PRESS: DARWIN, A CURIOUS MIND celebrates the extraordinary scientist and thinker

Luke Ellenbogen

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DARWIN, A CURIOUS MIND, a new play by Sir Alexander McCall Smith, will run at the Galloway Theatre from 7 to 13 April 2025. The wonderfully eccentric character of Charles Darwin is theatrically brought to life in celebration of his scientific adventures, of which Cape Town was an historic part.

Living in an age of industrial leaps and bounds Charles Darwin changed the world and scientific thinking.

Nicholas Ellenbogen was persuaded by Professor Mike Burton to put together a theatrical event to mark this 200th anniversary milestone of this historic figure. The multi-award winning actor, playwright and director immediately sent for the grand master of language, Sir Alexander McCall Smith to convert this fascinating life into a play.

So it came to be that the new play, DARWIN, A CURIOUS MIND, sees two old masters of their craft, writer Sir Alexander McCall Smith (The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency book series, 44 Scotland Street book series & Okavango Macbeth Opera) and actor Nicholas Ellenbogen (King Lear by William Shakespeare, Travesties & Jumpers by Tom Stoppard & Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry), team up to celebrate the extraordinary scientist and thinker, Charles Darwin.

The show is directed by Luke Ellenbogen (Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet, Okavango Macbeth by Alexander McCall Smith  & A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard).

Sir Alexander, Nicholas and Luke have collaborated on projects in Scotland, Botswana and South Africa. This production once again sees their collective skills brought bring a story to life onstage.

Elizabeth Szymcak (Guardians of Eden by Nicholas Ellenbogen, Present Laughter by Noel Coward, Playboy of the Western World by John Millington Synge) and Andrew Roux (Equus by Peter Shaffer, The Demon Bride by Louis Viljoen & Shakespeare in Love by Tom Stoppard) complete the cast.

The play is inspired by the DARWIN200 project, a planetary conservation initiative that aims to change the world for the better. They are retracing the voyage of HMS Beagle, sailing a historic tallship around the world, following Charles Darwin’s route of two centuries ago. Using their ship as a floating laboratory and media platform, the DARWIN200 project will harness the legacy of Charles Darwin’s passion for natural history to engage worldwide audiences and advance global conservation.

DARWIN, A CURIOUS MIND is a family friendly play and will be onstage at the Galloway Theatre nightly from 7 to 13 April 2025. Tickets are priced at R190 per person, and bookings can be made online through Quicket.