Cape Town settles into its quieter rhythms and school holidays begin, KickstArt Theatre returns to The Baxter with Steven Stead’s Puss in Boots, a lively pantomime for the whole family, running for a limited season from 26 June – 18 July.
Following the success of last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk, the company continues to build a growing winter tradition at The Baxter with a production that invites audiences to step out of the cold and into a world of music, mischief, and shared laughter.
Puss in Boots is set on a magical Caribbean island and follows a quick-witted feline hero on a playful adventure filled with colourful characters, lively songs, and plenty of audience participation. The production is designed to delight younger audiences with slapstick and spectacle while offering humour and local references that adults can enjoy just as much.
Written and directed by Steven Stead and designed by Greg King, the show brings together a strong cast including Rory Booth as the booted hero, Belinda Henwood as the good fairy Calypso Honeybunch, and Bryan Hiles as the villainous Grimbsy Withergood.
They are joined by Kyran Brady Taylor, Blessing Xaba, Lyle Buxton, Roshanda Lewis, Mthokozisi Zulu, and Grace MacIlroy.
“We are very proud of our family-oriented pantomimes, which are made with great love and much attention to detail. These have been delighting Durban audiences for two decades, and we know that they are the theatrical equivalent of a major sugar-rush, but when the Cape Town audience for our Jack and Beanstalk was so overwhelmingly positive, we knew that we had to bring Puss in Boots down this year. It is wild ride for an audience, with huge laughs, gorgeous visuals, and a totally original spin,” says Stead.
With its blend of comedy, music, and theatrical flair, Puss in Boots offers Cape Town audiences a welcoming and accessible live theatre experience during the winter holidays.
“It was seeing pantomimes as a child that made me fall in love with the theatre at a young age,” says King. “And it’s an enormous pleasure to be able to spread that infectious joy, and love of live performance to new generations.”
This is will be the first time that Steven Stead’s Puss in Boots will be seen in Cape Town. It has been staged at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, and twice in Durban since it was first premiered there in 2015.
