How Now Brown Cow's Gripping Legal Drama Prima Facie Heads To Joburg

Suzie Miller’s Tony & Olivier Award winning Prima Facie heads to Joburg

The premiere South African season of the Tony and Olivier Award winning gripping play, Prima Facie, has now ended it’s highly successful run in Cape Town, having received rave reviews and multiple standing ovations during its mostly sold-out season.

Next stop…. Joburg!

How Now Brown Cow, presents in association with The Market Theatre, Prima Facie at the Barney Simon at the Market Theatre from 17 September – 4 October.

Written by Suzie Miller, this production is directed by esteemed director Neil Coppen (Isidlamlilo/ The Fire Eater; Animal Farm; Tin Bucket Drum), fresh from multiple award wins at the recent Cape Town Theatre Awards, with powerhouse performer Danica De La Rey Jones (Hunting Jessica Brok; Unseen; For Colored Girls) starring in the role of Tessa, a brilliant young barrister, who climbs her way up from working class origins to the top of her game.

Here’s a brief collection of some of the Cape Town reviews received, to give an indication as to the powerful reaction this hard-hitting play has been receiving:

‘a brilliant play‘ – Professor Thuli Madonsela

‘…hugely entertaining and deeply affecting….it is drama you feel, its message a punch to the gut, its argument so thoroughly down to the simple logic of what it means to be human that the weight of it lands in your heart, fills you with a kind of emotional “Aha!” long before any need to unpick its meaning or intellectualise its discourse….Danica De La Rey Jones is a revelation, her performance captivating‘ – Keith Bain, Daily Maverick

‘an incredibly powerful piece of theatre, and an absolute tour de force of a performance…the impeccable music, set and lighting design are all part of the spell…‘ – Pippa Hudson, Cape Talk

‘exactly the kind of theatre every person should experience… This is more than a play—it’s a conversation we all need to have….A true tour de force.. Powerful. Humbling. Unforgettable.‘ – Guy McDonald

‘Riveting, real & raw… One of the best productions I’ve ever seen‘ – Marguerite van Wyk

‘Extraordinary….a production that is chilling in its truth.‘ – Beryl Eichenberger

‘Prima Facie is a definite must see. Danica’s performance is hands down one of the best I have seen in a very long time. Just incredible.‘ – Karisa Nicholls, Cape Town My Love

‘From the minute Danica De La Rey steps on stage for this solo performance, to when she takes her bow more than two hours later, the audience was gripped‘
– Ryland Fisher

What is Prima Facie about?

Tessa believes in the legal system until a brutal attack turns her world upside down as she navigates the same system she once championed. Now put on trial herself, re-traumatized through her cross-examination, she finds herself questioning everything she believed about justice.

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.

The 2022 London production of the show was nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, with wins for Best New Play and Best Actress for Jodie Comer, who subsequently won a Tony Award for the same role on Broadway in New York.

Director Neil Coppen states excitedly:

“After the overwhelming response received in Cape Town with a largely sold-out season and ecstatic responses from the audiences that really connected with the work, as has happened wherever this piece has been performed globally, it’s really exciting for us as a team to now bring it to Joburg and to continue this conversation in different parts of South Africa.”

“What the Cape Town season showed us is that there’s an urgent need for works and dialogue around this subject matter, particularly in a way this play explores it in such a nuanced and complex way. We saw how audiences wanted to initiate conversations and unpack its themes and explorations. We are primed and ready and immensely excited to bring it to Johannesburg and can’t wait for Market Theatre audiences to experience the play and Danica’s performance.”

How Now Brown Cow producer Julie-Anne McDowell says:

“The overwhelming response to Prima Facie in Cape Town paves the way for our transfer to The Market Theatre. We are hoping that Suzie’s Miller’s intentional writing will also resonate equally loudly with audiences in Johannesburg. This is game changing theatre. Theatre with a job to do. We sold out in Cape Town so please, please don’t leave it to the last minute to book!”

Prima Facie is directed by Neil Coppen with lighting design by Tina Le Roux and sound design by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder. Set design by Neil Coppen and Patrick Curtis and set construction by Patrick Curtis.

Show Information:
Prima Facie

Johannesburg:
Barney Simon at The Market Theatre

Dates & Times:
17 September to 4 October 2026

Ticket Prices:
From R140 – R220 (including VAT)

Bookings:
Bookings available soon via Webtickets

Age Restriction:
14+ years

About How Now Brown Cow:
How Now Brown Cow was launched in 2020 during a global pandemic. The company, founded by Actor and Writer Julie-Anne McDowell, was established to offer world class South African and international works for local and international audiences and stages. Daniel Galloway, who was The Fugard Theatre’s Managing Director and Lead Producer from 2009 to 2020, is the General Manager and co-Producer alongside Julie-Anne. During the global theatre shutdown of 2020 and 2021, How Now Brown Cow launched the How Now Brown Cow Writer’s Collective which saw the commissioning of 12 new South African scripts several of which are now in the next phase of development. In 2022 the Production Company released their first short film, The Hive, which was screened to critical acclaim on the international and local film festival circuit. The Beauty Queen of Leenane was How Now Brown Cow’s first stage production in South Africa which was presented in Johannesburg in October 2022 and Cape Town’s The Baxter Theatre in August 2023. The production won five Naledi Theatre Awards, including Best Production of a Play. How Now Brown Cow will be staging 3 new productions in the coming 16 months.

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