Two sisters, one bathtub and a birthday cake burning in the oven. Ladies of Lavare turns an absurd predicament into a warm, funny and surprisingly moving look at growing older. Part comedy, part journey through memory, it meets our fears about ageing with grace and leaves plenty of room for joy.

A comedian best known for turning domestic chaos into punchlines goes somewhere braver this time, sitting with grief and loss without ever losing the laughs. It runs quieter than his usual pace, but that restraint is exactly what makes it land. A recognisable, relieving hour for anyone whose life hasn't quite gone to plan.

Twenty years ago, the Metropolitan Opera made a risky bet that live opera could travel to a cinema screen without losing its power. This anniversary reel, spanning two decades of the Met's greatest broadcast moments, makes the case that the gamble paid off, and reminds us what it means for world-class opera to become genuinely accessible.

A woman who has spent her career trusting the legal system finds herself on the other side of it, and discovers how little room that system leaves for memory, fear and trauma. This is theatre that refuses to let you settle, built around a performance that leaves you as breathless as its subject, grappling with what justice actually costs.

This children's theatre production, drawing on the work of storyteller Dr Gcina Mhlophe, strings together short, self-contained African folktales, each one separated by song and dance, into a delightful show. Full of audience participation and warmth, it proves heritage is best passed on through joy rather than lecture.

A veteran teacher sits suspended, awaiting her fate, in a solo show that finds the comedy and the quiet dread lurking in modern education. It's a funny, sharply observed hour that lands hardest for anyone who's ever sat on either side of a parent-teacher meeting. Expect real laughs, a few uncomfortable ones, and a lot of recognition.

A young woman digs through the soil of her family's past and unearths the objects buried there, each one forcing her to confront pride, discomfort, and the messy business of belonging to Afrikaans identity and culture. A generous, clear eyed hour of theatre that stayed with me long after the lights came up.

A rusty grasp of Afrikaans couldn't get in the way of a good time at this rom-com musical. Between a catchy score, gorgeous sets and a scene-stealing supporting cast, this is old-fashioned romantic comedy done with genuine craft and joy.

A wealthy businessman gets stranded in a Drakensberg cave with nothing but his own thoughts for company, and what surfaces is funnier, sadder and more familiar than he bargained for. A solo show about the parts of ourselves we bury to get ahead, told with warmth, humour and a distinctly South African sense of place.

A puppet dog, a scene-stealing crocodile, and a cast of fourty young performers bringing Neverland to life with real polish and plenty of heart. This is a Peter Pan Jr. that earns its magic honestly, and leaves you humming all the way home.

A second viewing of a devastating play changes everything and nothing. Knowing exactly where three childhood friends are headed only sharpens the ache of watching them get there, while two new performances offer fresh ways into old wounds. A haunting return season that loses none of its power the second time around.

A one-woman show built from light, shadow and rhyme, Once Upon a Teacup follows a young girl's journey from the boundless imagination of childhood into the harder realities of growing up. Whimsical, patient and unexpectedly brave, it's a small production that leaves a lasting impression.

A Crown Court judge who can command any courtroom finds herself powerless in her own home when an unthinkable event threatens to unravel everything she's built. This breathless production, anchored by a towering central performance, barely lets you catch your breath, and that's exactly why it works.

A journalist meant to be reporting on war finds himself living inside it, pulled into the lives of ordinary people caught in conflicts across Palestine and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, and Rwanda. This solo show refuses to let global tragedy stay abstract, insisting instead on names, families and single unbearable moments. Difficult, essential viewing for a world that feels increasingly on edge.

The Big Bad Wolf is on trial, and the audience gets to decide his fate. This joyful, high-energy courtroom comedy uses fairy-tale mischief to smuggle in a message worth taking seriously: every story has two sides. A properly fun night out for the whole family.

A tiny heroine, a room full of four to eight year olds, and a production that knows exactly who it's for. The Adventures of Thumbelina turns careful pacing, audience participation and a few familiar faces into a thoroughly joyful afternoon, and why that precision matters more than it might seem.

Two strangers. One long night. A secret neither of them saw coming. What starts as small talk slowly becomes something much harder to walk away from. This is a play that asks what we're willing to do, and give up, for the people we love.

Constellations is, on its face, a love story told across parallel universes. But this remarkable play has something harder and more important to say about choice, agency, and who gets to decide how a life ends.

Moving into Dance's Rites and Rituals programme is a celebration of female choreographic legacy and a powerful reminder of what the human body is capable of when trained, guided, and given something true to say. Three works, spanning ritual, youth, and gender-based violence, add up to one of the most moving evenings of dance Johannesburg has to offer.

Peter Pan Jr. is a joyful, visually inventive production that captures both the wonder of childhood and the bittersweet reality of growing up. With a superb cast of adults and children, magical flying effects, and genuine heart, this is a trip to Neverland well worth taking.