Kunene and the King
Closed 1h 35m
Kunene and the King
74

Kunene and the King London Reviews and Tickets

74%
(4 Ratings)
Positive
75%
Mixed
25%
Negative
0%
Members say
Entertaining, Clever, Fractious, Interesting, Serious

About the Show

John Kani's new play explores the racial and political divisions in South Africa.

Read more Show less

Show-Score Member Reviews (4)

Sort by:
  • Default
  • Standing in our community
  • Highest first
  • Lowest first
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Only positive
  • Only negative
  • Only mixed
120 Reviews | 12 Followers
80
Serious, Entertaining, Clever, Absorbing

See it if you want to get stuck into the aftermath of Apartheid in a very well-written play (even if it rams its point down your throat a bit).

Don't see it if you're upset by the subject matter. Read more

139 Reviews | 4 Followers
70
Superb performances!, Fractious, Interesting

See it if you want to see a new play. Both men discuss their professional standing, culture, political views & passion for Shakespeare.

Don't see it if you want to see a fast paced modern play - this is new but it felt old.

23 Reviews | 0 Followers
80
Great acting, Clever

See it if -

Don't see it if -

33 Reviews | 0 Followers
65
Entertaining, Quirky, Intelligent

See it if You enjoy great actors in their element

Don't see it if Low-key, understated theatre isn't for you

Critic Reviews (7)

The London Evening Standard
January 30th, 2020

It reduces the struggles of the would-be rainbow nation to an odd-couple double act. It feels like theatre by old people, for old people.
Read more

The Telegraph (UK)
January 29th, 2020

The play is a compelling if cursory exploration of the legacy of Apartheid as expressed through the fast-flowering yet prickly rapport between a dying white South African actor and the elderly black male nurse who comes to tend to him.
Read more

The Times (UK)
January 30th, 2020

But what makes the play so absorbing is that Kani draws us into the lives of the two individuals living out their lives in front of us.
Read more

WhatsOnStage
January 30th, 2020

Kani in particular paints powerfully a picture of a man whose essential goodness and dignity hides a constant anger at all that has happened to him. He is wonderful to watch.
Read more

London Theatre
January 30th, 2020

In other words, it's a play rich in humanity and experience, and it is rewarded by performances that match it note for alternately anguished and uplifting note.
Read more

Time Out London
January 30th, 2020

But even if ‘Kunene and the King’ is predictable in its shape and story arc, and feels a mite old-fashioned, it’s a good-hearted 90 minutes.
Read more

The Arts Desk
January 30th, 2020

A Shakespearean voyage through the legacy of apartheid.
Read more

Trailer

Creative team