Kunene and the King, Ambassadors Theatre

John Kani's Kunene and the King marks 25 years since apartheid ended in 1994. The play does a lot with a little: two characters tackle the enormous complexity of South African racial segregation, reflecting on the changes of the last quarter-century. And what better actors to take on the task than writer Kani himself (Black Panther, The Island, Sizwe Banzi is Dead), alongside prolific actor Sir Antony Sher (Death of a Salesman, King Lear)?

Directed by Janice Honeyman (The Tempest, Vice Versa), the show opened to five-star reviews in at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, then transferred to Cape Town's Fugard Theatre. Now it comes to the West End in January 2020.

John Kani as Lunga Kunene (left) and Antony Sher as Jack Morris (right). Photo: Ellie Kurttz

The story explores the relationship between two men, Jack Morris (Antony Sher) and Lunga Kunene (John Kani), to illuminate the lingering shadows of racial discrimination in South Africa. Jack is a 65-year-old white actor who lives a comfortable life in the suburbs of Johannesburg. He's given both a career-defining role and a life-changing diagnosis at the same time.

Jack is tended by Lunga Kunene, a 69-year-old retired black nurse. As the two men bond over their passion for Shakespeare, Kani's poignant script exposes the looming presence of the apartheid – despite racial reform in South Africa over the last 25 years.

The last time Kani performed at the Ambassadors was back in 1974 with his Tony award-winning play Sizwe Banzi is Dead. Co-written by Kani and Athol Fugard, Sizwe Banzi won play of the year for the London Theatre Critics Award. Kani says returning to the Ambassadors brings back fond memories of his friendship with director Peter Brook, who brought his company over from Paris to see Kani's The Island and Sizwe Banzi is Dead.

Click here to book tickets for Kunene and the King at Ambassadors Theatre